Vertical Influences presents a pair of contemporary dance pieces set on ice. The first piece, Influences, places the audience in a typical configuration, in the side seats above the ice rink. We watch the width of the rink where five dancers/skaters explore notions of groups and loneliness. There are soft and striking passages, though the […]

Three bright white slabs hover above a pitch black floor – isolated, yet full of potential. Fred Meller’s stark design beautifully compliments Stef Smith’s new play Swallow, which follows three women as they fiercely navigate a moment in their lives when they feel utterly alone. A slim door that rotates is the only other set […]

I sat outside on a cool evening in a quiet back corner of Summerhall chatting with Ellie Dubois, the creator and director of Ringside. It was the time on my ticket, but they were running about five minutes behind, so Ellie kindly asked if that was all right. We chatted about how hot the venues […]

Smoke and Mirrors presents simple, poetic, political acrobatic dance. The two dancers, Cohdi Harrell and Laura Stokes, use acrobatic structures as vehicles for a subtle kind of poetry that feels more like a dream than a circus. Working in solo and duet, they lead us from the day-to-day grind of business and politics, beneath several […]

The Scottish Borders somehow make it very easy to forget the turmoil and violence of its past. The countryside is lush, the hills softly roll between the market  towns, and little old ladies in twinsets and pearls can still find soup and pudding lunches, and teashops that ‘do a good scone.’ Ruins are lovingly tended […]