A hairy-chested man in a tutu shouldn’t be funny. But he riffs off a woman in the audience whose enthusiasm is neon, and a twitch of a smile escapes, a twinkle in the eye belies the studied exterior. It’s perhaps helped by the fact that much of the rest of Fantasy No 10; ‘The Beauty of […]

Conceived for eight people in an outdoor woodland space, Slowlo is performed indoors against a city skyline at dusk. A clod of earth, a bowl of rose water, dirty clothes and primeval song are reminders of the original forest setting. Despite the electricity, it must have been cold enough for a naked performer. Nic Green, known for […]

Circa’s mission statement boldly claims that they have ‘created a boutique contemporary artform from the traditional languages of circus’, suggesting that contemporary circus prefers to preserve its traditional forms rather than seek new pathways or modernise its media. Their route to this ‘new frontier’ in circus arts is through a refocusing on the human body, […]

2012 saw the loss of two greats of the last two decades of British dance – Gill Clarke and Nigel Charnock, both radically different from each other, but each carving distinctive careers as performers before expanding into choreography and beyond. With Dance Umbrella 2012 dedicated to the memory of both, it is fitting to see […]

Paring live performance right back to its very core, The Devil’s Violin Company present us with a deep, dark evening of ancient stories. Tautly told and expert at drawing us in, the three rich tales are each interwoven with moreish, mesmerising live music that is as much a part of each story as its carefully […]