***** (5 stars)
“Deeply emotional”
What a treat! After the powerful emotions of Cringe, Boys don’t dance is another deeply emotional piece, this time exploring the joy of dance and its power both to express deep emotions and to transcend physical limitations.
The sheer beauty of the opening moments will stay with me for a long time. A wheelchair dancer in front of a mirror begins their warmup at the barre: arm movements of profound grace and beauty captivated me. Subtle lighting made the mirror both reflective and semi-transparent, making visible the standing dancer behind it who first reflects the first man’s movements and then starts to move the mirror itself, allowing the couple to move in perfect partnership around the floor.
Piotr Iwanicki has used a wheelchair all his life: Ross Malloy is able-bodied. Both have danced from an early age, and together they bring choreographer and company leader Marc Brew’s own dance story to the stage. Born in the Australian outback, where boys don’t dance but play football and do other ‘manly’ stuff, Marc would dance to any and every kind of music – but where no-one could see him. Channel-hopping on the telly, he’d dance along to any song he could find, copying the dancers’ moves and exuberantly expressing the sheer joy of dance – stopping instantly if anyone was near. When his mum was out at work, he’d explore the joys of dressing in female clothing, using the draping folds of fabric to emphasise the grace of his movements, rapidly reverting to ‘normality’ when she came home again.
A horrific car crash put Marc in a wheelchair. Slowly he began to discover the possibilities of dancing on wheels – tentatively at first, but gradually developing confidence and skill and the ability once more to express his every emotion through dance. Ross and Piotr join in a jaw-dropping display of the possibilities offered by a BMX bike and a wheelchair in addition to the equally staggering options open to an able-bodied dancer and a wheelchair user. Words fail me as I try to describe the two men’s strength, agility, daring and complete trust in each other as they whirl gracefully around the dance floor and don’t shrink from hurtling towards and up the BMX trick ramp….
This production is an outstanding example of making a show accessible to as many people as possible. On a screen at the back of the stage, a talking crow and a signing human provide explanations at key points in the narrative, while creative captions are projected on to a box near the front of the stage. There are sensory warnings before the show begins, along with assurances that it’s okay to fidget, move about or leave if necessary. Would that more shows paid this much attention to people’s differing needs!
In the brief Q&A that followed the show, the similarity between the two men was clear – both had danced from an early age despite the lack of dance in their surroundings. I was fascinated to learn that Piotr was a European wheelchair dance champion, and that because he’d been dancing in his chair all his life, the thing he found hardest was learning to express hesitation and beginner’s movements with his chair. Ross in his turn must have been hesitant at first when faced with the challenges of dancing with someone in a chair. Both were eloquent about the trust and wordless communication necessary when dancing together, especially when things weren’t quite going according to plan.
Gene Kelly, in Singin’ in the Rain, has the memorable number gotta dance: Piotr and Ross display that same passion and drive in showing that boys definitely do dance. This show is proof positive and will inspire anyone – even girls – to refuse to allow themselves to be told that they can’t.
Imaginate Children’s Festival Present Marc Brew Company, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Runs Ended However production will conclude its tour at The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th June.
ScotsGay Arts 