OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 14 August 2009

Louise Marshall

DIGITAL DANCE  was the product of five days of hard work by a group of twenty four young adults and it proved to be as fresh as I imagined, but perhaps a little too short. Its music was atmospheric (though a little repetitive and dance-y for my taste) and the dancers enthusiastic, so that the culmination of their work made Eden Court Summer Youth Dance Project 2009 a treat for family and friends.

The beginning of the dance was slightly delayed due to a few technical hitches but nobody seemed particularly bothered, so all was going well until an accident involving a dancer and the stage floor took place; luckily the stage floor didn’t suffer too much, and neither did the dancer, though someone else (my friend as it happens) had to take her place.

So after a few false starts the show was underway with black and white film projected onto the background, and then Maree Murdoch entering left dancing her mobile number (an imaginative idea of one of the choreographers) which was particularly inspired, though I confess neither I nor her sister realised until she explained on the journey home.

Waves of dancers followed with domino effect movements and rather rave style dancing at points. On the screen behind the dancers there were more images projected, including video footage of them practising which added to the cosy, inclusive feeling of the whole performance. The dancing seemed to reach out to the audience and succeeded in its wish to be an “interactive” performance.

The performance attempted to encompass a whole range of elements, and the dancers managed well with the help of able tutors – Louise Marshall, Eden Court’s Dance Artist, and Ruby Worth – but it could have been a little longer. Perhaps it was nerves, but the dance only managed to clock in 20-odd minutes, which I thought was a little disappointing. None the less it was all well done and I’m looking forward to next year’s production.

© Jo Gratton, 2009

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