OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 3 November 2010

WHEN ONE goes to see a dance performance by an all-male cast, one has to be willing to accept a certain amount of machismo. And Touchpaper, the first of the two productions currently touring Scotland as a collaboration between two leading youth dance companies, YDance and Smallpetitklein, certainly provided this with aplomb.

Dancers from the Ignite project (photo by Paul Watt)

Ever seen a group of teenage boys jostling with each other in the play ground? Now imagine that each of them is professionally trained in contemporary dance. There, you’ve got Touchpaper.

I must admit that I was a tad apprehensive at how realistic this interpretation of adolescent feuding would be after reading the blurb on the back of the leaflet. I mean, since when was the last time you encountered anyone called Moko, Heggie, Malky, Zinc or Davo?

However, my doubts were soon quelled within the first five minutes of the performance. Not only did these five dancers each have the strength of movement necessary to portray the advantageous physical skill that so often is bequeathed to boys post-puberty, but they also possessed the sensitivity and humour to communicate the emotional difficulties that accompany these turbulent years.

As a member of the audience, it was easy to recognise the feelings of rage and frustration that is inherent in young adults everywhere. If more people my age had the opportunity to see this performance, surely they might be inspired to turn this anger into something just as constructive, rather than destructive?

Looking around me, my heart sank as I realised that the theatre was barely half-full. Thank heavens that the show is appearing in Scottish schools this month as well as theatres.

While Touchpaper followed a clear storyline, the second of the performances, Trigger, could be left more open to interpretation. To me, it seemed that Touchpaper was something of a choreographic appetiser to Trigger: they had dabbled in the complexities of human behaviour, now it was time to show what they could really do.

This was a showcase of raw energy and power, interpreted by some of Scotland’s finest talent. The small, but appreciative, audience was lulled into a state of awe as each of the dancers showcased their individual skills, which ranged from stylistic Ballet-inspired movements, to distilled parkour.

My only trivial objection to the presentation of the performance was the use of an overhead projector as an accompaniment. While some of the patterns used during Trigger did complement the lighting and music, most of the time it just felt tacky.

For the best part of the show, the images used hung somewhere between the cheesy visuals provided by Windows Media Player and a tripped out set of In the Nightgarden. What’s more, if a group of men can convincingly mime gathering around a camp fire (which, it must be said, was not the most challenging feat they attempted that night), is it really also necessary to project a picture of said fire behind them?

Despite this minor distraction, the crowd was nonetheless bedazzled, and occasionally broke into spontaneous applause at what was presented to them. Smallpetitklein are a relatively young company: established in 2001, they have presented seven works so far to date. With this quality of vision and ability at their fingertips, who knows what they’ll accomplish next?

© Rowan Macfie, 2010

Links

• YDance
• Smallpetitklein