Macphail Centre and Village Hall, Ullapool, 9-10 March 2012

IS SEEMS so obvious.  Of course Ullapool should have a dance festival.

AFTER all, it is a village which hosts festivals of books, beer and guitars.  It is the heartland of the feisean movement and even had a fish festival – once upon a time.  If Ullapool’s GDP were to be measured in terms of dynamism, creativity and community participation it would be considered seriously wealthy

Lochside resident Lydia Fiddes first dreamt of a dance festival when her elder was born 17 years ago. On teaming up with the redoubtable broadcast sound recordist Becky Thomson the vision swiftly took shape and culminated in a two day pilot event which saw generations of locals trying their feet – as it were – at diverse range of dance styles.

Bollywood dance tutor Alex Emerson

In a society where sports’ funding is biased towards activities like football and golf which often fail to appeal to girls, any opportunity for people to try new, fun ways of keeping fit is extremely valuable.  Both boys and girls took part in classes during school time on Friday and many were inspired to go to the MacPhail Centre that evening to see accomplished performances.

Local ballet dancer Manon Wilson accompanied by fellow students of the Elvet Ballet School in Dingwall gracefully exhibited how years of study and hard physical graft pays off.  Noel Hernandez from Cuba energetically moved his body simultaneously on two axes;  he can somehow undulate in a rippling wave movement at the same time as traversing the stage, all the time staying faithful to each syllable of the beat.

Hip Hop act Jack in the Box consists of a company of young women who are vivacity personified.  Their performance sees them energetically use their physicality to tell stories, entertain and switch gender with subtlety and minutely observed accuracy.  They are ambassadors for the power of dance to engender good feeling and raucous laughter.

Saturday’s workshops provided further inspiration as to the art of movement.  Dancers are artists who sculpt their bodies into expressive shapes.  We all do that with varying degrees of awareness.  Without constant limbering and loosening we become set in clay, like representations of inner states.  So if we don’t look out,  we begin to take on the look of a desk bound worker or someone who bows against prevailing winds or encroaching pessimism.

The classes provided a short introduction to distinct dance styles.   Extraordinarily enough we participants came away from one hour sessions with a tangible sense of achievement. Fraser MacDonald taught us six basic moves in Capeiora – a Brazilian Marshal Art.  This will allow us to go forward and practise with each other.  A single Bollywood session with Alex Emerson found us expressing ourselves in the mode of Mombai’s best.  Reports from the other classes were equally positive.

Ullapool Village Hall has hosted some fine ceilidhs.  But the ultimate dance festival event on Saturday night was extra special.   After a weekend of unravelling physical tensions and responding to music, participants reached new levels of freedom and creativity.

A whole new language of expression is now at our disposal.  Our enthusiasm is boundless.  The only remaining question is how the organisers can build on such unequivocal success. The organisers of Ullapool Dance Festival are slick movers who get things done, so we can expect an announcement sometime soon.

© Jenny McBain, 2012

Links

• Ullapool Dance Weekend