Macphail Centre, Ullapool, 8 November 2012

WELCOME to a basement studio where ear-splitting, electronic music fuses with the kind of energetic percussion which resonates in the lower gut.

A GROUP of men alternates between bursts of frenetic movement and intensive, concentrated consumption of beer. The programme tells us, they are musicians trying to lay down an album.

The Chinaski Sessions in rehearsal

This production from David Hughes Dance is clearly an inside job prior whereby many testosterone fuelled nights of debauchery were closely observed long before a single step was taken. But there is an inherent contradiction, one of many threading through this gritty show: anyone who indulged in drink and drugs to the extent that these dancers portray, could not actually be dancers.

If you like your dance soft, fluffy and uplifting you will be sorely disappointed. This is contemporary with a capital C. But if you are prepared to weather the cacophony of sound and sift through the rather stark, urban imagery, some true-to-life observations emerge.

Drunken men posture like rutting stags. At times the finely choreographed fighting spills over into a kind of embrace. The balletic trajectory of a staggering inebriate is exaggerated into a joyously nihilistic piss-take, underpinned by rigorous discipline and technique. Ultimately, the uniformity of rebellious behaviour is revealed as just another form of conformity.

The Chinaski Sessions could possibly be summed up as the Trainspotting of dance. Some people are repelled by artistic reflections of society’s underbelly. A few members of the audience in Ullapool walked out before the end. I imagine the company would chalk this up as a small victory. We are clearly meant to be challenged by this melange of music, physical theatre and dance.

Like any experience the mood you bring to it will colour your perception. It is worth noting that a highly cultured, 16-year-old acquaintance thought it the best performance he has ever seen. If you feel you could tolerate invasion by a riotous stag party, go for it and enjoy.

© Jenny McBain, 2012

Links

• David Hughes Dance