I would think that Japan has the equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary, perhaps based in the Yokida Prefecture or Tokyo, I'm guessing, I simply don't know. But, if they do, I am absolutely certain that if you look up 'Barking Mad' within its hallowed pages the performers in Jishin will be listed, named and pictured. These guys have lost contact with Earth some time ago, and landed who knows where? But I'm rather glad they made it back to Edinburgh for these three weeks.
There are four performers, and they have developed and refined a staccato form of street dance and shaped it into performance art. The sound tracks to which they perform their work is typically heavy beat dance numbers and their style is to say the least, unique.
It's a wonderfully strange show, the dancing is remarkably static in terms of the use of the full stage, but it still manages to fill the space with its exotic and peculiar form. Occasionally the sequences get a little repetitive and precision is lost in a sacrifice towards speed and energy.
There are some bizarre interludes involving videos of the performers playing with pet rabbits and lizards. The video scene is then immediately re-enacted by the same pet owner, but with the role of rabbit or lizard played by another performer! WTF? It's wacky and there's laughter in the audience but it did get me to reflect on the way we relate to animals. Maybe that was the purpose? They also attempt to recreate the Firth of Forth Bridge! There isn't space for me to explain this statement and besides my brain would probably explode if I tried.
This is one of those shows that the gravitational mass of the Fringe pulls out of orbit from some strange and distant place. Take a chance, walk on the wild side and go and see Jishin.
Show times
Aug 3-7, 9-13, 15-20, 22-27, 8.35pm (9.35pm)
Tickets
£11.50