Richard Alston Dance Company is now in Edinburgh ahead of their performance at the Festival Theatre on Friday. An invited few were treated to a sneak preview, in the form of an open afternoon rehearsal, at the Festival Theatre’s Studio on Potterow.
Having only attended evening performances at the Studio, it was a very pleasant surprise to see this space bathed in the uncharacteristic sunlight that poured in through the full-height windows, reflected across the floor by the wall of mirrors opposite. During the evening, both mirrors and windows lie hidden beneath dark blinds and curtains, and bravely throwing this subterfuge aside gave the sense of getting a privileged peek behind the scenes a real boost.
Executive director, Isabel Tamen, informally introduced the dance company who, dressed casually in tracksuit bottoms and loose fitting t-shirts, were warming up in front of us. On Friday, their performance will include four dances comprising a diverse programme of music and movement. This open rehearsal would see two of these dances performed - without lights, or costumes or any otherwise theatrical trickery.
They began with Alston’s Rejoice in the Lamb, commissioned by Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre and first performed in February this year, accompanied by the Canterbury Cathedral Choir. Composed by Benjamin Britten, it is based on the poetry of Christopher Smart, who was incarcerated in a mental asylum – along with his cat Jeoffry – on the grounds of supposed ‘religious mania’. The dance depicted Smart and his cat acting out serene, ritualistic movements, with Smart conducting the rest of the company to follow his lead: but whether his disciples were other inmates, his captors, or merely part of his religious fantasies was left to the discretion of the audience.
The second piece performed is a brand new choreography commissioned by the Festival Theatre, and the choreographer, Martin Lawrence, was there in person to introduce it. The dance was inspired by the life and music of Franz Liszt and is apparently the first time Lawrence has set out to tell a story through his work. Liszt was a one-man One Direction (or the Beatles, depending on your era) in his day. Pursued by frenzied women wherever he went, he himself did not encourage their advances, but seemingly took many up on their offers of sexual indiscretions nonetheless. The dance centres around his relationship with long-term mistress, Countess Marie d’Agoult, and their inevitable separation when she decided she could bear his numerous affairs no longer. The piece is fast and furious, lyrical and deeply moving.
While both choreographies were breathtaking in their own, very individual way, credit must also be paid to their inspired choice of music. In particular, having resident pianist Jason Ridgway on hand to play Liszt’s passionate cantatas live for the rehearsal (and for Friday’s performance) added yet another dimension to what was a superb performance. Those with tickets are in for an exciting night.
Performance Friday 26th September, 7.30pm.
Tickets: £16.50 - £22.50