This year’s dance programme at the Fringe reminds us that bodies can hold grief, joy, resistance, memory, and friendship. Whether it’s two women moving through a year of shared love and loss, the poetry of cross-cultural connection, or electrifying meditations on ancestry, these works blend powerful stories with physical expression. And with innovative voices pushing movement into philosophy and protest, our Fringe dance picks offer something resonant for every curious soul.
CHUNKY JEWELLERY
Assembly Rooms 1st–24th August
Two women, one year, two births, one death, laughter, tears and a present of chunky jewellery. Tthis is a celebration of being a woman and being friends. Along with an Olivier-nominated collaborator (Ben Duke) and an internationally renowned choreographer (Natasha Gilmore) the duo bring a riot of hope, fear, charity and guffawing. Hilarious last year when it debuted, and like the performers themselves, it improves with experience. Part of Made in Scotland.
http://edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/chunky-jewellery
MENDING NETS
Netherbow Theatre at Scottish Storytelling Centre 1st–25th August (odd numbered dates only)
Dance, poetry, and storytelling as Scots dancer/ storyteller Janis McKay and Palestinian poet and dancer Nada Shawa focus on friendship and the challenges life brings. If you were looking forward to the planned performance last year at Glasgow’s CCA before it was cancelled, now is your time. It’s provocative and its approach to identity seems vital, and not just in the current political landscape. Nada is a wheelchair user and through the duo’s symbiosis this has been integrated into their movement, to the extent that the chair becomes invisible.
http://edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mending-nets
THROUGH WARM TEMPERATURES
DB1 at Assembly@Dance Base 12th–24th August (excluding 19th)
Following her sold-out 2022 Festival production GRIN, leading artist Mele Broomes brings new work through warm temperatures to Dance Base as part of the Made in Scotland showcase. Weaving electrifying movement, expressive vocals and the dynamic sounds of Simone Seales, the performance explores ancestorship, body and reconnection to self by affirming castor oil’s legacy as a natural remedy.
http://edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/through-warm-temperatures
IV – HERE & NOW SHOWCASE
DB3 at Assembly @ Dance Base 19th–24th August
A quartet exploring the interplay between motion and rest, shadow and illumination, IV (4) weaves together visual compositions that dissolve into euphoric dance sequences. The work delves into themes of time, prophecy, and decay, constructing fluid movement from rigid frameworks. Artist and performer SERAFINE1369 approaches dance as both philosophical project and act of resistance. Featured in the Here & Now showcase.
http://edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/iv-here-now-showcase
Main Photo L-R Natasha Gilmore and Jude Williams in Barrowland Ballets Chunky Jewellery. Photo Credit Brian Hartley.
