Rambert: Ghost Dances

If you look for world-class contemporary dance than look no further than Rambert, the London-based dance company (which is also Britain’s oldest!) which took the Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre by storm! Performing the much requested Ghost Dances for the first time in 13 years, this turned out to be one special revival indeed not only for those who had seen the piece before but for a ‘new-generation audience’ too!

Rambert’s highly talented dancers (21 at last night’s performance) stem from all corners of the globe, each and every one contributing to the unique flair the company’s repertoire has on offer – blending a mix of new and traditional, classic and contemporary.

The evening was divided into three sections starting with TOMORROW (choreography by Lucy Guerin) – a bold re-working of ‘Macbeth’ by bringing text and physical movement into one integrated form. With a barely there set design (exception was a retrievable wooden beam with light-bulbs attached) the stage was divided in two, though not literally of course: on the Players Side black-clad dancers acted out the play in reverse order, minimalistic and without text/spoken word. On the Witches’ Side the fantastical and imaginary side of the play was acted out although here we had more performers than just the ‘three weird sisters’ of the play. Dressed in cream-coloured flowing gowns with long tassels, the movements here were the opposite and embodied the wild and unrestricted move of a pagan tribe. Well, it looked like that though there is no doubt that these flawlessly synchronized movements were down to weeks and weeks of hard practice!

FRAMES (choreography by Alexander Whitley) concerned dancers at work (an imaginary factory) and here the movements were dictated by the construction of huge metal frames – beginning with the dancers carrying individual poles onto stage which, during the course of the performance, are not only joint together but at times performers and frames seemingly merge into one.
Here too, the barely there set was deliberately stripped of any bold colour, instead it resembled an almost monochrome room. Likewise, the dancers too were dressed in white shirt and beige trousers, perhaps indicating the drab a soulless environment of a factory. It was breath-taking to watch the movements and how the dancers glided with seemingly effortless ease through, above and beside frames and poles (which were lit up toward the end. Simply magnificent!

The final piece was of course the one everyone had been waiting for: GHOST DANCES (choreography/set design by Christopher Bruce). Created for Rambert back in 1981, this much anticipated revival did not disappoint! Inspired by Joan Jara’s book ‘An Unfinished Song’ and by the wonderful folk music of Chilean ensemble Inti-Illimani, Ghost Dances is foremost a political piece depicting the repression and consequent execution of thousands of civilians under General Pinochet’s bloody regime. At the same time, the piece works as metaphor for any kind of oppressive regime past or present… it could relate to Wovoka’s ‘Ghost Dance’ movement in 1889 on the Paiute Indian Reservation in Nevada, during which survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre participated in the dance out of protest over their treatment at the hands of US Army, it could relate to currents political situations in the Middle East or in Africa… Here though, we witnessed the dead briefly coming back to life courtesy of masked dancers (resembling death figures from the Mexican Dia de los Muertos). Before our eyes the ressurrected remembered intimate, wonderful and not so wonderful moments of their lives before falling victim to the regime. A scenic backdrop depicting a stretch of the Chilean Andes, and inspired folkloristic music incorporating panpipes added the final touch. A true masterpiece and a testimony to humanity performed by a dance ensemble not to be missed!

Rambert perform the Festival Theatre until 25th November
(Please check with the venue for further details)