Get ready to embrace the swagger of rock’n’roll through dance at Eden Court, writes Susan Welsh
Highland dance fans have been well and truly spoiled of late, thanks to two visits from Scottish Ballet. They’re about to be indulged again this week, thanks to two fabulous events, the first of which is Spring Into Eden, an annual dance event which showcases local, homegrown talent.
Featuring young students who attend some of the 15+ classes held at the venue each week, it showcases their skills in everything from swing and strut to shimmy and contemporary. Having been privileged enough to see some of them in rehearsal, I can say those lucky enough to have tickets for the March 21 and March 22 performances are in for an absolute treat.
Promising to be equally showstopping is the visit from contemporary dance company Rambert, who return with a thrilling line-up of new work and classic pieces from some of the most inventive and celebrated dancemakers around.
The programme includes the return of Christopher Bruce’s irresistible Rooster, danced to eight classic Rolling Stones hits, an ambitious new work from Alexander Whitley, and Shobana Jeyasingh’s scintillating Terra Incognita.
One of the stars of the show is Scotland’s own Daniel Davidson, who hails from Edinburgh and who was previously a regular visitor to Inverness having spent eight years with Scottish Ballet. Unbelievably, Daniel, who turned 30 last month, has been dancing for a quarter of a century.
“I was a child with a lot of energy. My mum and dad tried all sorts of sports to burn off that energy, but I didn’t like sport. So, they took me along to a local ballet class which did very simple stuff, but I loved it,” said Daniel.
“I remember thinking: this is fun; I could do this every week.”
Daniel took to ballet like a swan to water and began his professional training when he was 11.
“I attended the Dance School of Scotland in Glasgow, which was a boarding school. Leaving home at 11 was very hard that first year, but I was determined enough to make it all worthwhile,” said Daniel.
His determination paid off and, after graduating, he joined Scottish Ballet, aged 20. With another landmark birthday looming, he felt the time was right for a change, so he joined Rambert, where he has expanded his repertoire to include much more contemporary dance which can be seen in, among others, Rooster.
One of Rambert’s best-loved works, Rooster was created by the company’s former artistic director Christopher Bruce in 1991, and is a firmly established modern classic which is back on the UK stage for the first time since 2001.
It features a series of virtuoso courtship dances performed by sharp-suited, snake-hipped men and strong, sassy woman and is accompanied by some of the Stones’ most famous tunes, including Not Fade Away, Paint It Black, As Tears Go By, Sympathy for the Devil and Little Red Rooster.
“Rooster is regarded as an iconic piece and is really about cocky men who are suave but strutting, and like to show off. We wear velvet jackets and 70s-style shirts and ties. It’s very flamboyant and a lot of fun,” said Daniel.
Rambert are at Eden Court for two nights and the programme will also include Frames, a new work from rising star choreographer Alexander Whitley, which will see the dancers perform amid striking, constantly changing, metal structures of their own creation, and the aforementioned Terra Incognita, which is a combination of Indian dance and contemporary movement from Shobana Jeyasingh.
With world-class dancers, inventive choreography and a live orchestra on hand, this will not only be an exciting experience for dance fans, but one theatre and Rolling Stones fans will enjoy, too.
Rambert: Rooster is at Eden Court Theatre today, Thursday, March 19, and tomorrow, Friday, March 20, with performances at 7.30pm nightly. Contact 01463 234234 or visit www.eden-court.co.uk