Edinburgh Festival Insider - Dance / Physical Award 2009

Perhaps my favourite category of the Fringe programme, the dance / physical section always contains shows which challenge, delight and impress with feats of skill, fluid movements and some of the most original works to grace Edinburgh's stage during August.

The nominations for the Edinburgh Festival Insider Dance / Physical Award 2009 are:

• The Chair by C-12 Dance Theatre. A striking and well-choreographed piece from a young UK company that show significant promise.
• C!rca. A beautifully staged and skillful set full of acrobatic movements made to look effortless by a talented group.
• Zeitgeist by Zen Zen Zo. An astonishing, challenging, brave and uncompromising piece which pushed its unique artistic vision straight into your face.
• The Kosh in The Storeroom. An accomplished one-woman performance that contained sequences of beautifully-realised movement and dance.
• Tales of the Apocalypse by Airealism. Wonderful rope, silk and trapeze skills from a group that presented an at-times surreal yet always captivating performance.
  

And the winner is...

Zeitgeist by Zen Zen Zo

A performance which you could not tear your eyes away from, Zeitgeist contained moments of beauty, startling originality, black humour and excellent choreography, courtesy of the acclaimed and uncompromising Zen Zen Zo physical theatre and dance group from Australia. Like some vision from Dante's Inferno, the dancers cavorted, squealed and ultimately dazzled with a show that fast became one of the tickets to secure at the Fringe.

For that, they more than deserve the:

Review: The Chair by C-12 Dance Theatre ****

This is young UK-based C-12 Dance Theatre's first year at the Fringe. On the strength of the emotionally-charged style and grace of The Chair, they should definitely be back.

Performed without dialogue, The Chair relates the plight of an imprisoned man, haunted by nightmarish visions of his past as he struggles for redemption and forgiveness from those he has wronged.

Superbly choreographed by Annie-Lunette Deakin-Foster, scenes from this tale of inner struggle are depicted with some quite beautiful dance and physical theatre, complemented by effective lighting and a perfectly-matched soundtrack. Deakin-Foster, who also appears as the prisoner's mother, deserves a great deal of credit here, but the performance of Nas Evanson as the lead is outstanding.

Possessing a strength of both body and gaze, Evanson is completely convincing as a man struggling with his demons as he relives past moments of joy, frustration and anger whilst coming to terms with the enormity of his present. His movements are perfectly timed and stated and he brings a power and emotion to the piece that transforms it into something special.

The two other cast members are also accomplished and talented, but the stars of The Chair are undoubtedly Deakin-Foster's original & compelling choreography and Evanson's powerhouse performance.

The Chair runs from August 8th to 31st at Pleasance Zoo. £10 (£7 concession), some shows sold out.