Tabularasa

Dance doesn’t always need to have a hook, a narrative or a theme. Sometimes the movement is enough for the sake of its own beauty. In some ways Tabularasa falls into this category; moodily lit, tantalisingly enigmatic, teasing around with images we recognise then melting back into unnatural forms.

At the start, unnerving vibrations shudder down the dancers’ bodies – they clutch their stomachs and bow their heads. Deep underwater rumbling music from Eugene Skeef’s original score leads the ensemble of four into honey-slow movement, suggestive of curling roots or hanging vines. Occasionally a whirling arm will slice through the languor; like a flick of water in the face it wakes you up, pushes you back into the dance.   

Lighting is delicately muted, the colours of the earthy casual costumes rendered dim like revellers in twilight, while the slick precision of the performers keeps the choreography tight.

Keneish Dance, headed up by choreographer Keisha Grant, aims to mix contemporary dance with African dance forms, and when Angolan partner dance Kizomba emerges, seeing couples pairing off and connecting in a familiar way comes with a strange reassuring accessibility - after the abstract quality of what has come before. The passages that mix in African styles are the most dynamic and interesting, marking the company with its own individual stamp. Tabularasa may not be the most accessible or compelling piece of dance on the Fringe but there’s no denying the talent of the company.