SINCE 2000, the Night Afore Fiesta on George Street has served as an entertaining warm-up to Edinburgh's Hogmanay. This year, in a bid to try something different, the organisers switched venues to the newly pedestrianised Grassmarket and gave the eve
nt a brand new look. Gone was the mixed bag of performances, instead the night concentrated on one genre – dance.
But could a night devoted entirely to "modern and traditional dance" still draw the crowds? You bet it could. An estimated 12,000 people of all ages braved the cold to take in the three stages. At one end we had the Ceilidh Stage. The bands had people Stripping the Willow with surprising competence, given the squeezing-room only space. The other end of the Grassmarket had participation of an entirely different kind – American line dancing from The Tumbleweeds who saw me and many others heel-tapping with unashamed exuberance. Flamenco, tap, salsa, tango, Scottish country dancing, ballroom, can-can and breakdancing came thick and fast during the three-hour shindig. On the Dance Base stage, was the Breakdance Battle of the Celts. Two breakdance crews from Ireland and Scotland going head-to-head in an energetic display.
The undisputed highlight of the night, however, was the incredible Bollywood Steps. Tightly synchronised choreography, copious costume changes and dazzling pyrotechnics ended the night on a breathtaking high.
If there was a down-side to the event, it was the fact there was not a scrap of information telling you what you could see when, leading to a sense of frustration that you were missing out.
