Dance, Physical Theatre & Circus Review: Body Language, Dance Base (Venue 22), Edinburgh

On a purely anthropological level, Body Language is fascinating.

3

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We arrive to find every available wall space covered in photographs of a woman’s face.

This, it transpires, is a remnant from the last performance – and it’s about to start anew.

Welcoming another photographic subject on stage, media artist Christopher Ash begins to give her instructions: look scared, happy, sad, angry (it’s hard to hear exactly what he’s saying, but we get the gist).

This process takes 15-20 minutes, and feels very personal to Ash and his subject; even if he had just spoken a little louder, it might have brought a sense of inclusion for us.

By the end of this section, the room looks striking, with dozens of facial expressions and bodily movements captured by Ash’s skill and precision behind the lens.

Then in walk the dancers of Dublin’s acclaimed CoisCéim company, who respond to the photographs with movement.

But compared with some of the company’s previous dramatic, heart-rending output (Missing, Swimming with my Mother, Knots), it feels distant.

Until 25 August. Today 2:40pm

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