Dance Review: I'm Non-Typical, Typical, Greenside @ Nicolson Square, Edinburgh

“Differences are supposed to be attractive, aren’t they? Opposites attract, that’s what they say”.

I'm Non-Typical, Typical is a free show from a team of differently abled performers

I'm Non-Typical, Typical, Greenside @ Nicolson Square, Edinburgh ****

The differently abled performers of this striking new free show clearly feel the contradiction of this old saying – they wrestle with it every day – yet by the end, they’ll have convinced you that there’s a lot of truth in it. You just have to listen.

Disabled people make up the largest minority in our society but they are often the least heard. This collection of monologues, vignettes and dance by Bedazzled Inclusive Theatre illustrates rather better than any single piece of narrative what they actually feel. This doesn’t focus on any challenges they may face, they don’t want sympathy, they just want to be heard.

While the script is credited to the director Matt Hunt, perhaps “edited” would be a fairer description, as the cast address the audience in their own words about their own concerns – the unique difficulties they may face raising a child, holding down a job or having a relationship.

It risks becoming strident when it raises it’s voice (“society has to change!”) but by the end you’ll understand why it felt the need to shout.

Until 10 August.

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