EdFringe 2024: The 5 best reviewed dance shows from the Edinburgh Fringe so far

While dance may not be the first style of show that many think of seeing at the Edinburgh Fringe, the festival hosts a wealth of world class performers each year.

Offering a huge variety of dance and physical theatre shows, this year’s programme is jam packed with talent from around the world.

From new takes on traditional tap to a unique interpretation of folk horror film Midsommar, here are some of the must see dance performances at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe so far.

The Show For Young Men: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Show for Young Me at Edinburgh Fringe | Andrew Perry

One for the whole family, though specifically targeted at young men – as the name implies – The Show For Young Men is a contemporary dance performance which brings together 44-year-old Robbie and 10-year-old Alfie.

Meeting on a building site, constructed on stage with metal sheets and plastic tubing, it emulates that working environment and its dynamic.

With Robbie attempting to work and Alfie determined to play, the two go on a journey together which The Scotsman’s reviewer Kelly Apter praises for striking “just the right balance of rough-and-tumble humour and emotional depth”.

• The Show For Young Men is on until August 24 at Assembly @ Dance Base - Dance Base 1 (Venue 22). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website.

Sushi Tap Show 2024: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sushi Tap Show | Sushi Tap Show

Performed by Japanese dance troupe Tokyo Tap Do, Sushi Tap Show is an entertaining exhibition of rhythm, tap dance and comedy. Praised for its likeable dancers and commitment to silliness, the show is underpinned by fundamentally excellent technical ability.

As our reviewer states: “Whether they’re dancing to classical music pretending to need the toilet, or paying homage to Riverdance, the footwork is exemplary, the timing precise, and the showmanship exuberant.”

• Sushi Tap Show 2024 is on until August 24 at Greenside @ George Street - Forest Theatre (Venue 236). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website.

Taiwan Season: Palingenesis: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Choreographed by Po-Hsiang Chuang, the European premiere of Taiwan Season: Palingenesis is a spectacle which looks to address the growing distance between individuals.

Three male dancers take to the stage in only flesh coloured pants and face masks, fused to one another so closely that the audience will struggle to understand where they each begin and end.

Praising their precise performance and sensitivity, The Scotsman’s reviewer Apter writes that it’s “a beautiful moment” when the show ends and the masks come off.

• Taiwan Season: Palingenesis is on until August 25 at Assembly @ Dance Base - Dance Base 3 (Venue 22). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website.

Midsommar: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Inspired by Ari Aster’s 2019 horror Midsommar, this dance performance of the same name doesn’t look to replicate its narrative but instead its atmosphere and characters.

Performed by InMotion Dance Collective, an ambitious group of young dance students from Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and co-choreographed by Tiegan Doyle and Paige Sinclair, its progression from harmony to dissonance blends together contemporary dance with Scandinavian folk dance to produce a show which is “fresh and engaging”.

However, our reviewer heaps the most praise upon “the complete and utter conviction each dancer brings to the piece”.

• Midsommar is on until August 10 at Paradise in Augustines - The Sanctuary (Venue 152). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website.

Crawler: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Unlike many of the other dance performances on this list, Crawler is relatively pared back featuring just lone drummer, Jason McNamara, and Dublin-based dancer Jessie Thompson.

Featuring elements of streetdance, contemporary dance, experimental movement and music-driven improvisation, Thomson’s performance is an “intimate, almost ritualistic” piece of work.

While our reviewer acknowledges that this may not be for everyone, she concludes that “it’s hard to deny the urgency and assuredness of her movement”.

• Crawler is on until August 11 at Assembly @ Dance Base - Dance Base 1 (Venue 22). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website.