Review: Rhythmic Circus – Feet Don’t Fail Me Now! Assembly George Square (Venue 3)

The exclamation mark at the end of this show’s title is well placed, because everything here arrives with a bang, not a whimper.****

Hailing from Minneapolis in the US, this loud and lively coming-together of musicians and dancers is unusual in that nobody has top billing. Every cog in this wheel is just as important, and is given the chance to show what they’re made of.

Of course, front and centre are the tappers – three men and one woman who hit the stage like a tornado, and look as though they could perform pick-ups and wings in their sleep. Throwing in the odd special move to complement the general fast-paced hoofing (a moonwalk or gliding across the stage on their toes) they also integrate with the band, performing a kind of call-and-response with the sax player.

But this is no backing band. Seven musicians on vocals, guitars, keyboard, saxophone, trumpet and drums take over proceedings on a number of occasions while the dancers are off-stage. Playing original rock, blues, soul and funk material, they get the party started, and keep it going.

Most memorable is the moment when beatboxer and percussionist Aaron Heaton steps forward and builds a tower of sound with his voice. Recording and layering the sounds on the spot, it’s hard to believe the music he creates comes purely from his vocal cords.

Talent not withstanding, Feet Don’t Fail Me Now! comes most alive when all 11 performers are on stage together. The cacophony of sound and pure energy generated by them is intoxicating. During a brief chat, dancer Ricci Milan tells us that “joy is released when you dance”, and that in everyday life, the “joy thieves” (stress, anxiety) try to take it away. Well Rhythmic Circus is here to put it back.

Kelly Apter

Until 27 August. Today 3:40pm.