Dance review: Rain, Edinburgh Playhouse

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker likens Rain to a party, and it's easy to see what she means. Groups form and scatter; dancers peel off on their own or couple up, come together in trios then move on to someone new.

Rain at the Edinburgh International Festival

Rain *****

Edinburgh Playhouse

And if it is a party, it’s definitely one you want an invite to. Joy and happiness radiates from the stage throughout, as if there is nowhere else these ten dancers would rather be. Beautiful moments of tight unison aside, it sometimes feels as if these kindred spirits are simply communicating their love of movement, making it up as they go along. Yet this couldn’t be further from the truth, as the coloured markings criss-crossing the floor like a maverick gym hall demonstrate.

De Keersmaeker spent hours plotting the chor­eographic interplay between the dancers, creating patterns of movement that feel organised yet free. But she alone is not responsible for this 90 minutes of wonder – every move these talented dancers make connects to Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, a piece which twists and turns, heralding a new dance adventure with each shift in direction. All of which is illuminated by Jan Versweyveld’s exquisite lighting design, against his deceptively simple but hugely effective set.