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Written by Ralph Scott & Thomas Paul
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 What makes acts such as the Blue Man Group and Stomp! so effective and impressive is their incredibly tight and rigorous performances, with everyone involved knowing what is coming next. This kind of awareness is not only where the rudimentary skill lies in this discipline (like an actor knowing their lines), but also allows the performers themselves to knock it out with gusto, and flourish in their roles. This run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the Aluminum Show's première performance in the UK, and unfortunately the lack of experience shows.
The concept is modern dance on the theme of aluminum (aluminium to the Brits) in all its shapes and forms, from a futurist perspective. The dancers were clearly talented; a scene towards the end where they pulled gymnastic poses in front of a light screen was suitably impressive, and the first and last 10 minutes of the show were spectacular. However, the shows choreography fell flat halfway through and the element of audience interaction rather than adding anything, distracted. The sheer enthusiasm of the crew was infectious but, sadly, without any of the grace you expect from contemporary dance. At times it did begin to feel like half-time entertainment at the Eurovision Song Contest, particularly during the ill-advised and long-winded fashion show.
The blurb describes the show as the product of letting “imagination run riot”. Perhaps it should rather have been reined in a little, if only to let the clearly capable dancers do their thing. Despite some spectacular moments, it doesn’t seem like a fully formulated show at present.
- Aluminum
- Pleasance Courtyard
- 3rd – 25th August (not 5th, 12th, 19th)
- 18:00
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