3.5

	Dance Base - National Centre for Dance (venue website) Dance and Physical Theatre 11 - 22 Aug (not 16), times vary Reviewed by Susannah Radford

Velocity, while active, didn’t quite live up to its name.  Made up of a double bill by Irish Daghdha Dance Company and UK based Pair Dance/Harriet Macauley, it was a show of two halves; the former more of a meandering exploration, the latter an energy eruption.

Standing in Ink by the Daghdha Dance Company was the less successful of the two.  Based on a “year long conversation between the choreographer and dancers” it contrasted languid, floppy movement with jerky tension.

There was an interesting relationship between the music and the movement; a bell reverberated through the soundscape, then reverberated too through dancer Laura Dannequin as she shook it out of her body.  Later, clicking buzzing sounds were deflected off the body.  There were movements that surprised but the overall effect of the dance was not aesthetically pleasing.

Rush lived up to its name.  Energetic, athletic, it started at pace and kept going as it explored commuter life; small moments of interaction on the tube were wary, distrustful and amusing.  Harriet Macauley dances with strength and her duets with David Gellura were satisfying to watch, if a little short.  The hectic commuter life was matched by pulsing, industrial music interweaved with melodic horn.

With Dance Base you can experience the Fringe as it should be.  Irrespective of whether you are excited or disappointed by what you see, £5 tickets mean you can really take chances and dip in and out of a number of shows on their programme.  Velocity, while not a memorable double bill, is still a worthwhile investment of your time that doesn’t dent your wallet.