Branded Commuter @ The Space, Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Dundee

The end of the academic year at The Space, the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, is marked by a performance showcasing work by both teaching staff and guest choreographers. Aaron Jeffrey, Edinburgh-based dance artist and Artistic Director of Flesh Collective, is one of the choreographers working with the final year BA Honours students. This year, the guest choreographers include Aaron Jeffrey, Scottish Dance Theatre’s Matthew Robinson, Thomas Small of SmallPetitKlein and John Ross, one of the current recipients of the New Adventures Choreographer Award.

Inspired by observation of the stereotypical office worker, Branded Commuter opens with a suited stream of dancers crossing the stage, eyes fixed straight ahead, intent on their own business. In the background, an abstract projection suggests the bright city lights that accompany this daily traffic. It is an opening that effectively picks up on the robotic rhythm of commuting and, as the piece moves forward, it continues to offer a hilarious take on the branding and consumerism that saturates our lives.

From branded ninja-like characters armed with paper shredders to a comical interpretation of animal mating calls that hints at our tendency to conform, the ideas of Branded Commuter are both fun and clever and it is clear that the cast enjoy being a part of this work. After all, there are not many pieces where you will see a dancer duet with a shopping trolley. The students are strong dancers and their comic timing, vital in this piece, is near perfect.

However, behind the bright colours of these tracksuit-clad, after-hours office workers lies a more serious note on the relentless and exhausting drive of the consumerist lifestyle. While the message is clear, Jeffrey does not let it distract from the overriding upbeat tone of the piece. It is wrapped up with a party, an endless flow of brands and logos flitting across the backdrop while the audience are treated to one of the most comical interpretations of Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of The Heart. [Rachel Elderkin]