Dance Marathon

Dance Marathon is nearly impossible to review, mostly due to the fact it suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. What is it: theatre, dance, or interactive drama? At heart, the Bluemouth Inc production it is a little bit of everything without ever declaring to be anything.

As it depends on audience interaction, giving away too many details would be cheating. Yes, the production lasts for hours; you will be given a number and expected to participate the whole production through, meaning that, unless you’re prone to a fair amount of clubbing, you will be feeling it afterwards. However, everything is handled in such a light-hearted manner, so that one never feels put on the spot. Tensions and nerves quickly evaporate, and it seems clear that the focus is on delivering a good time.

But therein lays the great paradox. While the production itself is pleasant, it has been marketed as a challenging and revolutionary production, yet this hits nowhere near the mark. The ambition is there, but rather than creating an unforgettable experience using a marathon of dance to probe characters and the audience’s connection with them, the production comes across simply as a dance party.

There is nothing wrong with Dance Marathon. It is enjoyable enough, has good music and some fun performances (even if it does suffer from a horrible sound system). But going by the amount of work that has been put into it, one must wonder what could have been had the production gone for the jugular rather than the heartstrings or funny bone.