Tangram @ Pleasance Dome

Tangram is a dance piece that ultimately explores the relationship between a juggler and a dancer. It begins with the initial curiosity, the playful 'flirting', and then the passionate fits of anger as it becomes obvious they want different things yet can't live without each other. 

Stefan Sing and Cristiana Casadio create a show with a unique chemistry and skill set. Merging juggling and dancing, as well as a few moments of clowning around, the performers play upon the idea of love being something that is dynamic; relationships are something you have to work at. While the solo dance pieces seem slightly laboured, when the two performers dance together, they execute each movement with accuracy and with near-perfect coordination. It is an intelligently constructed piece, yet the duets are so much stronger and so well-constructed that they seem to overshadow the solos. 

If you sit higher up, you will notice the shapes and patterns the performers create with the juggling balls. Using the floor as a flat surface, they essentially play tangram – a Chinese puzzle dating back to the tenth century. Tangrams are all about shapes and how they fit together, which underlines the visual aesthetic added to the storyline. [Eric Karoulla]