Scary Gorgeous

Are you getting enough? Are you doing it right? Are you sure you want to?

That's none of your business, I hear you say. What goes on between lovers behind closed doors is personal.

Not any more.

In a world where images of sex and beauty are disseminated far and wide, to what extent are we all influenced by the private lives of others? This tension is what Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen set out to explore through their unique blend of music, dance and dialogue. Yet where last year's Another Someone took you in a gentle hug with its exploration of happiness, Scary Gorgeous gets you in a headlock with an unflinching look at sex in all its confused glory.

RashDash's work is messy and raw, giving the impression that with every movement they discover the space and each other anew. They physically embody each emotion and idea that the piece explores - flinging each other around in sexual ecstasy, gyrating against strangers in a club, shrinking back into themselves in moments of self doubt. When combined with the live music from Not Now Bernard, the result is an explosive performance and a clear indication of this company's exciting direction.

RashDash fuse fizzing physical theatre and their ragdoll style of dance with two loosely woven narratives. In the first, two band mates discover the full impact of exploring their sexuality on their work, their friendship, their selves. In turn we realise through the eyes of a young couple – very much in love but youthfully insecure - that the individual's deeply personal choices are anything but. When an empowering photograph turns two lovers away from each other it becomes clear that sex is no longer personal.

The conclusion of the two narratives is unexpected, and although the resolution does not feel terribly satisfactory, it is certainly discomforting. Yet what is said in 90 minutes could very easily be said in half that time with more judicious direction and focus, and the piece will only benefit by being honed over time.

Yet Scary Gorgeous remains a bold statement, brilliantly executed. Abbi and Helen do not preach, but they certainly provoke, as they lay open their own big hearts and tackle insecurities common to us all.