Martin Creed: Ballet Work No. 1020 @ Traverse Theatre

Calling this work a ballet is misleading. There are some ballet dancers who do a few ballet moves but otherwise the piece transgresses the form’s other distinguishing features. Firstly, Martin Creed’s band plays the accompanying music, which is far from orchestral and is instead a particular brand of scratchy post-punk. What's more, the band shares the stage with the dancers rather than hiding themselves away in a pit. And the choreography, stark and repetitive, has been limited to five basic moves. This is ballet mediated through Creed’s distinct artistic process.

That’s not to say the show isn’t enjoyable. Creed, as ever, amuses and discomforts in equal measure. His onstage persona is typically feckless with him appearing unsure why he’s even come here. There are long pauses in his introduction while he paces up and down, seemingly thinking how he might form the next sentence so to express meaning as accurately as possible.

The band are tight and precise with complex rhythmical shifts and poppy chord progressions. They stand all in a line stage right with Creed at the front. The audience are particularly tickled by the song where he sings through the phonetic alphabet, straying into a middle eight between the letters M and N, and where he counts to one-hundred, Sesame Street-style.

Some of the songs and dances are accompanied by Creed’s earlier video works, often distracting from the dancers. After all, it’s difficult to stay focused when there is a video of someone taking a shit in the background.

Throughout, Creed manages to maintain a comfortable and friendly environment, despite the difficult nature of some of his videos, and has a good rapport with the dancers and the ability to interact with the audience.

The elements that make up Creed’s ballet are in many ways flawed. Yet somehow it’s entertaining to the end, closing with a cheeky wee number called Fuck Off.