Heads Up, 20 Aug @ Dance Base

Not content with her own programme, Morag Deyes is evangelising for dance with a second season of performance. The Heads Up events, which run from Wednesday 19th until Saturday 22nd August, captures segements of other Fringe shows and passing choreographers, and gives them a showcase at the price of a Happy Meal.

Thursday 20th August has a typically diverse set of acts: Cuban, African, British and Caribbean pieces, and a guest visit from a Rambert stalwart. Lively, then serene, the line up manages to reveal the extent of Fringe dance activity, from social dance to inclusive duets.

Matthew Hawkins was a hit of the 2007 Dance Base programme. His Muscular Memory Lane explored ideas of aging with Diana Pain-Myers, the 79 year old wunderkind of contemporary. With his experience as a choreographer for Rambert, Hawkins is a cerebral performer, informing his dance with intellect and avoiding sensationalism for a clear, direct line of communication.

The Cuban Church of Salsa are at the other extreme: joyous, energetic, a celebration of Cuban and Brazillian culture with a melange of sensual salsa, sexy samba and afro-reggae. Currently partying the night away at St George's West, this streak of Latin fever is sure to wow the audience.

Heads Up then moves in another direction with Robbie Synge and Julie Cleves over at Zoo with Ups and Downs and Whoopsie Daisies. It "was born out of the performers’ learning about one another, in life and as dancers". After the two met in London in 2008, they gradually evolved a style that includes both Synge's character-based approach and Cleves' physique. "My body is unique," Cleves explains. "Sometimes it’s passive, letting me bend and manipulate some muscles and bones and giving me great strength, and yet it can also be stubborn and fixed, which challenges and informs our movement. Disability is difference and within dance, I explore my body and its abilities." From this perspective, Ups and Downs looks at life's absurdity with an idiosyncratic and determined rigour.

Add in Tough Gough and Journey Dance Theatre, this is ninety minutes of challenging, humorous, thoughtful and ecstatic dance. Both a taster for some of the Fringe's highlights, and a brief survey of the state of contemporary dance, Heads Up gives notice to the rest of the performance world that the body can be the foundation for communication, inspiration and delight.