Review: Dancehall Blues at Assembly Dance Base

Review by Kate Gaul

Ireland's dance theatre vanguards, CoisCéim present David Bolger's “Dancehall Blues” as part of Culture Ireland’s Edinburgh Showcase. Nominated for Best Production and Best Design, the show captivated audiences and critics when it premiered to sold-out houses at Dublin Fringe 2024. This “expertly ingenious” (Irish Times) duet unfolds in a surreal dancehall at dusk, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. The blurb says, “Two performers dance with fearless abandon, their powerful movements cutting through chaos to ignite hope in a world where dreams and nightmares collide.”

CoisCéim (pronounced “kush came”) takes its name from the Irish word for “footstep.” Recognised for its artistic excellence and emotional resonance, CoisCéim’s work embraces a variety of dance styles to “articulate stories and emotions relevant to the landscapes in which we live.”

The production begins in a hazy theatre with the two performers (Emily Kilkenny Roddy and Alex O’Neil) dressed in white hazmat suits standing stock still against a slow-motion recording of happy guests at an early twentieth century dancehall.  It’s a dreamy and disturbing juxtaposition. We are launched into a world of Big Brother chaos. A mirror ball dead drops from the ceiling and becomes a pendulum which of course tells us this is something to do with the contemplation of time.  And “Dancehall Blues” does shift in time.

Inspired by the building in which the company make work in Dublin (a former postal sorting office) the scenario shifts to a projection of an interior wall and the work becomes instantly poetic (in a different way) and the dancers shed the white suits for muted casual clothing with a nod to the past. A slanted mirror provides an alternate perspective. The idea of a dancehall – a place where people can connect, can dream, and if only for a moment cast off the woes of the world – is potent. From the program: “With shifting time frames within this work, we examine key moments in the world’s history and try to find patterns of human resilience. The mirrorball that hangs over the floor unites us in this universe, with connection and unity to light, self-expression and spirituality.”

Dystopic references are never far away.  Even in this sanctuary we hear offstage voices, distant unsettling noises of riots, perhaps? One is invited to write many stories on this work.

“Dancehall Blues” has a strong dance theatre vibe. The performers are captivating.  The evolving “story” is gripping. It has all shades from nightmare to dream. It is the present, the future and a fallen Eden.  I left feeling hopeful. Do not miss this show.

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