Premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase, Karl Jay-Lewin & Matteo Fargion present If I Can’t Dance I’m Not Coming at Assembly Dance Base.
The work frames Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis, translating silent cinema into a rigorous choreographic score. Drawn predominantly from Scotland, with appearances from Jay-Lewin and Fargion themselves, an ensemble of eight aims to embody the scenes of this science fiction film.
There’s very little to help us, the audience, navigate the concept. Perhaps this was a purposeful decision, but it might be a tricky one for those who prefer clear-cut theatre. If I Can’t Dance I’m Not Coming begins with the performers purposefully striding onto the stage, before launching into the movement score which stylistically remains much the same throughout. The choreography, or movement as it seems more appropriate to call it, is predominantly gesture-based, presumably as a nod to the silent-movie era.
In my experience, eight performers is quite a large number in a Fringe show at this venue, and they fill the intimate space with their energy and commitment to this piece. Whilst they most likely have more physical potential than the choreography allowed them to demonstrate, they gave as much as they could to the material they had to work with.
Matteo Fargion’s string quartet accompanies the piece. Whilst played beautifully, it stays very much on one level, not really building or having much dynamic contrast throughout. It mostly seems to be used as a backdrop to the movement rather than in harmony with it. Using music in this way means dancing in unison is challenging, with limited audio cues or counts to rely on. As a result, at times it was unclear whether the intention was for the ensemble to be moving as one unit or individually, as the lines were somewhat blurred.
If I Can’t Dance I’m Not Coming is a quietly political work that encourages one to form their own interpretation. This is most likely one that will divide opinion.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
