Mary Brennan

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s dance work Ihsane, given its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival, responds to the homophobic and racist killing of Ihsane Jarfi, a young queer Moroccan man. Drawing on Cherkaoui’s personal experiences of identity, family estrangement and cultural heritage, the production brings together his Eastman company and the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève. Dance styles, live music by Jasser Haj Youssef, vocals, voiceovers and projections explore grief, isolation, trust and reconciliation, ultimately ending with a symbolic lamp as a beacon of hope. The production is praised for its outstanding dancers, emotional depth and inventive fusion of movement and sound.

A three-star review praises HK Soul Showcase, a double bill by Hong Kong choreographers Justyne Li and Blue Ka Wing. Li’s Gemini explores the physical and psychological pressures of hectic, technology-driven urban life through twitching, confrontational movement, while Ka Wing’s Romantic 4:48 AM uses domestic conflict, clown-like costumes, and household appliances to examine intimacy and resentment. The production is commended for its energetic performers, inventive choreography, humor, and contribution to Hong Kong’s contemporary dance scene.

Marc Brew’s Boys Don’t Dance, staged at Assembly @ Dance Base during the Edinburgh Fringe, draws on Brew’s childhood in rural Australia and his later paralysis following a car crash at 19. Ross Malloy plays the young Brew, whose BMX riding and fascination with pop-video dance express his desire to break free from restrictive ideas of masculinity. Piotr Iwanicki portrays Brew’s older self, with their interactions developing into trusting, acrobatic and emotionally resonant duets. The production is praised for combining humour, inventive film and animation, inclusive staging and thrilling physical movement with themes of disability, identity, social attitudes to difference and self-belief. It runs until August 23.