Taiwan Season: Light of Life – Assembly George Square Studios – Studio One – 1pm
IF YOU don’t know what a “diabolo” is, I’ll give you a definition: it’s an “hourglass-shaped top that is balanced and spun on a string stretched between the tips of two sticks”. Doesn’t sound that exciting and seems to offer limited entertainment. Wrong on both accounts.
The Taiwenese Diabolo Dance Company uses its light-flashing diabolos to transport you to a kaleidoscopic cosmos. The performers combine dance and an unbelievable mix of diabolo skill to allow you to witness an orbit with a constellation of lights flying from receiver to sender with synchronised daring that at times it seems to be a spirogyra of surreal beauty.
The iridescent lights move at incredible speed, distance and precision throughout the sublime dance routine to perfectly chosen music accompaniment. The dance segments are so well choreographed that the dancers themselves seem to be as fluid as the flight of the diabolos; not a spare inch of the stage or flies above go to waste.
There is a comedy interlude that is difficult to pull off when executing such demanding work, but work it did. This show has been planned and executed with the utmost dedication and skill.
The venue was not full for this performance – I predict that won’t last. This is a show that should have queues around the block, with those without tickets begging and opening their wallets to bribe ticket holders to sell their tickets to them. It was brilliant and beautiful.
I felt a pang of jealousy when the director of the show took a bow at the end of the performance, knowing that I will never have the vision, talent or ability to pull off such a show.
My advice? Simple – get tickets, you won’t regret it.
4 STARS
Get the full details about the show here.
Plus, read more reviews on Scottish Field’s Fringe pages.
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