Rumours: In Motion

hiljames movement—The Rachel Browne Theatre

I’ve seen a lot of Fringe dance shows, including some from this very troupe. Fringe dance shows are popular, but they’re often not “sold-out” popular. Today, at 4:15 pm on Thursday, this is a sold-out show. I’ll guess that it’s the draw-power of Fleetwood Mac’s music that helps fill the remaining seats.

The last outing I saw from this company had a dancer eating rice on the floor and strewing it all over the stage. It was somewhat odd, but this year’s movement more closely resembles what people expect out of dance routines.

Rumours is one of the most iconic English rock albums ever produced, and I expected the majority of the audience to be people my age or older, who appreciated the music when the band first released it in 1977. Surprisingly, the theatre teems with younger people, underscoring the music’s longevity.

The dancers take every advantage of this masterpiece, reproducing the raw emotion and power of each song. They honour the musical work in every way, including the song order on the album. This is absolutely great because the final song, “Gold Dust Woman,” is the best song on this album of great songs, and the momentum builds until it and the climax arrive.

But wait! There’s more!

Like an encore, the dancers deliver their bows and wishes during the bonus track. It’s been a long time but I believe that it may even be the additional track, later added to the original album, “Silver Springs.” [Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong]

I’ll only say it once more: the music is wonderful. The dancing brings a glorious visual element to the songs, but here, 1+1≠ 2; 1+1 = a lot more, and this package of music, plus dance, adds a third dimension that just has to be experienced.

Finally, you get a bit of everything, including arm-wrestling, hair-pulling, bar-fights, and even zombies! You really have to experience this!

As with many of the sold-out shows, you get some of the fringier Fringers in the audience (the people who only see one or two shows a year, and only base it on the number of stars from The Free Press or CBC). Regular Fringers know Fringe etiquette; today, three people close to me couldn’t keep their phones off. I know; you think you are so considerate in only checking between songs. Each song lasts between two and five minutes. Are you missing so much from your Facebook feed that you must check it every few minutes? Get over yourself. Just put your phones away.

Ray Yuen

hiljames movement—The Rachel Browne Theatre

I’ve seen a lot of Fringe dance shows, including some from this very troupe. Fringe dance shows are popular, but they’re often not “sold-out” popular. Today, at 4:15 pm on Thursday, this is a sold-out show. I’ll guess that it’s the draw-power of Fleetwood Mac’s music that helps fill the remaining seats.

The last outing I saw from this company had a dancer eating rice on the floor and strewing it all over the stage. It was somewhat odd, but this year’s movement more closely resembles what people expect out of dance routines.

Rumours is one of the most iconic English rock albums ever produced, and I expected the majority of the audience to be people my age or older, who appreciated the music when the band first released it in 1977. Surprisingly, the theatre teems with younger people, underscoring the music’s longevity.

The dancers take every advantage of this masterpiece, reproducing the raw emotion and power of each song. They honour the musical work in every way, including the song order on the album. This is absolutely great because the final song, “Gold Dust Woman,” is the best song on this album of great songs, and the momentum builds until it and the climax arrive.

But wait! There’s more!

Like an encore, the dancers deliver their bows and wishes during the bonus track. It’s been a long time but I believe that it may even be the additional track, later added to the original album, “Silver Springs.” [Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong]

I’ll only say it once more: the music is wonderful. The dancing brings a glorious visual element to the songs, but here, 1+1≠ 2; 1+1 = a lot more, and this package of music, plus dance, adds a third dimension that just has to be experienced.

Finally, you get a bit of everything, including arm-wrestling, hair-pulling, bar-fights, and even zombies! You really have to experience this!

As with many of the sold-out shows, you get some of the fringier Fringers in the audience (the people who only see one or two shows a year, and only base it on the number of stars from The Free Press or CBC). Regular Fringers know Fringe etiquette; today, three people close to me couldn’t keep their phones off. I know; you think you are so considerate in only checking between songs. Each song lasts between two and five minutes. Are you missing so much from your Facebook feed that you must check it every few minutes? Get over yourself. Just put your phones away.

Ray Yuen