INSPIRED Psychology:Danced

 

Created by Dr Peter Lovatt

 

A new work premiered at the Weston Auditorium on 26 May 2011

 

Five amazing choreographers were INSPIRED by five psychological questions. The result is Psychology:Danced. If someone cried out, would you help? If someone asked you to remember three simple things, would you, could you? If you saw a chessboard would you know which were the black squares and which were the white? If you asked someone a question and they didn’t know the answer, would you give them an electric shock? If you were acting normally would a psychiatrist think you were mad? Created by Dr Peter Lovatt, INSPIRED is a performance of dance and spoken word where psychological stories are brought to life with fresh, exciting and dynamic dance.

 

INSPIRED Psychology:Danced

 

ACT 1

 

Scene 1. Introduction - Dance & Psychology

 

Part 1. Clear & Beautiful

A film by Ruth Mills

Performed by Ruth Mills

To the voice of the late Martha Graham.

Music: Jon Kelihor. Excerpts from 'Class' and 'Celestial Nile'

 

Part 2. Flappers

Choreographed and Performed by Scarlett Hiles, Tanya Hill, Holly Jackson-Walters, Camilla Lochun, Laura Tan, Amy Reid with Peter Lovatt

Music: “Roxie’s Suite” by Danny Elfman

 

Scene 2. Sanity

Part 1. EITHER OR

Choreographed and danced by Sabine Klaus & Emma Snellgrove

To the voice of Nicole Carter

3D Visual Artist: Iain Carter

Idea, research, video & sound edit: Sabine Klaus Creation Editor

 

Notes

'EITHER OR' brings together poetry and dance with sound and visual effects to portray the inner and outer ongoings of poet Nicole Carter who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder over 15 years ago after several severe spells of manic-depression. Those led her to dance busking in the street, running beyond the pain threshold and being homeless. Her true story and poems inspired Sabine Klaus and Emma Snellgrove to move in one and other ways mixed with 3D background imagery created by Iain Carter so the dancers can become one or two or EITHER OR.

 

Part 2. Self Esteem

Choreographed and danced by Holly Jackson-Walters with Peter Lovatt

 

Part 3. Words

Choreographed and performed by Ruth Mills

Trapped in a schizophrenic condition.

Music: Low, 'Words'.

 

Scene 3. Illusions

Part 1. Excerpts From A Bigger Picture

Choreographed by Emma Jayne Park

Danced by Rebecca Cameron, Caitlynn Cummings and Emma Jayne Park

Music: Murcof 'Unison', Four Tet 'Everything Is Alright', Bruno Sanfillipo Matthio Grasso 'Ambient Music'

Video Editing Simon Persuad

The development of this piece was supported by Dancebase, Edinburgh

 

Notes

''We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves. The martyrs go hand in hand into the arena; they are crucified alone. Embraced, the lovers desperately try to fuse their insulated ecstasies into a single self-transcendence; in vain. By its very nature every embodied spirit is doomed to suffer and enjoy in solitude. Sensations, feelings, insights, fancies — all these are private and, except through symbols and at second hand, incommunicable. We can pool information about experiences, but never the experiences themselves. From family to nation, every human group is a society of island universes.'' Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception

 

Part 2. Seeing with sequins in your eyes

Choreographed by Hagit Yakira

Danced by Scarlett Hiles, Tanya Hill, Holly Jackson-Walters, Camilla Luchun, Laura Tan, Amy Reid with Peter Lovatt

Music: “Razzle Dazzle” by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb.

 

INTERVAL (20 minutes)

 

ACT 2

Scene 4. Obedience

Part 1. A conversation: part1

Choreographed and danced by Hannah Buckley and Dwayne Antony Simms

Music. 'Matera' by Rene Aubry.

 

Acknowledgements. Hannah would like to thank her parents and sister for their continual support. Dwayne would like to thank Bea Udeh for her help and support.

 

Notes

A conversation: part 1 could be between two friends, or two strangers. It could be a moment of insanity or the sanest action possible. A conversation: part 1 is a response to three psychological studies that looked at bystander apathy, obedience and sanity.

 

Part 2. Kitty Genovese

Choreographed and danced by Scarlett Hiles, Tanya Hill, Camilla Luchun, Laura Tan and Amy Reid

Music. Imma Be, by Black Eyed Peas

 

Scene 5. Memory

Part 1. Together (A solo)

Choreographed and performed by Ruth Mills

Searching for the future while reminded of the past.

Music: Allegri 'Misereri mei', Gerry Campbell.

 

Part 2. Eight Feet

Choreographed and danced by Camilla Lochun, Tanya Hill, Scarlett Hiles and Peter Lovatt

 

Part 3. Forgotten

Choreography: Anne Marie Kristensen

Performer: Harriet Bailey

Music: "Flying and Flocking" by Zoe Keating

Voice Recording: Alex Sharp Cole

Voice, text and music editing: Anne Marie Kristensen

 

Part 3. Sunday Morning

Choreography: Hagit Yakira

Performers : Takeshi Matsumoto, Orley Quick, Cornelis Joubert, Hagit Yakira

Producer : Maria Tsaousi

Rehearsal Manager: Maika Klaukien

Dramaturge: Yarit Dor

Scenographer, Lighting Designer: Rachel E. Stanners

Costume Makers: Cornelis Joubert, Berit Laageide

Music: Tom James Scott

 

Notes

Inspired by the different origins of her peers, Hagit takes Sunday Morning to be the place of memories of childhood, of family, of home, and of fear of loss. Through evoking these memories (and feelings) she wishes to explore the emergence of individual identity, and at the same time the persistence of longing to belong.

 

INSPIRED Psychology:Danced - Acknowledgements

 

We would like to thank Paul Upson and the University of Hertfordshire Arts Team, Howard Berry and the students on the BSc TV & Film course at the University of Hertfordshire, Sasha Kline and Peter Ford for stage management. My heartfelt thanks go to Tracy Ashwood who has coordinated everything to do with INSPIRED Psychology:Danced (including costumes, marketing, liaising with choreographers, arranging accommodation and travel for everyone). Tracy has controlled the chaos and worked tirelessly to make everything in the show look graceful, effortless and beautiful.

 

23 Feelings in Dance

 

Over 100 choreographers responded to a call to create a three minute piece of dance based on "emotions".

23 Pieces were chosen and performed. At each performance the audience was asked what emotion (if any) they felt was being represented in the piece and afterwards the choreographers were invited onto the stage to talk about their piece and its development.

Friday 6th August: Susan Harvey (Tap Kids). Title: Connect

 

Tap Kids is a group tap dancers. The group is just under a year old and usually has 14 members ranging in age from 7 -16. Tap Kids are based at the Starlet Dance Studios in Dunfermline.

 

Saturday 7th August: Anne Marie Hashrup Kristensen. Title: Fall

 

The piece 'Fall' is choreographed by Anne Marie Kristensen, a Danish student at London Contemporary Dance School. The two dancers, John Ross and Harriet Bailey, have played a big part in the process of creating this duet, in which they are growing up but unfortunately they are growing out of their close friendship as well. Frustration builds as they realise that they need to confront reality.

The piece will be shown on August 7th in the Bedlam Theatre at 7pm.

For more information send an email to rie.kristensen@gmail.com.

 

Sunday 8th August: Choreographer: Emma Jayne Park. Dancer: Sean Robinson (Black Swan Dance Theatre)

 

http://www.blackswandance.co.uk/

 

The Black Swan Theory denotes high impact, hard to predict, and rare events beyond the realm of normal expectations which play a dominant role in changing the course of everyday thought. With the aim of living up to its' namesake Black Swan Dance Theatre was formed by Emma Jayne Park in July 2008 to develop limitless, uncompromising and accessible dance work.

 

Monday 9th August: Choreographer: Hannah Chalut. Title: Circle of Light

 

Dancers: Lucy Cobb, Shery Huang, Sophia Roberts

 

Open Air Dance and Performance was founded in 2001 in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina, where we performed locally, with the American Dance Festival, and at locations across the east coast. Working in a dancer driven capacity, our projects highlight the role of individual performers, utilizing their unique characteristics to open up the human condition. Refusing to be boxed in by the notion of “dance”, OADAP actively engages spoken word and sound, theatrical devices, found art, visual mediums, and ritual outlines to breathe life in to each work. We have recently relocated to England and invite you to follow us in our deeply moving and joyous performances.

 

For more information, please contact Hannah: openairhannah@yahoo.com

 

Tuesday 10th August: Choreographer: Hannah Chalut. Title: Circle of Light

 

Dancers: Lucy Cobb, Shery Huang, Sophia Roberts

 

Open Air Dance and Performance was founded in 2001 in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina, where we performed locally, with the American Dance Festival, and at locations across the east coast. Working in a dancer driven capacity, our projects highlight the role of individual performers, utilizing their unique characteristics to open up the human condition. Refusing to be boxed in by the notion of “dance”, OADAP actively engages spoken word and sound, theatrical devices, found art, visual mediums, and ritual outlines to breathe life in to each work. We have recently relocated to England and invite you to follow us in our deeply moving and joyous performances.

 

For more information, please contact Hannah: openairhannah@yahoo.com

 

Wednesday 11th August: Choreographer: Negotiationofspace and Dwayne Simms : Title: Wordup. Dancers: Negotiationofspace and Dwayne Simms

 

negotiationofspace is the exploration of the nature of twins from the inside out. we are hannah and amy, individual yet always intertwined. our work involves movement and visual art. www.negotiationofspace.net <http://www.negotiationofspace.net>

 

D’wayne Antony

Is a Dance Artist/ Choreographer

Dwayne trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and graduated in 2010.

He has worked with Tiia Ourilla, Andile Sotiya, and Douglas Thorpe on their Leeds-based summer project; RODA , a collective of professional dancers committed to research and development. In 2009 Dwayne worked with David Hernandez at the Impulstanz Dance Festival in Vienna taking part in “Movement Logic & Elastic Choreography” workshops. He uses Photography. Sculpture. Text and Textiles to ignite his creative processes. Whether collaborating with other art forms or sharing his work in unusual places, D’wayne’s work’s are the bearers of something fresh and engaging for the Audience and sensitizes the whole body. There is an essence of European flavour with his experimental approach to composition, and the way in which he uses the performance space .

 

Thursday 12th August: Jane Turner

 

Friday 13th August: Spiral Dance (Video Screening)

 

Saturday 14th August: Ruth Mills. Tittle: TOGETHER (A solo)

Ruth Mills

“I am a dancer. I make dance, I teach dance, I dance. I am on a mission to get the whole world dancing!”

 

A former national team gymnast, Ruth went on to train at London Contemporary Dance School. Glasgow born and based Ruth, now teaching master classes and workshops, choreographing and dancing in Scotland and internationally. She has worked with Gilmore Productions, Smallpetitklein Dance Company, Martial Dance, London Dance Ensemble, TAG Theatre Company, The Tron Theatre Glasgow, The Citizens Theatre Glasgow. Currently Artistic Director to Glasgow Community Dance Theatre, resident teacher with Dance House Scotland and Scholar of Dance History and philosophy.

 

Her passionate commitment to dance for the community is evident in her work with Dance House, Ankur Productions and Maryhill Integration Network. The latter leading to a performance at our Scottish Parliament in 2009.

 

Ruth teaches professional level master classes and has been guest to The Space (SSCD), RSAMD, GAMTA and Project Y (Scottish Youth Dance Company). An interest in making dance for film led Ruth to train in photography and digital video editing. since collaborating on film and video projects with, Martial Dance, ANKUR Productions, Interdependent Records and independent musicians, dancers and artists.

Committed to dance in all it's forms and for all people.

Contact: ruthmillsdance@live.com

Web: http://ruthmillsdance.blogspot.com/

 

Sunday 15th August: Sabine Klaus. Title: Back to My Roots

 

Sabine Klaus Creation Editor has performed internationally for more than ten years starting up on her own while she was still at school. Since then she created her own style out of her Russian ballet education, her adoration for William Forsythe and Butoh due to living in very small student flats. Through her passion of dance she became a Screendance Designer which means she creates video dances for screen and stage as well as hosting the international Media-Arts-And-Dance mailing list and video-blogs dance and technology events worldwide. www.creationeditor.co.uk

 

Websites:

 

http://www.creationeditor.co.uk/ (choose screendance)

http://www.creationeditor.co.uk/Neu3.htm

http://vimeo.com/creationeditor

http://www.youtube.com/user/CreationEditor#p/u/13/jiityFM-8X8

http://www.youtube.com/user/CreationEditor#p/u/21/iFhO2GSobVs

 

Monday 16th August: Choreography: Corinne Jola. Performers: Corinne Jola, Luisa Frei, Larissa Szymanek

Music Composer: Ross Whyte

 

Title: What’s coming off?

Three female performers are trapped in space, executing unfamiliar routines. Sometimes, we can get a glimpse of their individual movements. What do you see when you watch them? Do you feel what they feel? And, what is the role of the musician in this setting? Inspired by neuroscientific findings on empathy and the audiences’ kinesthetic response, the three performers have been working in collaboration with the musician to create this performance especially for the Fringe event.

 

Corinne trained independently and at the IWANSON School of Contemporary Dance Munich. She received her MA in Choreography at Laban Trinity College London in 2008. Her other background is cognitive Neuroscience; she is currently working as a post-doctoral research assistant on the spectators response to watching dance (see www.watchingdance.org <http://www.watchingdance.org/> ). Her interest as a choreographer is to awaken the performers’ authentic movement vocabulary and to enhance their sensory awareness to create a strong sense of presence. She has worked with professional dancers but particularly enjoys working with non-trained performers. Her works have been staged in Switzerland and the UK. She has received several funding for her practice as research, such as the Rebekka Skelton Fund (UK) and she has been invited to a number of festivals, such as the ‘TanzTage’ in Olten (Switzerland), ‘Tanz Hoch Zwei’ at TanzFabrik Berlin, or the ‘Deptford X’ festival in London.

 

 

Tuesday 17th August: Hagit Yakira and Takeshi Matsumoto. Title: 2B

 

A piece illustrating a fragmented picture of two people meeting in one place, in an encounter that manifests itself in intimacy, competition, a challenge, tenderness and care.

 

Hagit Yakira is a choreographer, performer and a dance teacher currently based in London. She graduated from the Music and Dance Academy in Jerusalem, Israel in 1999 and the Laban Centre 2006, London. She is also a qualified Dance Movement Therapist since 2003. In recent years, after years of performing and teaching dance internationally, she has been developing her own choreographic work; creating dance theatre performances. She had won two prizes for her choreographies, first prize in Kajaani choreography competition in Finland and the second prize in Burgos New York competition in Spain. Her works are being performed and received very good reviews around the UK, Europe and Israel in different festival and dance events. Hagit is also is a guest choreographer at The Place and at Laban.

 

Hagit is creating small scale contemporary dance theatre pieces, with an attempt to create intimate, personal and honest performances. In her work she deals with different aspects of relationships between people and her aim is to develop a personal style which based on collaboration with different artists from various art forms. Her work allow a personal expression of the artists involve in the creation.

 

Website: www.hagityakira.com and email hagit@hagityakira.com

 

Takeshi Matsumoto is an actor and performer with a broad experience in performing both for theatre and dance productions. He has experienced various styles of performance such as physical theatre, butoh, Japanese folk dance and Japanese drum, contemporary dance (dancing for Christian Duarte, Azure Barton and Henri Oguike as part of Transition Dance Company at Laban, Darren Johnston for a year production).

 

He trained as an actor in Japan and as a dancer both in Japan and Laban –London. Takeshi is now studying MA in Dance Movement Therapy.

Photographs by Julia Burstein http://www.juliaburstein.com

 

 

Wednesday 18th August: Hagit Yakira and Takeshi Matsumoto

 

see above

Photographs by Julia Burstein http://www.juliaburstein.com

 

 

Thursday 19th August: Nicola London. Title: The Rock

 

This piece represents a battle of two opposing emotions that can be between two people or a single person. The dancer’s movements relate to an emotional fluctuation in which one dancer is unable to live without the other whilst the other cannot live with the other. They both share moments which relate to these feelings. The situation is useless because one scared of security friendship and closeness pushes the other away whilst the other is scared of being lonely and having no one. This creates a type of push, shove and suspension in the movements, as they both fight to loss their dependence on the other.

 

Choreographer: Nicola London

 

Nicola is currently studying for a BA (Hons) Degree in Theatre Dance at London Studio Centre, and is looking forward to going into her third year where she will be going into Intoto the contemporary company. In the future she hopes to expand her knowledge, experience and creativity in choreography as well as physical theatre, design and creative writing. She is fascinated with all aspects of the theatre and is hoping to take an MA in the future to gain greater knowledge in the creative process of performance art.

 

Dancers: Laura Grover & Hanna Bardall

 

Laura is currently a second year dance student at the London Studio Centre studying for a BA (Hons) Degree in Theatre Dance. She has performed in many pantomimes and was a finalist in the Miss Dance of Great Britain held in Blackpool. In 2008 she was The Kent and Sussex Modern Champion. In 2009 she performed at the London BT Awards and is very excited to be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

 

Hanna is currently training at the London Studio Centre, and from September will become a member of Intoto, the school's third year contemporary company. After graduating, Hanna hopes to pursue a career in contemporary dance, with the aim of joining a professional company.

 

Friday 20th August: Infinite Dance Company. Title: Size Zero

 

Infinite Dance is a company with the ethos to create a social, political and culturally creative dance platform that is diverse and inclusive. Working and collaborating with various artists and people, Infinite manifests boundless expression through collaboration in digital media and live dance performance. Previous company projects include the study and use of stop motion animation through collaboration with artists in moving image and digital media. Choreographically, Infinite Dance produce work with emotional and moral messages, and aim to inspire a revelation within its audiences.

 

Infinite Dance is a brand new company started in 2010 by trained contemporary dancers, Amy Rennie and Kayleigh Lush. Both studied BA Dance at Middlesex University specialising in Graham, Humphrey and Release techniques, and have strong backgrounds in community dance choreography.

 

Saturday 21st August: Infinite Dance Company. Title: Size Zero

 

Sunday 22nd August: Sabine Klaus Title: Back to My Roots

 

Sabine Klaus Creation Editor has performed internationally for more than ten years starting up on her own while she was still at school. Since then she created her own style out of her Russian ballet education, her adoration for William Forsythe and Butoh due to living in very small student flats. Through her passion of dance she became a Screendance Designer which means she creates video dances for screen and stage as well as hosting the international Media-Arts-And-Dance mailing list and video-blogs dance and technology events worldwide. www.creationeditor.co.uk

 

Websites:

 

http://www.creationeditor.co.uk/ (choose screendance)

http://www.creationeditor.co.uk/Neu3.htm

http://vimeo.com/creationeditor

http://www.youtube.com/user/CreationEditor#p/u/13/jiityFM-8X8

http://www.youtube.com/user/CreationEditor#p/u/21/iFhO2GSobVs

 

Monday 23rd August: Anthony Middleton. Title: 'Manuum'

 

Anthony was trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and has danced works by Russell Maliphant, Paul Roberts, Freddie Opoku-Addaie and is currently a member of the 'BalletBoyz' dance company, whilst also creating works with 'Non Compos Mentis Dance Collective'.

 

Anthony's Artistic Ideas:

 

I am most interested in exploring the limits and possibilities of articulation in the body. In addition to this fundamental idea, I am particularly interested with exploring the possibilities of fluidity of movement and energy in movement, including the relationship with the body to the floor. My vocabulary is one that is designed to be very sensual/ textural, and has a strong somatic focus, whilst maintaining emotion and theatricality.

 

For more information about Anthony's work, and for links to his YouTube channel, click:

 

http://themiddletoncorpus.tumblr.com/

 

Tuesday 24th August: Anthony Middleton. Title: 'Manuum'

 

Wednesday 25th August: Deborah Renzi. Title: Caroleen

 

Born in Italy in 1987 Debora trained in ballet for 7 years and she graduated in 2010 from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. During her degree she had the opportunity to work with many choreographers and teachers and she developed an interest in exploring the limits of the body in a improvisation context. She is particularly interested in exploring the relationship between movements and emotional impulses. She focuses on the reason behind movements trying to push her boundaries avoiding the interest on the simply aesthetic aspect of dance. She is also interested in the relationship with technology, and in the creation of dance films for a project in Italy.

 

Thursday 26th August: Isabel Slingerland and Anthony Middleton. Title: Certain People

 

Isabel Slingerland: Born in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Isabel started her training at Codarts Rotterdam Dance Academy, in the Netherlands. Then continued her training at Copenhagen Contemporary Dance School, Denmark, and is now a third year student at Northern School of Contemporary Dance.

 

Anthony Middleton: Born in Yorkshire in the UK. Anthony trained as a gymnast for 10 years before he started his dance training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance. He also currently is a member of the Ballet Boyz Dance Company, based in London.

 

Anthony and Isabel create work together under the name Non Compos Mentis Dance Collective

 

http://www.ncmdancecollective.blogspot.com/

 

 

Friday 27th August: Deborah Renzi. Title: Caroleen

 

Born in Italy in 1987 Debora trained in ballet for 7 years and she graduated in 2010 from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. During her degree she had the opportunity to work with many choreographers and teachers and she developed an interest in exploring the limits of the body in a improvisation context. She is particularly interested in exploring the relationship between movements and emotional impulses. She focuses on the reason behind movements trying to push her boundaries avoiding the interest on the simply aesthetic aspect of dance. She is also interested in the relationship with technology, and in the creation of dance films for a project in Italy.

 

Saturday 28th August: Debora Renzi, Anthony Middleton & Isabel Slingland

 

New Trio created for 23 Feelings in Dance

 

Over 100 choreographers responded to a call to create a three minute piece of dance based on "emotions".

23 Pieces were chosen and performed. At each performance the audience was asked what emotion (if any) they felt was being represented in the piece and afterwards the choreographers were invited onto the stage to talk about their piece and its development.

Dance Doctor, Dance! The Psychology of Dance Show, was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2010.

This one-man show told the story of how the way you dance on the funky disco floor is influenced by the size of your ears and how clapping your hands and slapping your thighs can make you a better problem solver.

 

Dance Doctor, Dance!

 

Media Coverage

 

The Sun

Tommy wrote: "IF actions speak louder than words, then make yourself heard this lunchtime. Dance the way (aha, aha) you like it. The challenge is simple - express yourself through the medium of dance, then upload your pictures and videos to the Oasis Facebook page.

 

I caught up with Dr Peter Lovatt - a Reader in the Psychology of Dance at the University of Hertfordshire - who explained what certain movements mean.

 

I then joined him for a boogie in the street to plug his Dance Doctor, Dance show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

 

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/advertisement_feature/oasis/3099591/Take-a-science-of-dance-class.html#ixzz0wu2Er6Sp

 

Interviewed by Claudia Winkleman on the Arts Show (BBC Radio 2, broadcast Friday 13th August at 10.40pm)

 

ZDF: Shown on German TV: a piece filmed both during the show and during our fun sessions on the Royal Mile. Broadcast Thursday 12th August. Dr Dance was the final piece in this film so scroll to the end.

 

The Herald: Dance Like No-one's Watching. Published 9th August.

 

 

Reviews

 

**** Fringe Guru

Dance Doctor, Dance!

Thursday, 12 August 2010

Bedlam Theatre (venue website)

6-28 Aug, 6:50pm (7:40pm)

Reviewed by Richard Stamp

 

Dance, my dear doctor? That's the last thing I shall do. So I thought, anyway, as I headed into this most unusual of all Fringe shows; but by the end of the hour, Dr Peter Lovatt had me stomping, clapping, throwing John Travolta poses… and most crucially, for the first time understanding why this is all such fun.

 

Resplendent in orange corduroy jacket (I think it was ironic), genuine academic Dr Lovatt delivers a genuine academic lecture, albeit one punctuated by a fair bit of dad-dancing and a bit of a jiggle for the crowd. The ice-breaker’s a simple hand-jive which, we’re told, can increase our creativity. I was sceptical, of course – but we’re given a way to test the claim, and it really did work on me.

 

Throughout the hour-long talk, the science bit’s made digestible through Dr Lovatt’s personable dry humour, augmented by a selection of amusing visual aids. A You’ve Been Framed style video of some truly appalling moves led into, for example, a detailed exploration of just what those moves said about the person doing them. It’s so much fun it’s easy to forget you’re being educated – but the psychology behind it all was well-explained, and made perfect sense to me.

 

If I've one reservation, it's over the short section of "proper" dance thrown into the middle. Illustrating the rather obvious point that movement could communicate emotion, it was an oddly highbrow adjunct to a show which was, in the main, about waving your arms around on the disco floor. That takes nothing away, though, from the dancers themselves – who proved equally willing later on to lead the audience in a sign-off number, which the whole room seemed excited to join in.

 

The show’s over-arching message is that dancing together is food for the soul, and it's a shame the good doctor – despite bringing his show to Scotland – makes no reference to our own culture of the ceilidh. But I’ll remove those chips from my shoulders: wherever you’re from, you’ll find this an informative and entertaining hour. It's brave of the Bedlam to give a prime-time slot to what's essentially a popular science lecture, but, oh baby – they’re playing my tune.

 

 

Doctor of dance delving deep into artform

 

Peter Lovatt actually is a doctor of dance: he heads up the Dance Psychology Laboratory at the University of Hertfordshire. Given a biography that includes stints as a ballet dancer, cruise ship entertainer and expert-for-hire on The Graham Norton Show, Dance Doctor, Dance! was never going to be a straightforward piece of choreography.

 

‘The show is based around five areas we research in the lab,’ explains Lovatt. ‘Dance and thinking, dance and emotions, feelings in dance, dance and hormones, and dance and health.’ Along the way, the audience help Lovatt to examine the way dance affects our thought processes, and will be taught simple dance routines from the comfort of their seats.

 

‘Those in the audience who want to strut their funky stuff with me can do so,’ says Lovatt, ‘and I’ll show them how our genetic and hormonal make-up can influence how we dance at discos, weddings and at nightclubs.’

 

Bedlam Theatre, 225 9893, 8–28 Aug, 6.50pm, £9 (£7). Previews 6 & 7 Aug, 6.50pm, £8 (£6).