“The wedding scene and the finale are triumphs of skirt swirling stamping zest”
Yagori Gypsy Dance Company’s story of the history of the gypsy people is definitely a show of two parts. Part wonderful and part in need of a rethink. The dancing, after a rather slow start, is full of passion and power alongside an astonishingly good violinist. But the scenes are punctuated by a voiceover and a backdrop of changing pictures, designed to show the gypsy journey. It is all rather worthy and teachy and underscored by ear-bleedingly loud music. It feels like a lesson and breaks up the drama of the music and dance, making the overall feel bitty and dislocated. It’s a real shame, because the performances are largely superb. Saeeda Kasym fizzles with energy and life, an incarnation of the gypsy spirit she so badly wants to portray, and her other principal dancers fill the stage with energy and joy. The wedding scene and the finale are triumphs of skirt swirling stamping zest. And Kasym’s solo is strong, tender and full of defiant pride.
The dance style is full of elements of flamenco, with hints of Russian traditional dance, two styles that the show tells us developed because of the travels of the Roma. But it has its own identity, not often seen here. It is truly fascinating.
Boris Merlich’s marvellous fiddle playing is, sadly, kept separate from the rest of the action; he only shares the stage with the backdrop pictures. I would have loved to hear him play with the dancers on stage, dancing. It seemed strange to keep them apart. There was a scene showing the persecution of the gypsy people which could have done without the cartoon Nazi. But, despite its flaws, The Gypsy Flame has a vibrant and captivating life. What it really needs is an experienced director to pull it all together. There is so much that is very, very good, and it’s worth seeing for those parts. I hope the company continues to develop, and finds another way of telling this story, because it’s a story that needs to be heard.
Ever look at the corrupt, greed-driven hellscape that it is modern society and think, ‘I really wish we could just start over?’ If the answer is yes, then luckily for you Republic at the VAULT Festival will be right up your alley – though it might not fully restore your hope in humanity.
The audience are siphoned off into the eight different nations that form the colonies of Mars in 2119, and you are tasked with designing a new civilisation. It is up to you in your groups of ten or so to decide what ideals and industries you will build your society on; you’ll have to make initial choices such as whether to invest in weapons or medicine, which then branch out into how you spend your resources over time. Do you pour money into food at the expense of security? Or do you risk famine to prevent foreign attacks? The decisions you make will directly impact on the ways your nation develops through Upstart Theatre’s futuristic AI tablets (that look suspiciously like iPads) which calculate how well your industries are doing and what kind of headlines your leadership is making.
The decisions that have to be made can also spark some fiery debate with your fellow leaders – you will get the most out of Republic by being as active a participant as possible. Occasionally unexpected events will arise such as an incoming storm or a virus infecting your technology, and one particular highlight saw a refugee ship from Earth seeking asylum on Mars, and all eight nations had to vote together to decide whether to accept or reject them, considering Earth’s threats of attack if we chose the former. Moments such as these that brought together the whole room had an electric and dynamic atmosphere, and leaves you wishing there were a few more instances of connectivity between the different nations that tested your moral compass in this way.
That said, Republic is a unique and and exciting experience that lets you work with others to develop something that you feel proud of by its conclusion – success requires conversation, unity, and compassion; ideals that we could always do with more of.
