As the sun competed with clouds of darkness, assorted groups filtered into Freyburg Place, claiming what appeared to be vantage positions around various seating options.  Those gathered appeared different to a usual theatre crowd,and as the performance began, it was obvious that they were not there for the dance. They did however create a dynamic backdrop for ‘Street Songs and Other Fancies’.

A young woman with a skeletal umbrella entered the space, wandering amongst those assembled, interacting with some. She was joined by another dancer and the movement became more stylised. The dancers reached and gestured, moving fluidly and taking opportunities to relate to passers-by.  Jess Quaid and Sam Wood-Rawnsley adopted the characters of Rainman and Melancholy Baby as they engaged in some mesmerising movement vocabulary. The thread of a loose narrative was woven throughout the work.

It was when the dancers left for the second location that it became apparent that I was the only follower. They moved briskly to the top of Chancery Stairs where a second performance took place. Darkness was falling and the dancers became blurred in the half light while music appeared to float around them.  The music player was in fact contained in Melancholy Baby’s clothing which added to an air of mystery that had been developed.

The final performance was in Wellesley Street. By now it was dark and passing car lights added a haunting quality to the performance. The demi-gods of the streets had performed a beautiful piece of street theatre, and while they had interacted with some passers-by, I was disappointed that they had not received the audience support that their performance deserved. The moment they had finished and moved away, three late audience members appeared. The dancers were encouraged to repeat the final section, and with four audience members then gathered, another four members of the public slowed down to see what was happening and stopped for long enough to watch the final few minutes of the performance.

This performance vignette was delightfully entertaining and is to form a section of a larger work being developed by Jess Quaid.  It is to be hoped that performance of the larger work will be well attended by members of the public as the concept and quality of the work is well deserving of support. 

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