TUTU: Dance In All Its Glory

Pleasance

Tutu charms the audience from the very beginning; with a playful sequence in the incredible bell shaped tulle leggings, which are recognizable from posters dotted around the city. They move cheerfully with the evidently technically skilled men inside them.

Later, after an impressive episode of solo point work, as the music is ending, the dancer stomps off the stage with little grace or dignity. This sets the scene- there will be strong, talented performances that make you marvel but all the frustration that clearly lives in every dancer’s career or perception of, is turned into something to be laughed at. The six male performers successfully portray the different dance pieces into an almost sketch style show with some beautiful choreography and vision by Phillippe Lafeuille.

The children were engaged throughout and this was aided by the wonderful costume design by Corinne Petitpierre which brought each sequence to life and enhanced each individual character’s narrative. Her designs created bold colours for the show and bridged into inventive set design in places. My children especially liked the large tulle ducks which played out a joyfully daft interpretation of Swan Lake, creating much laughter from the audience. Comedic timing and some great facial expressions had everyone giggling even more. The slapstick moments were handled tastefully and didn’t overbear, enough for the kids to love it without it all feeling too silly.

My mini reviewers say : ”I liked being able to understand all the jokes and appreciate the skill.” ” I thought it was so funny and I loved watching a funny, not a serious dance show”