Review: EDINBURGH 2024: THE LAST FORECAST BY BRIDIE GANE, Assembly @ Dance Base 1

Dance artist Bridie Gane and Catherine Wheels Theatre present The Last Forecast at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024, part of the Made in Scotland showcase on a Scottish tour. Creator and Choreographer Gane, was influenced by the history of lighthouses in Scotland, the survival of the natural world and climate change.

The Last Forecast is concerned with the story of ‘Gael, a gecko-like creature who happily lives alone on an island where everything is in harmony.’ The calm is disrupted by The Explorer who is observed suspiciously by Gael. The Explorers foreign belongings like flippers, rope, maps and cleaning apparatus infiltrate the dwelling, unsettling the norm.

The forecast of rising water levels is expressed by beautiful physical choreography, with emphasis on the threat and danger, enlivened by the strong vision and themed dance, aimed at primary aged children. The Last Forecast as an excellent way to highlight flooding as theatre in education.

The two-hander is expertly performed by Shanelle Clemenson and Kieran Brown, with impressive musicality, razor-sharp timing, playfulness. The eccentric characters are honoured in performance, in forms of the development of their mannerisms and structures. Clemenson is wonderfully dynamic in role as Gael, having trained at Sutton Coldfield College with a degree in Dance Practise and Performance from Wolverhampton University.

Brown is an astounding and accomplished dancer, collaborator and creator. He trained at Bodywork Company, Cambridge and has worked in a variety of styles. Both performers inject a comedic warmth to the action, filling the space with intent.

The action is cleverly arranged to camouflage Gael into the set whilst The Explorer navigates his stay on the island. The solitary choreography is powerful and contemporary. Once Gael reveals herself to The Explorer. the pair work together to find a way to safely leave in search of new beginnings, and so the dance becomes collaborative, bringing synchronicity to the performance.

The costume design is innovative and cleverly functional by Alison Brown blending seamlessly with the swirling impressive set design by Alisa Kalyanova. The Dramaturgy by Rosalind Sydney is notably skillful, the vision and technique working brilliantly as a play.

The Last Forecast by Bridie Gane presented by Catherine Wheels Theatre is visually beautiful, bold and ethical. The whirling weather meets dynamic dancing, in this exciting and skilled visionary work.

The Last Forecast by Bridie Gane presented by Catherine Wheels ran from 3 - 18 August at 13:15 at Assembly, Dance Base 1, Grassmarket.

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