EDINBURGH 2019: HEROES Q&A

BWW catches up with Jennifer Paterson, Artistic Director of All or Nothing to chat about bringing Heroes to the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Heroes.

Heroes is a new show from All or Nothing in collaboration with fellow Edinburgh based dance company Room 2 Manoeuvre. It follows the journey of the two performers as they delve into the world of heroes - superheroes, celebrity, what its like to be in the spotlight, the fall from grace, hidden heroes and who we really look up to.

We use aerial (aerial hoop and harness in Heroes), cyr wheel, dance, some text and lots of theatricality to portray the story. There's a lot of playfulness and fun between the characters as well as hitting on the universal themes running through the show.

What inspired the show?

The original idea happened way back in 2011 where we workshopped ideas around the theme of Heroes. We just explored on the floor and with acro partnering but we knew we wanted to take it into the air and create a show combining aerial and circus skills with Dance Theatre and here we are finally 8 years on!

We were inspired by the stories happening of the fall from grace of celebrity and people you held up in high esteem. Reality tv was really kicking in and at the time there were revelations about big stars such as Tiger Woods. We began talking about qualities we admire and who we were daft about when we were teens. Who is out there that is a good role model?

A lot of recent inspiration has come from superheroes / marvel / avengers (its right in my face having a wee boy obsessed with superheroes!), and also Instagram which wasnt around in 2011, the rise of the selfie, the craving for the spotlight. And also who we admire in the everyday - the wee things that we take for granted or things people do that blow you away.

What makes it ideal for families?

There's something in there for everyone. There's the spectacle of the set and the aerial / circus /physical work of the performers that is all through the show to keep the engagement up. Its a lot of fun with some slapstick, especially by Tony, which the younger audience love and having recognisable superhero moments. Its a very pertinent subject and especially around youth age group something that is so prominent with social media and how you often idolise in your teens. For the adults in the audience the spectacle and skill, the comedy, the relationship of the performers, and the hero-referenced music - some good hero classics in there.

Are the audience encouraged to get into the spirit of it?

Yes totally - we'd love the audience to come dressed as their hero. And the back of the flyer has a cut out eye mask to help along the way.

Heroes by All or Nothing and Room 2 Manoeuvre is performing 1-26 (not12)
August, 3pm at Udderbelly (venue 300) in George Square: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/heroes

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