Realm Beyond Boundless Dance is a ground-breaking Chinese contemporary street dance production that fuses ancient mythology with the energy of modern movement. Created by a professional street dance troupe from Shanghai, the show reimagines traditional cultural symbols, folk music, mythical characters and Eastern aesthetics through innovative choreography.
Featuring projections, spectacular wire work and contemporary dance, the production aims to bridge Chinese heritage with the future, showcasing the creativity and evolution of Chinese street dance.
I found myself at this production at Edinburgh Fringe after being invited along, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. At its core, this is a dance production, but that dance is combined with projections and a narrative delivered through audio to create something considerably bigger.
Let’s start with the dancing.
Simply spectacular.
Athletic, energetic and apparently fuelled by considerable amounts of caffeine. Okay, that last bit might be incorrect, but judging by the energy on that stage, I wouldn’t completely rule it out.
The dance pieces were strong, bold and creative – exactly what you want as an audience member from a production such as this. There was real precision in the choreography, but also an impressive amount of physical power. These are performers who make extremely demanding movement look considerably easier than it actually is.
There were moments where the sheer athleticism became the spectacle in itself.
The choreography was also varied enough to maintain my interest. Rather than simply presenting one dance routine after another, the company used movement to help tell the story and create different characters and environments.
The projections were slightly more mixed for me. Much of the imagery appeared to be CGI or animated, and because of that, some of it didn’t feel particularly real or immersive. At times, I found myself concentrating much more on the live performers than what was happening behind them.
However, there was one segment involving the video projection of an actor which worked considerably better. That felt much more integrated into what was happening on stage and showed how effectively the combination of live performance and projection could work.
It was certainly clear what the director wanted to achieve with this production. This isn’t simply a street dance showcase; there is a genuine attempt to combine different disciplines and create a theatrical world around the dancers.
There were a few elements that could have been more polished.
At one point, for example, a performer climbed down the stairs as a monster, but unfortunately the area was virtually pitch black. This meant I couldn’t properly see the performer or appreciate what should have been quite a dramatic entrance. A little additional lighting in moments such as this would make a considerable difference.
Strangely, though, one of the most distracting elements had absolutely nothing to do with the performers.
There seemed to be quite a few people in the stalls taking photographs or videos during the production. When you’re trying to concentrate on the spectacle happening on stage, having phones appearing around the auditorium can pull your attention away from it. That’s obviously not a criticism of the performers, but it did affect my experience of the show.
Overall, Realm Beyond Boundless Dance certainly delivered on its premise.
The combination of Chinese mythology, contemporary street dance, technology and theatrical storytelling is ambitious, and while not every technical element worked equally well for me, the quality of the dancing was never in doubt.
This was a fantastic production to watch, with an exceptionally talented and athletic company delivering some genuinely spectacular choreography.
Unfortunately, I caught Realm Beyond Boundless Dance on its final day at the Edinburgh Fringe, so by the time you’re reading this, you won’t be able to rush out and grab a ticket. However, there are a range of other productions taking place at the same venue and, if this is an indication of the talent being showcased, they’re certainly worth investigating.
★★★★ 4 Stars
Strong, bold and spectacular – an exhilarating showcase of the creativity and athleticism of contemporary Chinese street dance.
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/realm-beyond-boundless-dance
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