Wolf Pack: Scotland’s first intergenerational dance company
Barrowland Ballet is a Creative Scotland-funded Glasgow dance company, and its “Wolf Pack” community group showcases performances from all generations.
Twenty performers of all ages and sizes open the show. A bearded adult man partners with a tiny girl, stepping through their moves skilfully together, while a lithe woman pensioner skips around with a teenage boy, the ensemble telling a story of trust – and it looks like fun. A narration accompanies soloists who break away to dance what the voice is telling us.
“Like Blood” is about lifeblood and cells, heartbeat, the essence of life. One voice confesses blood “tastes like coins”, and they like to lick their scratches and grazes. The audience laughs, perhaps nervously at first, warming to the spectacle – the grace and speed and colour; to the sound of the music and voices; and finally to the vibration as the dancers’ feet alternately pound and caress the floor.
My overwhelming feeling was of really fancying a boogie; embarrassing my 13-year-old son by running onstage and letting go my innermost John Travolta. This mercifully can't happen, as I have to take notes for my review...
One memorable sequence involved two conga-chains, their entwined arms connecting the individuals as they flexed and coiled, like the DNA double helixes inside of us.
“Wolf”, a film set in virgin forest, borrows from fairy tale folklore to explore how older generations guide and mentor younger, while fostering independence.
“See Me” examines prejudice, identity and recognition; one man admits that his very face is his passport to privilege, another tries to find their own voice, being Scottish but from Nigeria. An audience baby gurgles with delight. “And I'll Huff” channels the Three Little Pigs in a reflection on the vulnerability we felt during lockdown, while “HaHaHa” closes the performance with a rousing demolition of anti-migrant lies.
With this rich community production Wolf Pack is a precious ally in the fight against hate, and a rare mixing of old and young. Can Edinburgh have one too please?