Reviewed: ‘Inside Out’

The St Andrews Dance Society end of year dance show is an event which I have always aspired to go to, yet have never been able to make. With it falling during revision week, excuses are often made which favour a night in the library rather than in the Byre. However, when the Stand offered me a chance to review it this year, I took it, and I definitely think I made the right choice. ‘Inside Out’ was a unique show with acts from each dance class; beginners to advanced, as well as the competitive Blue Angel’s teams giving performances.

I could try and critique the execution of a plié or evaluate whether all dancers kept their feet pointed during their high kicks, but apart from my Zumba classes I don’t have that much experience in the field of dance. I thought the performances were good; they were engaging, exciting and varied in nature.

I enjoyed the aesthetics of the production, and especially rated the strobe lights during the Highland dancing. I felt like I was in some sort of traditional Scottish rave. It was awesome. I loved the use of step during the Blue Angels Hip Hop act, a style that as far as I know has never been offered in St Andrews to learn, and I actually think the Dance Society should do something about that, as I thought it was really cool.

The thing about the Dance Society (which makes this show so great) is that because it is so big, you will always know someone in it. It’s a celebration of people’s individual talents outside of their studies, and it’s actually really nice to see people you’d know only in one context excel in another.

Especially during exams, where we are so wrapped up in our identity as students and in academics, it was refreshing to see that this is does not have to be the sole definition of who we are. I often spotted someone on stage and caught myself thinking: ‘I didn’t know they did K-pop/Irish Dancing/Theatre!’.

If your friends are in it, it’s an opportunity to feel really proud of them. Like everything here in St Andrews, people are really, really good at it, and it’s not like going to your little sibling’s school concert where everything is a bit out of tune and awkward. This show could have matched a professional production, and was something worth paying for.

One criticism? They could have tied the performances together a bit more, making it more interconnected when flowing from act to act. However, that still did not affect the quality of the night. Thank you DanceSoc for making my revision break well worthwhile, and making me want to take up highland dancing.