Marc Brew's latest work, Boys Don't Dance, currently playing at Assembly @ Dance Base in Edinburgh until 23 August, is a sunny, feelgood coming-of-age story that uses a mashup of 80s pop music to celebrate the power of dance. The show, created for audiences aged eight to 13, follows the young Marc—portrayed by dancer Ross Malloy—as he grows up in rural Australia, surrounded by football fans and sheep, and repeatedly told that boys don't dance.
A Joyful Return to Autobiography
Brew, who made the acclaimed show An Accident/A Life in 2024 with choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui about the car accident that left him paralysed below the waist at 20, returns to autobiographical territory. The new piece focuses on his younger self, capturing the absolute joy in dancing that was totally innate, with rhythm in his blood as he throws himself into routines from Footloose, or dances along to a nostalgia-fest of songs and video clips from Culture Club, Wham!, and cartoon pop star Jem, to the theme from Wonder Woman or jingles for Gillette.
Sunny Mix of Disco and Acro-Moves
The show delivers a sunny mix of disco, jazz, acro-moves, and fizzing energy, with BMX tricks thrown in. It reminds audiences of the power of pop music and also of the boredom and freedom of an 80s childhood. When his mum is out, Malloy dresses up in her clothes and performs, but this thing he desires also tortures him, as does living in a place where he has to hide his true self.
Remembering and Reconciling
Champion wheelchair Latin dancer Piotr Iwanicki plays the grownup Brew, remembering his past and reconciling with it. Iwanicki and Malloy find synergy and inventive moves together. The staging is simple but nicely done, with video designer Jamie Wardrop's backdrop of animated line drawings creating the neighbourhood; monochrome turns to neon as Brew finds his real freedom in the big city.
It's engaging storytelling, warm and feelgood, with a brilliant soundtrack, especially for viewers of the appropriate vintage. While Boys Don't Dance is not the most complex dramatically, emotionally, or choreographically—and parents might get more out of the cultural references—it's a really sweet show. The production runs at Assembly @ Dance Base, Edinburgh, until 23 August.
