Ready
Dancebase, Edinburgh

MATTHEW HAWKINS’ Ready is an intense, hour-long masterpiece of control and deep focus, with moments reminiscent of the “interrupted” world of Samuel Beckett. A solo performance, we witness Hawkins’ flowing movement, seemingly freeform but composed of a subtly repetitive patterns and gestures. 

The journey begins and ends in the vague space of the theatre room, and in between takes us out into the more epic environment of wind-blown trees and the lowering presence of Edinburgh Castle.

Hawkins’ genius is to hold us in a poised, deceptively gentle, invitational space. We watch his every move, making connections, our eyes flowing with him as he does so. His talent extends to crafting movement sequences that carry sufficient communicative meaning to maintain and encourage our curiosity. Occasionally his movements are drawn from the commonplace, we recognise ourselves perhaps within his flow — he picks up a coat here, slips his shoes on and off there — everyday movements that are in Hawkins’ quiet space, transformed into something else. 

Although built out of the aesthetic of classical ballet, Hawkins’ dance is accessible to us. It is contemporary, in that it happens now, together with us in a mutually supportive place and we are drawn to a performer whose warm humanity fills the room. His physical actions are often poised in between destinations, accompanied by a deep intimate humour. 

Hawkins takes great care of his audience. The doors to the performance space are held open — one is the entrance, and the other gives access to Dance Base’s hidden garden. He softly invites you to follow him outside, or to craft your own indoor vantage point to watch him dance outdoors given an abrupt change of weather. 

His dance is a consummate art that hides its art, and his flow a masterpiece of balance and focused intention. But something else builds slowly. He uses the fourth wall to keep us at bay, allowing our own bodies to rise, fall, reach and curl inside of ourselves. Then he flips it, and momentary mimetic gestures draw us to him and the story becomes one we tell as we move together. As a performer, he needs us. And we, in the push and pull of his guiding of our attention, progressively come to need him.

Ready is born out of strategies of survival as a dancer during lockdown. It’s basis is 10 recordings of Beethoven piano sonatas, adopted in isolation as training pieces. It is an ongoing and developing art work, rich with contemporary potential. 

It has appeared in various places since it’s first airing and continues its journey, continually ready for its audience. After it leaves Dancebase’s secret garden, it pops up in the more surprising atmosphere of Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal shopping mall until the end of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

Free non-ticketed pop-up performances of Ready August 5 and 12 at 1pm; and August 9 and 16 at 11.30 am, Ocean Terminal shopping mall, 2nd floor south end - former Wagamama unit, Edinburgh