By Crystal Wood
Who loves birthday parties? Me, I love birthday parties! And I loved Dancing in my Unbirthday Suit by Inertia Productions, which is 30 minutes of colourful balloons, wrapping paper and party dresses.
And loot bags for the audience. Whee!
This show opens with a dancing birthday present, and takes us through about half a dozen vignettes that are silly, fun and show off some amazing dance technique.
There’s the little kid’s party, where girls in pretty dresses squeal over boxes wrapped in shiny paper. There’s the slumber party where you put on lipstick and lip-synch to Mariah Carey. (We’ve all done it; don’t even pretend you haven’t!) And there’s a baby shower, where the dancers try to awkwardly bust a move with inflated stomachs. But my favourite scene had to be the awkward girl who tries to get dressed oh-so-seductively and ends up fumbling with zippers and tripping over her pants. (Guilty again!)
Allison Elizabeth Burns, Joannie Pharand and Vanessa Kneale make up the trio of female performers, and they’re all skilled and energetic. I love dance shows like this, and I’m glad the Fringe’s Dance Initiative is around to bring these shows to fringers. Even if you’re not traditionally a fan of dance, I urge you to check out Dancing in my Unbirthday Suit. I guarantee you will leave this show in a good mood.
Photo of Vanessa Kneale, Joannie Pharand and Allison Elizabeth Burns, by Anne Setlakwe
Details:
Director: Jenn Doan
Dancers & Choreographers: Allison Elizabeth Burns, Vanessa Kneale, Joannie Pharand
Audience: General Audience
45 min.
Venue 2: Robert Gill Theatre
Tues, July 7 10:30 PM
Wed, July 8 4:00 PM
Thu, July 9 7:00 PM
Sun, July 12 3:30 PM
– All individual Fringe tickets are $10 at the door (cash only), or with interac and credit at the advance ticket box office at the Fringe Club (292 Brunswick Ave)
– Advance tickets are available by phone (416-966-1062) or at www.fringetoronto.com, there is a $2 service charge for these
– Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows