Pancakealympics, Sunday 22nd February
Islington town Hall, Upper Street

A fun day out for all last Sunday as Islington Town Hall hosted the annual pancake race. The celebration for ten years of farmers markets in London has got off to an energetic start - we all supported our local farmers by making pancakes with locally produced ingedients!

Sadler's Wells: The Home of Dance
Traces - Les 7 Doigts de Main
performed at The Peacock Theatre until 14th March

As I entered the small theatre and was greeted by myself on film, on stage, I knew this was going to be a performance avec un petit quelque chose!

Once everyone was seated an ominous voice, somewhere from above, brought everyone to a hush with 7 Doigts de la Main's very own ironical and humoured in-house rules. Taking on the stage head first, the four men- one woman- troupe introduce themselves primarily through dance and expression. The early dance between a man and woman is beautifully choreographed. The joint movement of the pair across the stage flows so skilfully that the viewer is led to believe that the duo cannot be separated. The personal tone of their performance was immediate. With narration, photographs and film snippets of each individual’s past the audience is invited to be a part of their story.

Traces is about how to survive the unsurvivable literally- from an edge of the seat, heart stopping onlooker - but also metaphorically. In the face of destruction, the team try to create as much as they can, making traces of themselves so that they will continue to exist into infinity. From Chinese acrobatics to ballet dancing, from skate boarding to basketball, the performers explore the concept of memory and dream. A dream of sandy beaches comes true as sand is delicately littered across the stage, the acrobats dance with the basketball so that Les 7 Doigts de la Main can physically leave their traces.

The climax of the show unravelled a body defying spectacle. The audience were really on the edge of the seats, as the troupe reached super human level. The impossible was achieved. Even if infinity cannot be reached gravity can certainly be defied! Set to a fantastic soundtrack ranging from rock 'n'roll to blues to hip hop, this is a thrill-a-minute show takes your breath away.