TINY DANCER

I don´t know if I have mentioned that weather on that August monday was glorious. Blue skies, soft cotton clouds and I was there, queuing at some small place in the New Town to get myself inside a tiny theatre to watch a one-man show. And I had bought the tickets on a whim and I was wondering if I wasn´t going to be better off sitting on the park.

I think there was around 80 seats. It was a third floor, and the stage was full of flowing white veils. It was a sold-out performance, and once everybody sat, an svelte man dressed in pyjamas came out and launched into a mesmerizing performance. Ricardo Melendez was a dancer at the Alvin Ailey American Ballet Company, and it shows. It begins at the psychiatric hospital where Njinsky is interred due to a nervous meltdown, and it tells his story from boyhood across stardom. The sister, the protectors, the ballerinas, Diaghilev, the wife ... He played all the characters, simply by changing voices and demeanour. A bit of a hush in the audience when he shed all clothing (a few complained afterwards ... probably they hadn´t read the brochure when they booked and then felt offended). At the end there was a terrifying silence and everybody broke into applause. It has been years since I have been so touched by a play. A marvelous story.

And continuing with the dance theme, I had to be at the Festival Hall by 7 pm. "Impressing the Czar", the William Forsythe choreography was being brought back to life by the Flanders Ballet. So, I went back to the hostel, changed and run away from the irish creepy man who was telling everybody how he had been "robbed" by the scalpers (he had paid more than 100 pounds for a Tatoo ticket).

I tried to have something to eat before entering. An indian place around the corner that a friend had spoken about was full (and with people queuing in the street), so I ended in "Always Sunday" with a bowl of curried parsnip soup. Very, very good.

My seat at the Festival Hall was in the 4th row. It was way too near to the stage, and I had to force my neck in order to have a decent view. A very nice scottish lady sat at my right side, and we chatted about the festival and the different plays. She had been so lucky to have seen Nureyev back in the Seventies, and lots of great dancers.

OK, and now to the play or whatever it was ... Strange, that´s the only way of describing it. First and third act a bit confusing and difficult to follow. Wonderful, wonderful second act ( the well-known "In the middle, somewhat elevated". It stuck out as something different and separated from the total) and too energetic last act. It was fine, but I think that I have seen better Forsythe things ... and also I happen to love our very own Compañia Nacional.

It ended up fairly late, almost 10 in the night, and I had to get back to my hostel and get everything ready for the next day and the beginning of my Orkney Tour. The night was very mild, and the walk down along the North Bridge and the Balmoral hotel was lovely. Once in the hostel I found the room full with 4 young japanese girls typing furiously in their laptops (the hostel had free WiFi). Kids ... lugging equipment all over the world instead of a nice pair of sandals.