Joseph Simons shines as Jacob in the Fringe World show 100 Years Of The History Of Dance As Told By One Man In 60 Minutes With An Energetic Group Finale

THEATRE/DANCE 100 Years Of The History Of Dance As Told By One Man In 60 Minutes With An Energetic Group Finale 4.5 STARS Home Economics at Girls School REVIEW: PIERRA WILLIX If you are a dance aficionado, 100 Years Of The History Of Dance As Told By One Man In 60 Minutes With An Energetic Group Finale is the perfect chance to brush up on your knowledge of the most influential choreographers. If not, you’ll be guaranteed to walk away with some fast facts about some of the most iconic dance moves and their makers- and have a damn good time while learning. Joseph Simons plays schoolboy Jacob who is to put it simply- absolutely obsessed with dance. When asked to write essays he deviates completely. Instead of writing his dinosaur essay on well, dinosaurs, he instead wrote it on ballet dancer Isadora Duncan. But, when he finally gets a chance to present a report on the topic of his own choice- it’s his time to shine. He chooses to cover the past 100 years of the most influential choreographers- from Martha Graham to Bob Fosse, Rudolf Nureyev to Paula Abdul. Jacob tells the class all about their lives and work, listing off interesting facts at an impressive speed while also demonstrating their signature style. The show’s setting at a classroom within the Girls School in East Perth is the perfect place to receive the hour-long lesson on the past century of dance. But, you don’t need to worry about being transported back to your days being lectured by monotonal teachers rushing through the curriculum. Instead, Jacob’s clear passion shines through- and you can’t help but sit quietly, be attentive and not speak- which can be a hard task in a real classroom. While throwing facts around about each subject, Jacob infuses some lesser-known information about the difference between ‘influence’ and ‘plagiarism’- mentioning Beyonce’s Single Ladies dance, which was a clear rip-off of Bob Fosse’s Mexican Breakfast routine. “She does know we have YouTube right?,” Jacob quips. Carrying out some highly technical dance moves on what is a small stage is even more impressive- from pirouettes in honour of ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev and classic 80s moves from Paula Abdul. But, just like a classroom, the audience are slightly at risk of getting restless during the lesson, so Jacob gets them up to learn and perform a routine. For those of us with two left feet don’t be worried- it’s kept super simple with dance moves and instructions that include “act like you are rowing a boat” and “move your arms like a crocodile” which had the audience in fits of laughter by the end. While many solo shows can easily fall flat at some parts, Joseph Simons (Jacob) had the audience in the palm of his hands the whole time, and for those of us who know pretty much nothing about dance- it was a damn good educational show. On until February 16.

Joseph Simons shines as Jacob in the Fringe World show 100 Years Of The History Of Dance As Told By One Man In 60 Minutes With An Energetic Group Finale

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