The Hiccup Project were the darlings of
the 2015 Brighton Fringe with their show
the synchronized movement was tight, innovative and had the audience chuckling with recognition
It's okay I'm dealing with it is this year’s offering and it feels a bit like the second album. It's hard to live up to expectations and a bar that's already been set so high. That's not to say It's okay... isn't good. It's fun, quirky, entertaining and makes contemporary dance very accessible.
The premise of the show tells of when Cristina was 8 and Chess 17 and they both knocked out their front teeth in separate traumatic accidents. From this, it looks at how we cope with painful experiences and personal struggles in a world where perfection and keeping your emotions under control are the expectations forced upon us.
The opening of the show was fantastic, it had pace and humor, the synchronized movement was tight, innovative and had the audience chuckling with recognition. Their clear, longstanding friendship shines through on stage and there are some spellbinding moments where we feel as though we are voyeurs watching a deeply personal moment between the two.
However, this was the second night and it still felt like there were some teething problems. The venue wasn't a good choice for dance and the entire two back rows had to keep standing up every time the action moved down to the floor.
There were some really entertaining sequences but overall, it felt a little disjointed as they didn’t always convey the heart of the piece. Unfortunately, it would seem as though it still needs more work to develop it. They are undoubtedly a talented pair and it was a shame that this show didn’t quite live up to expectations. Hopefully, as the title suggests, “it's okay, they are already dealing with it.”
