There’s a certain joyful magic pervading many of the FRINGE WORLD shows this year, and Pursuit is no different. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that, after lockdown, it’s just good to get out of the house and be among stuff. Or maybe it’s to do with watching the actual physical intimacy of performers and how their connection feeds our re-connection. Whatever the case, it’s magic. And yes, Pursuit explodes with this certain kind of magic. 

This dance work asks some big questions of what it means to pursue pleasure. In recent times, our pleasure has been inexplicably entwined with survival. But now it feels liberating to realise that we can once again broaden our definitions. Pursuit recognises this and reaches to fill the aching space of our modern existence with a work that is joyous, evocative and full of desire. 

One of the charms of this work is that it begins on a rather serious tone. There is a biting focus, a hungry want to understand the idea of pleasure, our constant need to pursue it. But then, mid-show, the energy flips, and wonderfully so. The second half explores the gamification of play through dance, creating a space that allows for levity and innocence to shine. 

The vocal narrative techniques add a unique dimension to this work. Pre-recorded monologues push at big thoughts. They urge us to recognise pleasure in the smallness of grace. But then, real-time vocals add a superb absurdity to proceedings, making the work pervasively accessible and human. Throughout, dance becomes an emboldened language, full of seemingly empty gestures that actually signify so much absent desire. This dialect of movement and momentum culminates in a finale that is intense, brilliant and gasp-inducing. 

Whatever your definition of pleasure, you can be sure that Pursuit fits within it. This show is a blessing, full of sincerity and warmth. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to revel in bliss and magic.