Dancing sans the fetters of identity

AFTER two weeks of a wide and eclectic range of festival programmes, the M1 Fringe Festival 2014 ended with something more down-to-earth - pared down to the human body and movement.

Focus, by French choreographer Ole Khamchanla, of Compagnie Kham, presented a dance "without identity" which sought to illustrate dance in its "concrete, expressive, abstract and meditative forms". Although it's hard at first to visualise what he meant, what the audience got to appreciate was the beauty of movement - strung together in a full-length piece.

For those who found Focus rather, well, unfocused and without a narrative, its main strengths were its honest plot and glimpses of promising choreography.