EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- Skin

Tell us a bit about Skin.

Skin follows a boy's intimate journey through gender transition to discover a body that feels like home, using hip-hop and contemporary dance. It's an emotional ride that anyone who's ever struggled with anxiety or the feeling of not fitting in will be able to relate to.

Why bring it to Edinburgh?

We love the Edinburgh buzz! This year we're in one of the city's biggest stages of the festival at Pleasance and our previous production - "Smother" - got everyone talking last year. I feel there's no better place to launch the new production.

What sets it apart from other shows at the Fringe?

It's not often you see urban dance styles tackle issues such as gender dysmorphia, or a female to male transition. This is exciting hip-hop touching a subject that matters.

Who would you recommend comes to see you?

Anyone who enjoys urban and contemporary dance, but also newbies to dance, lovers of storytelling, theatre-goes and of course the LGBT+ community. This is a story about family and identity, about feeling at home in your own skin, and how to express that to your family, which I think everyone has struggled with at some point.

Some of the most powerful responses we've had during previews are from mothers, who respond to the mother-child relationship at the centre of the story, or from young people with no experience of dance or of trans experience, who are perhaps in the middle of figuring out this question of who you are in your own skin. People seem to get sucked in by the story and the experience of our central character, and then get excited by what we hope is some visually awesome movement, so we've had some very powerful responses from audience so far.

Why is it important for people to see Skin?

Skin tells a universal story of belonging. It's a story anyone can relate to, and exposes the struggles of dealing with social attitudes to transgender identity, and the stresses that can therefore come hand-in-hand with body dysmorphia. The fact that not a single word is spoken through the show and the whole journey is told through hip-hop dance makes "Skin" even more compelling and accessible.

Timings and ticket information for Skin are available on the edfringe website.

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