Assembly @ Dance Base, Edinburgh Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean began as champions of classic Irish and Highland steps. Here, with piper Malin Lewis, they give them a new form
Not for Glory review – folk dance and bagpipes, but not as we know them
Assembly @ Dance Base, Edinburgh Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean began as champions of classic Irish and Highland steps. Here, with piper Malin Lewis, they give them a new form Jack Anderson was once a champion Irish...
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Assembly @ Dance Base, Edinburgh Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean began as champions of classic Irish and Highland steps. Here, with piper Malin Lewis, they give them a new form Jack Anderson was once a champion Irish dancer who toured the world in popular shows. But when he later enrolled at contemporary dance school, he hid his past like a shameful...
Key points
- Assembly @ Dance Base, Edinburgh Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean began as champions of classic Irish and Highland steps.
- Here, with piper Malin Lewis, they give them a new form Jack Anderson was once a champion Irish dancer who toured the world in popular shows.
- But when he later enrolled at contemporary dance school, he hid his past like a shameful secret.
Context
This story is part of the Dance coverage. The original reporting source identified by the page is The Guardian. Publication date: August 16, 2026 at 03:53.
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Jack Anderson was once a champion Irish dancer who toured the world in popular shows. But when he later enrolled at contemporary dance school, he hid his past like a shameful secret. Charlotte Mclean also tried to leave behind her childhood legacy as a competitive Highland dancer. She never liked Highland dance anyway (she just liked winning competitions) but as an adult, is she finally changing her mind?
These are just two of many talking points in this anarchic dance-theatre gig from Anderson, Mclean and piper Malin Lewis. The trio are all coming to terms with their artistic inheritance, by means of distortion, deconstruction and downright mockery, then reclaiming it on their own terms. (Lewis has arguably already done this, with the acclaimed album Halocline in 2024 which saw them tagged “the future of Scottish folk”).
Source: The Guardian
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