It’s that time of the year again when we get pulled in different directions for Brighton Fringe, but I got lucky with my perfect start to the season with Camille Cooper’s ‘Decadence, Desire and Decapitation’.
The performance took place at one of my all-time favourite venues in Brighton, The Dance Space at South East Dance. It was held in the Jamie Watton Creation Space, which is a lovely big auditorium that seats you close enough yet also far enough to watch a show but also be able to immerse yourself in it completely. The staff are especially kind and the building welcomes you with its warmth of space. If you have not been there yet, I would highly recommend booking yourself a class or even one of the many Fringe events they have got going on there this season.
The performance took place in two parts – Salome and Portraits of Perversity. Salome, a solo performed by the choreographer, Camille Cooper, herself follows a powerful female character whose sensual yet excessive obsession exerts command over the men who would dare to undermine her capabilities. Camille’s strong movements combined with sensuality, desire and humour were brought forward even further by the use of dramatic lights and theatrical music. The usage of repetitive yet increasingly intense footwork and a mixture of styles to convey a graphic sense of feminist belonging worked successfully and it seems the audience was left amazed.
This was followed by a short interval, as the audience was now prepared for the group performance that was to raise the intensity further up a notch. Portraits of Perversity was performed by four amazingly talented dancers and choreographed by Camille to portray themes of decadence inspired by the work of Aubrey Beardsley, an artist from Brighton. His themes of humour, grace and indulgence were excellently executed in the stunning poses, brilliant synchronicity and abrupt gestures obviously accompanied with more apt music and gorgeous lighting direction. The poses were graphic and entertaining and the movement was invigorating leaving me thoroughly impressed by how well-executed the whole show was.
Decadence, Desire and Decapitation perfectly summarised what Brighton Fringe stands for in my opinion – queer, feminist, quite indulging, very intriguing, always fun and obviously out-of-the-box. Check out more shows by up and coming artists in Brighton Fringe 2025!
Brighton Fringe: Tickets
South East Dance: https://southeastdance.org.uk/
Camille Cooper: https://www.camillecooperdance.com/
