In our ongoing Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we are speaking to artists and creatives who are bringing their shows to the Scottish capital this summer.
In this interview, Nick Nikolaou discusses their show Anatomy Of A Night.
What can you tell me in your words about your show?
Anatomy of a Night is an exploration through personal memories of queer and club spaces. The show itself is an act of remembering the formative experiences in those spaces. While using different elements of dance performance
Where did the inspiration for this piece come from?
I have been researching memories for quite some time. The idea of this show came when I was researching a specific memory from 2020. It was during a club night called “Strawberries” in Dublin, Ireland, where I felt a true euphoric moment with my community and was able to explore my queer joy. My one story from that night is the fact that Tonie Walsh, a Dublin legend in his late 50s at the time, was djing and playing all the bangers, while right in front of him were teenagers sniffing poppers. It was at that time that I thought “this is Queerness!”. That night then led to my movement and choreographic tool called “Club State” that was used to make this show.
How have you approached developing the show?
In 2021, I was selected by the Liz Roche company and The Lir, to collaborate with an MFA student of Lighting Design, Kevin Murphy. It was during that time that we created the first version of “Anatomy of a Night”. Lights are a very important part of the show and as a solo dance show, the lights are my dance partner. With the help of Liz Roche, Emma Martin and Philip Connaghton, we then created a longer version of the show, for Dublin Fringe 2022. The new elements that were brought in the show were gender, queer voice and costumes as performativity.
How would you describe the style of the show?
My background is in Contemporary Dance so all my research tools stem from there. The show has elements of theatre, gig culture, club dancing, runaway, lipsyncing and spoken word. So the overall style is “a night out”.
Can you describe the show in 3 words?
Joyous, energetic, queer
How do you mentally and physically prepare for a run like the Fringe?
I have been working with a personal trainer and hitting the gym for the past 6 months. The show is a solo dance show, so I need all the strength and stamina that I can get. Eating well and resting. As for mentally, I try to rest my brain with my other love, video games. You will probably find me somewhere with my Switch 2 before and after the show, having a moment with myself. Also, and very importantly, having the right team with me. They are all good friends, so their support will be incredible,
Away from your show, what are you most looking forward to about being in Edinburgh?
What I want to do the most when I am in Edinburgh is to be a girl about town and meet as many people as possible and have a great time with them. I came to Edinburgh Fringe for the first time last year, for one day, and on that day I met some incredible people and I honestly had the best time. I can only imagine the connections and people that I will meet while being there for 15 days.
Are there any other shows at the Fringe you’d like to recommend?
All the shows that are coming from Ireland! We have to support each other.
What was the first piece of theatre you saw which had a big impact on you?
I saw a contemporary dance show for the first time when I was 19 from a small dance company that a friend was in. It was then that I realised that this is what I want to do. I then got to join that company the next year for 2 shows.
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing the show?
The show is an amalgamation of my personal experiences in the club and all the things that I have absorbed. I try to recreate different scenarios in my body and inhabit different types of people from these spaces. If the audience is able to relate to and identify as one of them, it will mean the world to me. We have all experienced life changing moments in a club space sometime in our past, so if I am able to make people remember it and relieve it in their body, it will be a successful show.
Where and when can people see your show?
Anatomy of a Night is in Summerhall Tech Cube 0 from the 13th to the 25th of August, excluding the 19th, at 22:30. Come have a drink and enjoy the show!
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