Ea Sola at Edinburgh Festival

I would be lying if I said that traditional Vietnamese dance was really of any interest to me at all before I saw this act at Edinburgh festival this year. In fact, I would be lying if I said any dance performance whatsoever was of any interest to me. This year, that has all changed now. Ea Sola gave a blinding performance and I will certainly think twice about attending any song or dance performances in future, using this as a benchmark for all grades of performance, regardless of culture.

Despite the horrific Vietnam-war theme and somber mood of the performance, I actually found the dancing and singing of Ea Sola to be uplifting, as if in acknowledgement of the past, but in rejoice of the present and the bright future. In fact, although the performance is set against the backdrop of the Vietnam war, I found that the major themes were of peace and triumph; this is a powerful, emotional whirlwind of a performance and is certainly not to be missed. If you’re looking for a holiday destination Scotland for next year, I cannot recommend Edinburgh enough; there are some truly unmissable performances on offer, even if Vietnamese dance is not your thing (though you should try it and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The performance itself is a whirlwind of colour and emotion; the first acts are full of dancers whirling in red costumes on a flaming background, dancing and singing in an almost hypnotic tribal manner, evoking rage and resent for the past. Following this act, this is a distinctly green, more ‘organic’ feel, perhaps to be evocative of regeneration. Finally, the closing act is full of cool blues and slow, gentle dances with hauntingly eerie vocals, supposedly representing the present era of peace and contemplation.

Whatever holiday destination Scotland has to offer you, I urge you to visit Edinburgh festival as soon as possible and see one of the many unmissable performances, such as Ea Sola. There are many great choices of Edinburgh city centre hotel that are only a short walk from the festival grounds.