Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#54): Mark Bleakley, STEPPING IN…SPILLING OUT

8 Jul

Conducted by Emmie for Theatre and Tonic

As anticipation builds for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, we’re catching up with a range of exciting creatives preparing to bring their work to the world’s largest arts festival this August. In this series, we delve into the stories behind the shows, the inspiration driving the artists, and what audiences can expect. Today, we’re joined by Mark Bleakley to chat about their show, Stepping In, Spilling Out.

Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?

I wanted to make a show about the real foundational aspects of my dance practice. I wanted to talk about the simple action of putting one foot in front of another, because I find it kind of amazing; what this action makes me feel physically, but also emotionally and politically. There is a resonance in making a step - what ripples out from your body when you do this and what does it touch? Is it other people, places or communities, or does it just make your body feel present? It sounds like a mindfulness exercise haha! Another inspiration is drums and rhythm. The pulse of percussion is the driving force of me stepping around the dance floor, it's a heartbeat for movement, and I wanted to work with this as a live component. Once I saw Rémy performing a live percussion set of Chicago footwork/Juke music, and I knew I wanted to find a way to create a space for us to collaborate and be in dialogue together.

What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?

I'm at a stage where I am looking to broaden my audience and understand how my work is received in a bigger festival context. My work has often been shown within galleries or contemporary dance festivals, so this is a great opportunity to deepen my understanding of my work and the audience's reception of this. There are moments of participation which I am excited to see how they are received by a larger audience.I am very excited by this work as I think it offers a different perspective on dance and I want to offer this: this work is not narrative based, it's not dance theatre, it is socially led. What I mean is this work focuses on how dance, movement, and choreography interact with people, society, culture.

How would you describe your show in three words?

Energising, rhythmic, thoughtful.

What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?

As simply as I can put it, I want audiences to leave feeling the ground, sensing what their feet touch and carry with them. Maybe it's like we hold so much baggage in our feet, we don't realise it - think of all those nerve endings in our soles! As living vibrant beings we contaminate and are contaminated by the people, places, and materials we touch. I hope that someone leaves the show, walks on cobblestones, and feels a memory of their feet in another time or place.

What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?

Have a lot of money? I grew up in Edinburgh and it only keeps getting more expensive. Maybe I'm a hypocrite but the Fringe doesn't really help this, I'm so lucky to be able to stay at my parents’ (shout out Frida and Brian) for the run of the Fringe otherwise I don't think it would have fit the budget.

Otherwise, have quiet spaces you can go to (The Botanics is often the place for me). Get outside of the old town, see the real city of Edinburgh beyond the Royal Mile, Cowgate and The Meadows; it will help you feel connected to the city as a whole.

Where and when can people see your show?

12th - 17th August. Assembly @ Dance Base - 7.50pm!