40/40 by Katherina Radeva – Zoo Southside, Edinburgh

Katherina Radeva’s one-woman show is a rare piece of authentic self-expression. Not many people decide to mark their 40th birthday with an Edinburgh Fringe show, especially not a dance show if they are neither a performer nor a dancer. Radeva is not everyone, so this is exactly what she has done. Watching her is a cathartic and surprisingly moving experience. Her stated aim is to “fuck about and have fun”, but she also includes her own recorded voiceover explaining who she is and why she’s doing this – apparently added after misgivings that anyone would want to watch her just dancing for her own amusement. She’s no professional dancer, but she still mesmerises with her expressive movement to everything from Sweet Dreams to Bulgarian folk music. As we discover, she came to the UK aged 16 and her experience as an immigrant has been all about working – as a printmaker and stage designer. Now she gets to do something for herself, throwing herself completely into physical performance, cheerfully undressing on stage and looking authentically knackered at the end of each dance. She is very funny, and entirely herself. Just seeing that on stage is a remarkable experience.