Edinburgh Fringe Review – No Dragon No Lion

From Kung fu to beatboxing, Hong Kong dance group TS Crew present a little bit of everything in No Dragon No Lion. Phoebe Bakker reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe 2024.

Edinburgh Fringe Review – No Dragon No Lion

Reimagining traditional Lion Dance and Chinese opera in a contemporary performance, No Dragon No Lion is a spectacle of dance circus by international touring group TS Crew. And boy, is it impressive. 

The crew surprise us at every turn, moving from strength to strength in a sleek ensemble piece. The dances are jaw-dropping – it’ll hold you tightly as in some ways it’s like watching someone paint a canvas – and well-oiled. At points, they draw from other media. They move to the sound of Bruce Lee’s famous ‘Be Like Water’ interview, exploring painstaking shapes. And each of these shapes will work its way into your heart, until a soulful ending (as a younger member of the ensemble joins the tippy top of a human tower) brings it all to a close. This is a show full of heart and so much variety that you’re bound to feel. 

The performance is at its best when the ensemble are most connected to each other. There are many successful moments of this – and it’s impressive how they extend this to envelope the audience, too – although there were occasions where the connection felt flat. This tended to come when the audience was left uncertain as to what they were meant to be experiencing. 

Regardless, I found no lack of enjoyment through this show – it’s impossible to not be swept up in the elegance of the whole thing. 

High energy, a multitude of charm that radiates through each and every performer, and incomparable skill. This is fringe at its finest and was a complete pleasure to sit through.

Inspired by this review? You can buy tickets for No Dragon No Lion until August 25th via the Edinburgh Fringe website.