Dancer Stuart Jackson spreads his hands and touches the spotlights above. He cannot see them because he has been blind since birth. His performance in a show about light, Luminous, the opening dance performance of this year's Edinburghfestival, is inspirational. He brings something to his performance that's outside the formal conventions of dance, created without mirrors or the possibility of comparison with others. His movement has the unusual purity of being made entirely from within and is as much a joy to watch as it evidently is for him to perform.
Luminous, made by Tokyo-based choreographer Saburo Teshigawara for his company Karas in 2001, examines light from all angles. Luminous costumes, glass mirrors and plenty of wattage illustrate light itself, while the liquid choreography steps into the lightness of being as well as the spotlight. In the first section, the company move around a stage cluttered with glass windows suspended from chains, mirrors at whirring feet and light-box silhouettes. Sounds reverberate and retreat. A solo by Teshigawara is mesmeric, but in this environment seems clinical, almost cold. It's a relief when the set clears and dancers begin to map out an open space. Jackson spins out centre stage flanked by four expressive women in black - and they really dance.
After the interval the production blossoms into luminous heaven. One tiny dancer suspended mid-air is a vision, incongruously dressed like a nun. Another, glowing green in a classical marble pose, is framed and then trapped between two walls that open and close like a giant book. A pair of illuminated legs and a flying coat make jaunty appearances. A strange story about dark doves is read impressively by English actor Evroy Deer while two dancers mime. But the real heart of the show turns up at the end with a soft solo in white by Teshigawara, joined partway through by Jackson in black. They are so different, but, dancing to Mozart together, they are equals. Though this solo/duet is long, its powerful simplicity achieves the lightest touch of the evening.
· Until August 14. Box office: 0131-228 5444.
