An immaculately dressed couple dance under a spotlight with grinning skull faces; three skeletons caper about like naughty children; a procession culminates in a member of the audience rising triumphantly from a coffin: it can only be Copperdollar.

A self-proclaimed ‘bizarre bonanza of dead Carny folk’, this celebration of Halloween and Mexican Day of the Dead sees the immersive troupe of performers take over The Old Market in Hove for three nights of dance and theatre.

The first night proved promising.

This troupe of actors, dancers and musicians are skilful players who weave the spectators into their world, breaking down the barrier between performer and audience.

You can just sit and watch, and a few people do, but participation is the key element here, and there’s a delightful sense of anticipation as the audience are constantly wondering what’s going to happen next.

A limbo dance gets everyone nicely warmed up, and if you haven’t arrived with your face already painted don’t worry - in a coffin in the corner a mischievous pair will happily apply the necessary white face and black eyes to make you feel you belong.

The hours pass quickly in a whirling riot of music and dance, and nobody wants to leave.

Thankfully Copperdollar returns for two more nights. If only every party was like this.

Five stars