Off-Site Series 2008
Our Off-Site Series at the Macdonald-Stewart Art Centre on April 26th and 27th was a great success. This series offers some of the festival’s most challenging works, and, once again, our audience rose to the occasion, letting their curiosity and thoughtfulness lead them. Karen Rose’s Helen, an almost unbearably moving piece about women and war, left audience members in tears. The five dancers wore red dresses, which, against the white walls of the art gallery, emphasized the piece’s motifs of blood, strife and the fight against blankness. Marie-Josée Chartier’s Mata Hari Terbenam was about the liminal time of dusk, when the stillness and silence also give way to bursts of sound and activity. Chartier’s fascinating vocalizations entranced us, while some children sitting at the front on the floor giggled nervously over her exploration of the slippery line between the animal and human. Chartier is such a grounded person that, instead of ignoring the children, she began to address them with her dance. We felt privileged to have such a generous and vivacious performer in our midst. Helen Husak’s laughter/forgetting was danced to an evocative soundtrack by Amir Amiri, which included the voices/stories of Husak’s Czech parents. Husak’s unusual dance style of “rebound and release” made us all stare in wonder. She garnered lots of attention in the talkback session for the power of her style.
Play an important part in GCDF’s 10th anniversary festivities.
Despite our many successful fundraising initiatives, we still need your help to make Guelph’s very own contemporary dance festival the biggest and brightest yet. Surprisingly, a tax-deductible donation of $25 goes a long way to helping us achieve our goal of providing excellence in dance performance and education outside of major metropolitan areas. This small amount is not only appreciated, it demonstrates your confidence in the festival and its work. Plus, all donations are gratefully acknowledged with a charitable tax receipt for the full amount.
If writing a cheque is a hassle, as is finding a stamp, consider donating online through CanadaHelps.org. There, you can donate using a credit card or subscribe for convenient reoccurring donations that fit any budget.
Play an important part this year: donate to the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival and help us keep this local treasure one of Canada’s premiere dance venues.
News from Members:
River Run Centre Summer Theatre Camp
Once again, River Run Centre will give children the opportunity to explore their creativity within a professional theatre environment. Each two week camp will be filled with a variety of dramatic and artistic activities, and will include preparation for a performance for family and friends on Friday afternoon. Through games and activities, campers will develop new skills, build confidence, and expand their imagination. This exciting program takes campers on a fun and creative journey into the magical world of live theatre!
Ages 8 to 16
July 7 to18 - Code: 91958
July 21 to August 1 - Code: 91962
9 am to 3:30 pm
Cost: $285 (per two week session)
Extended hours available (additional charges apply)
To
Register call 519-837-5699 or visit regexpress.guelph.ca
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TICKETS NOW ON SALE! Book your tickets before the rush: River Run Centre Box Office: 35 Woolwich St., Guelph. Hours: Mon-Sat 11 am to 6 pm. Tel: 519-763-3000, 877-520-2408. Website: www.riverrun.ca Here’s the exciting schedule. (Tickets for the series highlighted in red must be purchased through the River Run Centre box office. Tickets for the workshops highlighted in yellow can be purchased at the River Run Centre or at the door. All other series are pay-what-you-can on site.)
Two Series (Mainstage & Youth Moves), 4 opportunities to see them at the River Run Centre. Mainstage A: Friday, May 30th at 8:00 p.m. & Saturday, May 31st at 4:00 p.m. Talkback on Friday Gala performance only.
Photo Credit: David Flenelling & Magdalena Nowecka
One performance only by 4 troupes: Janet Johnson, Le Caravan Dance Theatre, firstthingsfirst productions and Kaeja d’Dance. Riveting professional dance that will dodge your brain, make you forget work and go straight to your heart. Photo Credit: Ella Cooper
Book your seats early for these performances: they sell out quickly! 7 youth dance troupes (all dancers under 19) proudly perform original choreographed works. Photo Credit: James Croker
In the heart of downtown Guelph, 10 dance performances over two days will transform your ordinary lunch hour into a feast for the senses. Emerging choreographers from 5 Canadian cities. Photo Credit: Peter Eastwood
Bring your friends and family to this joyous noon-hour extravaganza of 6 performances at different grassy sites throughout Exhibition Park. You’ll be led by breakdancing circus performers to different locations, where dancers perform in the trees (some hanging from them!) and on the expanses of grass to tell their tales. Become part of the dance in Kaeja d’Dance’s Bird’s Eye View, hailed as the 2007 #1 Greatest Hit of Nuit Blanche by the Toronto Star. Professional choreographed entertainment in the outdoor flowering of spring. Photo Credit: Emmanuel Cyr Workshops Saturday & Sunday, May 31 & June 1, Temple Sudios, 42 Quebec St. Kaeja Partnering: Learn how to partner with another dancer, and with the floor, in this unique workshop offered by the inimitable Kaeja d’Dance. $15. Breakdancing: K8 Alsterlund will teach you the basics of her funky style of b-girling and b-boying as no one else can and then encourage you to get down in the cipher. $15. Connect to 2000 people! Becoming a member of the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, is easy, inexpensive and productive: it gives you immediate access to 2000 of our newsletter readers. If you would like to become a member of the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, click here for more information. “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.” Albert Einstein Do a Good Deed: Sponsor an Artist & Help Change the World
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Gala performance with Dancetheatre David Earle, Sinha Danse & Trial and Eros. Talkback session hosted by Michael Crabb, CBC and National Post arts critic. Get ruffled. Get rapturous. Enjoy professional dance by some of Canada’s most renowned and original choreographers. Take in the talkback and then come outside to the River Run’s terrace to help us celebrate our 10th anniversary!
Site-Specific Series Saturday and Sunday, May 31 & June 1 pay-what-you-can |
Phone: 519-780-2220 | E-mail: gcdf@bellnet.ca | www.guelphcontemporarydancefestival.com |
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