Two distinct programs (Stage A & B) showcase diverse, accomplished and innovative contemporary dance artists.
Stage A & Gala | June 1, 2012 | 8 pm
Stage B | June 2, 2012 | 8 pm
Co-operator's Hall
River Run Centre Ticket Information
STAGE A & Gala June 1, 2012 | 8 pm
On June 1, 2012 at 8 pm, join us in the Co-operator's Hall at the River Run Centre for three outstanding contemporary dance works from Gadfly (Toronto), Kaeja d’Dance (Toronto), and firstthingsfirst productions (Toronto).
These performances will be followed by a Talkback Session in the theatre and a Gala Reception at 9:30 pm in the Canada Company Hall. Join us for delicious hors d’ oeuvres and stimulating conversation.
Photo by Erica S Chea.
GADFLY Toronto, Canada
Klorofyl(2011)
Plants have an incredible ability to synthesize light into energy. As humans, we need to generate passion to feel alive, but we depend on each other for that. Inspired by the 1954 film Seven Samurais, the company looks closer at “zokus” (a Japanese term meaning “tribes” or “families”) and finds that communal relations become passion boosters by satisfying our six primal human needs (certainty/comfort; variety; significance; connection/love; growth; contribution). Klorofyl is the rebirth of seven fallen warriors who, when united for something nobler and greater than themselves, aspire to find that lost flame again.
Conceived and directed by award winning choreographer and filmmaker Allen Kaeja, Armour/Amour explores the intimate relationship of two women, integrating the enigma of live media, music, and dance to expose and peel away their contrasting, complex layers of human vulnerability and self-preservation. With over a decade of award-winning dance film under his belt, Allen draws upon the clear, liquid eyes of the camera—as though we are observing the live making of a film—to lay bare the multifaceted, beautifully raw armour and architecture of the self. Karen Kaeja and Mairéad Filgate weave a twisted world of discovery.
choreographed by Allen Kaeja
live media: Elysha Poirier
Photo by Kristy Kennedy.
FIRSTTHINGSFIRST PRODUCTIONS Toronto, Canada
a view is a view is a view (2009)
This duet by Emily Molnar is a cunning work with an athletic kinetic structure, full of fluidity and precision. Molnar takes her inspiration from Gertrude Stein's essay, "Composition as Explanation" to create a world that addresses the idea of a "continuous present" though improvisation and composition. Stein’s quote "The only thing that is different from one time to another is what is seen, and what is seen depends on how everybody is doing everything" is interpreted in movement as a constantly changing perspective.
"[Molnar] uses the agility of two formidable dancers to create a sly and cheeky labyrinth of choreography" —Paula Citron, Globe & Mail
STAGE B June 2, 2012 | 8 pm
On June 2, 2012 at 8 pm dive headfirst into dance with three innovative contemporary works from Kinesis Dance somatheatro (Vancouver), LINK Dance (Vancouver) and tiger princess dance projects (Toronto).
These performances will be followed by a Talkback Session in the theatre. This program contains some nudity.
Photo by Chris Randle.
KINESIS DANCE SOMATHEATRO Vancouver, Canada
Box4(2009)
Box4(Box to the fourth power) is filled with tension, specifically male tensions between four dancers in a confined space, moving through obstacles, confrontation, and cooperation. Box4 explores the notion of confinement, possession, and masculine dominance, in particular the tension and aggression that can erupt from it like popcorn in a pressure cooker.
Experiments: Where Logic and Emotion Collide (2010)
A world of ideas comes alive on stage in Experiments: Where Logic and Emotion Collide. LINK Dance’s latest work captures the creativity, experimentation, and intuition that scientists and artists employ in understanding the world around them. Based on years of research between dancers and behavioral ecologists (who study the non-verbal communication of animals), Experiments is a dance piece that interlaces sound, video, lighting and movement, and brings together the worlds of art and science.
"[Experiments] brings together the worlds of art and science... in a show quite unlike anything you’ve seen before."—Janet Smith, Georgia Straight
Catch LINK at this special engagement before the Festival: Science Moves: Stories and Dialogue
May 29, 2012 | 7-9 pm | Free
Guelph Youth Music Centre (75 Cardigan Street)
Photo of performer Brendan Wyatt.
TIGER PRINCESS DANCE PROJECTS Toronto, Canada
Cypress (2001)
A dance work for three men inspired by the Chinese legend of the Three Friends—bamboo, plum trees, and cypress. They do not die; they remain constant and blossom before the spring comes. These three items are often used in Chinese illustration or metaphorically in text. Cypress is very stylized, extravagant, and abstract in its form, creating successive image after image, and playing with the imagistic relationships—at once insinuatingly soft and possibly injurious of wild beauty. Featuring Louis Laberge-Côté, Hiroshi Miyamoto and Brendan Wyatt.
