The Three Cornered Hat - Tweeting in back!

Lara Barclay & Billy Marchenski (Photo by Chris Randle)

Off to Dancing on the Edge tonight - went to a new Mascall Dance piece called The Three Cornered Hat. Featuring five dancers with choreography by Jennifer Mascall, it's happening at Chapel Arts which is just down the road from the Firehall Arts Centre. The music is by Stefan Smulovitz - he's also in the show playing live violin.

TWITTER COMMENTARY FOR YOU:

@AllysonMcGrane At Mascall Dance show The Three-Cornered Hat - happening tonight at Chapel Arts!

@AllysonMcGrane Now everyone is talking! To the audience directly... Some seem interested, others bewildered.

@AllysonMcGrane Now a few start to move like dancers. The floor is very white... We sit on three sides.

@AllysonMcGrane Yay! Projections! And lights inside the books. And voice-over about building a general store. Hmm.

@AllysonMcGrane Trusting each other, the dancers fling fling fling around the stage.

@AllysonMcGrane What's with the measuring tape? What are they measuring? Oh wait... The voiceover declares it to be a short history of that town. Violin.

@AllysonMcGrane A dancer is whispering into the ear of my friend I came with... But I can't hear what he's saying.

@AllysonMcGrane Cool - they're stacking the books very high. Nearly person height now.

@AllysonMcGrane Ooh! Two dancers are spinning around with books on their heads! I could do that!

@AllysonMcGrane Nearly a full house here tonight.I recognize a few faces in the crowd.

@AllysonMcGrane All the performers wear casual clothes - jeans, t-shirts. Laughter at a book now dangling from the end of a fishing pole.

@AllysonMcGrane Many of the performers wear glasses do they need them to read? Or just for show?

@AllysonMcGrane Very committed. A lot of energy is coming at us. Aha! A dancer just called one of the books a "journal" -are all the books in fact journals?

@AllysonMcGrane My friend just texted - she says that it's "hipster huck finn" & I must agree.

@AllysonMcGrane The music stops - two [dancers] are now discussing eye contact in monotones while seated on stacks of books.

@AllysonMcGrane Yay! Violin again! One dancer tries to keep up as the music speeds faster faster fastest. Now it eases, slowing to a langorous rhythm.

@AllysonMcGrane A dancer wears 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 books on her body... She glides through the space slowly. Should I have read the program notes???

@AllysonMcGrane Nothing seems to be written in any of the books. I see sweat on the dancers as they approach me.

@AllysonMcGrane Across the stage from me, I notice that two dancers are building a book sculpture. And another one emerges nearer me, less elaborate.

@AllysonMcGrane We are getting warmer in this room. All the breath, not much air circulation.I note the book sculpture becoming a wall.

Retweeted by Allyson McGrane from j:) @jeffgladstone
.@AllysonMcGrane is live tweeting a dance show love this

@AllysonMcGrane A head pops up from behind the wall'o'books. Now the dancers are giving books to the audience. Can I have one too?

@AllysonMcGrane Four dancers with books on their heads - don't let them fall!!!

@AllysonMcGrane Awesome - I'm the chosen one declares one dancer. Then. Well, then she knocks over the wall'o'books! Oh damn.

@AllysonMcGrane The books become shields - can they stop the awesome one?

@AllysonMcGrane On the projected screen, a shelf of books. They're everywhere!

@AllysonMcGrane Much of the audience seems bemused by the awesome one who sings with a microphone broom. Nice.

@AllysonMcGrane Oh - there's the live feed camera - it captures the awesome one as she places books on her head one by one by one.

@AllysonMcGrane Now there are 1,2,3.4,5,6,7,8 books on her head. Her eyes are closed. She moves forward slowly practicing her balance perhaps?

@AllysonMcGrane Four more dancers follow her, eyes closed, step by step by step step step.

@AllysonMcGrane The books are stacked neatly at the front in 6 piles... When did that happen? Too much tweeting!!!!

@AllysonMcGrane I am listening to the music, suddenly. It is heavy, adding to the heat of the room. Now the books fly, tossed from dancer to dancer.

@AllysonMcGrane A dancer starts tearing out pages and throwing them - two pages hit my left foot. Random.

@AllysonMcGrane Books slide through the space as dancers in each corner push them to each other.  One in center stage tries to jump over the flying tomes.

Retweeted by Allyson McGrane from @CrookedTeethCo
@jeffgladstone @AllysonMcGrane Ally plz tweet Mackers September! I feel like your observational style would give me a whole new perspective.

Retweeted by Allyson McGrane from Tim Bray @timbray  ·
Check out @AllysonMcGrane live-tweeting an avant-garde dance performance.

@AllysonMcGrane Can't tell what the projection is right now... Seems to be reflecting the duet but not exactly.

@AllysonMcGrane Cool! Two books are open up and show little houses! Is this the story of a town? One house has stairs to nowhere.

@AllysonMcGrane Just noticed guy onstage - excellent  dance hair. In his face, all tousled & such. Unfortunately he just smacked someone else with a book.

@AllysonMcGrane I love how dancers just throw their bodies through space. I don't think my body knows how to do such things!!!!

@AllysonMcGrane Aha! The awesome one acts flirtatious - but she's dissed. Maybe its the glasses?!?!

@AllysonMcGrane Everyone wants the guy in the middle - yet I say guy on the end has better hair.

@AllysonMcGrane Girl fight with books. Strange. Guy in the middle disconcerted at best.

@AllysonMcGrane Yay yay yay! The awesome one is inviting an audience volunteer / victim onstage. A man in glasses is chosen. Coincidence? I think not!

@AllysonMcGrane He's led onstage stepping on the red books. He's told - as long as you stay on the book, you'll be safe. And the dance explodes around him!

@AllysonMcGrane The voiceover seems to tell the story of the man in the middle as he stands on the red book. I'd be a bit scared, myself!

@AllysonMcGrane The dancers touch him, they surround him, they taunt him, they ignore him. He watches quietly, wonderingly.

@AllysonMcGrane Love it! The violinist whips his bow through the air making the sound of wind! So so so hot in here. Bet the dancers are dripping!

@AllysonMcGrane And the fishing pole is back! Hipster Huck Finn! (And the projector reads "Fin"... Definitely not a coincidence!!!)

@AllysonMcGrane They bow - there is uproarious applause!

By Allyson McGrane