What better way to end a rainy Easter weekend then with some homegrown entertainment? On April 5th In the House Festival offered just that with “Chasing the Monkey King.” There were three viewing periods over the course of the evening, at a house in East Vancouver. Guests who arrived early were invited into the hosts' transformed carport for tea. Glowing Chinese lanterns, crimson curtains, and trailing garlands of white Christmas lights created a fantastical setting in which to serve Oolong Ginseng and Phoenix Blend -- traditional teas with evocative names and pungent flavours, served by tea connoisseur Daniel Lui....
A Japanese artist's (Yoshitoshi) interpretation of the Chinese figure of the Monkey King
Why Not Theatre is back for the Theatre Centre’s Free Fall Festival with I’m So Close…, an updated version of their 2008 Summerworks offering I’m So Close It’s Not Even Funny. While I unfortunately missed this first version, fellow Planker M John Kennedy put forth a thorough and very positive account here. During the interim time Why Not’s creative team have expanded on their themes, crafting a multimedia commentary on human connection in the era of globalization.
Troels Hagen Findsen reprises his role as Steve, a green-tech innovator now thrust into the world of product...
On my ever expanding list of topics for future PLANK articles there is one entitled “why are some reviews harder to write than others?” Queen Lear by Eugene Strickland, currently on at Presentation House and produced by Western Gold is proving to be a nightmare of a review to write. Why? Well, in part because I didn’t feel much of anything for this show. It is a show that could be comfortably produced in a church basement somewhere in the Fraser Valley, by an amateur theatre troupe (the type that the show gently mocks throughout) or at...
Shirley Broderick (left), Jennifer McPhee and a cello
The touring production of the Broadway version of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein is currently at the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto, and anyone who spent their youth spouting lines from the original movie to whomever was in earshot would be well advised to check it out. In fact, anyone with a taste for the zany would find their bum-in-plush-seat time well spent.
Roger Bart and Sutton Foster; photo by Paul Kolnik
My final stop in this dance marathon was Evidence, A Dance Company, which features choreographer and Artistic Director Ronald K. Brown, who has choreographed for the likes of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. Based in Brooklyn, Evidence, A Dance Company fuses traditional African dance with contemporary choreography, the result of which is an original, colourful and vibrant rendition of the struggles, tragedies and triumphs of the human experience. Moreover, this company seeks to bring African American culture and African rhythms to a variety of audiences, and they do so with rare beauty and power.
I followed up these two voyages into excellence with a rude awakening, something of a descent into disappointment and even irritation when I went to see VIDF’s presentation of Kickstart, a series that features artists with various mobility issues. The first piece, Geometry of the Circle choreographed by Peggy Baker, featured dancer Alison Denham along with Mark Brose, a Toronto-based musician who has MS and gets around in a wheelchair. Throughout the piece, Brose’s abstract vocalizations were mingled with Denham’s graceful dancing as the two engaged in a duet that explored the creativity that can emerge from a relationship. ...
It’s not fair. My recent tour of Vancouver’s Cultural Olympiad/VIDF/Chutzpah Festival enhanced dance scene began with the spectacular work of Marie Chouinard, who proved herself to be the gold medalist, the MVP and the world champion of clever choreography and gorgeous staging. What could possibly come after such an audacious entry in the contemporary dance category? Chouinard’s dancing shoes are hard to fill.
My next night out took me to see New Zealand's powerhouse of a company, Black Grace. This show was a mixed repertoire show that included 7 fairly short pieces all created by the company’s Artistic Director, Neil leremia. The company of extraordinarily athletic dancers took to the stage, devouring the space with what felt like an explosive energy and a voracious appetite. What was immediately striking about these dancers is their exceptional level of commitment to every aspect of the dance: physical and spiritual and their extraordinary ability to coordinate speed and grace while maintaining a high standard of...
Out Innerspace Dance offered by far the most dynamic interpretation of the love, sex, and death themes that were the subject of the VIDF's free performances this year. David Raymond and Tiffany Tregarthen have a powerful rapport, and their vocabulary is intricate, intimate, and refined. The performance lived up to the company name, in that movements implied a physical and an emotional space simultaneously.
The Brooklyn dance company, Evidence, lives up to its name. Talk about giving a lesson in showing, not telling.
The founder and artistic director of the 25-year-old company, Ronald K. Brown, has said he uses movement, sound and storytelling to stage the histories, tragedies and triumphs of the African Diaspora. What else is dance if not the human experience put to rhythm?
Upside Down Dancers: Arcell Cabuag, Shani Collins, Keon Thoulouis Photo by Rachel Papo
