*endORPHIN*, creatd by the Plastic Orchid Factory and presented by this year's Dancing on the Edge Festival, takes us on a dark, apocalyptic journey into the subconscious of the 21st century. It shows human culture on the cusp of the cyborg era. The title endORPHIN – which ironically joins catastrophe and pleasure – suggests that this is a grim psychic reality where the only happiness is a terror-induced euphoria.
Natalie LeFebvre Gnam from EndORPHIN, a dystopian world
Charm is a rare commodity in the theatre. With entertainment dominated by violence and special effects, it is difficult to engage an audience long enough to have them care about two very ordinary people.
Under the light of the salt water moon are Jacob (Joel Grinke) and Mary (Abby Creek)
Audible by the 605 Collective, presented by Dancing on the Edge, is dance for the purist. Yes, the piece fuses genres—from martial arts to tango to hip hop—but the performers’ sheer physicality fills the stage, uncomplicated by a set, props, or elaborate lighting.
605 crew: Maiko Miyauchi, Lisa Gelley, Josh Martin, Sasha Kozak, Shay Kuebler; photo: Chris Randle
As the name suggests, the 12 Minutes Max Sampler presented works drawn from this past season’s 12 Minute Max series, a series designed to showcase the work of “emerging talents and emerging works from established artists” in Vancouver.
“Who is she?” ask the program notes for Robin Poitras’s performance of SHE at the Chapel Arts Centre, part of the Dancing on the Edge festival. “Is she a musician/is she a dancer/is she a singer?” But the performance itself – an arresting, vivid contribution by a deeply skilled performer – asks more radical questions about embodiment, momentum and resonance.
I’ve really struggled with this review. I saw the Bard on the Beach production of Richard II last weekend and have had a tough time formulating my thoughts. The main reason: I really didn’t like the show. You’d think it would be easier to write a nasty review than a glowing one but this isn’t always the case.
John Murphy and Haig Sutherland in Richard II (this time, it's personal); photo by David Blue
Thank you Deborah Dunn for being so talented a dancer and so funny too!
Deborah Dunn presented four short choreographies, Four Quartets, as part of the Dancing on the Edge Festival; it was the last show I saw as part of the festival, and it was such a welcome highlight.
Henry Daniel’s *T2*, performed as part of this year’s "Dancing on the Edge Festival", was a piece with some interesting and some aesthetically pleasing moments but overall it left no distinct impression emotionally, aesthetically or intellectually. It’s not that there wasn’t any worthwhile content – there was – but this was a piece composed of so many disparate elements that I simply had a hard time finding a throughline or central message or truth from this show.
This was my second opportunity to see Wen Wei Wang’s *Three Sixty Five*, and before the show, I was excited. I loved Three Sixty Five the first time I saw it and was looking forward to seeing its highly emotive physicality again as part of this year’s "Dancing on the Edge Festival":http://www.dancingontheedge.org/. Of course, choreographies evolve, and Three Sixty Five was a different show the second time around; it seemed a bit smoothed down, mellower in some ways, but it remained a showcase for the outstanding talent of Wang and his dancers....
