Having seen the first incarnation of Theatre Melee's Cozy Catastrophe at Hive 2 in 2008, it was fascinating to see how this show has evolved. Now part of the ongoing Tremors Festival, the show has been expanded from its original form as a 20 minute short play into an 80 minute one act.
Getting cozy during a catastrophe are Juno Ruddell, Michael Rinaldi and Erin Mathews
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
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
Katherine Ramdeen is a student at Studio 58 who will be acting and co-creating a piece for Risky Nights #2 entitled Falling Up Stairs, directed by Chris McGregor.
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. ...
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...
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.
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.
