I was excited about seeing Program 3 since it was announced a year ago that they were to be performing a work by Ohad Naharin, director of the mighty Batsheva Dance Company. Add to that new work by acclaimed choreographer Emanuel Gat, and a fresh piece by Ballet BC’s director Emily Molnar and we were set for an intriguing evening of dance.
LOCK is a complex and deeply absorbing work by Emanuel Gat and the dancers of Ballet BC. It is a piece about the dancers, ‘their history, talent, commitment and curiosity’. Gat gives us an opportunity to observe the...
“It doesn't remember who liked it... who didn't like it... it just remembers that it was”
Aux.La.More is an intimate storytelling and dance performance by Kara Nolte – and she has such a presence on stage. The way she tells her story and explains the way dance has allowed her to express herself is disarming and at the same time very comfortable.
I found myself wrapped up in the way she moved and tumbled and was marionetted on the dance floor – the way her suit jacket trailed behind her. She'd dance to a piece of music, and then she'd...
I'm trying to think of a good comparison here. Windy Wynazz is – like a volcano of energy. Like a sexually obsessed teenager in hotpants. Like a lace-legged fire tornado.
When I walked into the theatre the first thing I saw were a pair of shapely legs in fishnet stockings bent over their owners' body in classic autofellatio pose, feet spilling over onto the first step of the audience gallery. The lady herself. She popped up from the floor like an excited emo fountain of nervous energy and showed people to the front rows – ushering people away from what she called...
Now, going into this show, I already knew it might be something of a challenge to connect to for those uninitiated to the rave and music festival scene. Having been to several music festivals of the type that he was telling about, I thought I was prepared. But as Michael Moore began with his one man show, I realized that I was in for a trip I didn’t want to be on.
Moore played many different characters, including himself, to tell a true story of his life of partying and his disdain for the mundane life adult-ier adults...
Do you have your dancing shoes on? You’re going to need them for this show. Cydney Eva and Lindy Sisson are a mother-daughter duo that is going to explain to you the influences of dance and showmanship that have been ever present in their lives. From Ballet to Burlesque, they’ve got it all.
This really is a tribute show to Cyndey and Linda’s father/grandfather, Hal Sisson, who was in “The Biz”. Although you could tell that this show meant a lot to them, it might not mean as much to the audience. A big chunk of the show is...
John Grady is a consummate performer with dance, film and stage experience and awards. His show, The Old Woman, certainly exhibits his brilliance as a performer. Grady explores the responsibility of providing care for his 87-year-old mother who suffers dementia, seizures and severe bone and joint pain and has been put in an uninspiring care home. While going through the humorous and harrowing interaction with his mother he also faces his own fear that he too, despite his agility, is losing his ability to remember. Terrifying? You bet, but Grady is too wise to drown us in misery; he...
What a delightful concept! This show has an array of talented artists from dancers to musicians to actors and more. Each tent provides the participant with a unique experience of sharing with a group their life experiences. The artists then perform an improvised performance in their métier based on what the participants shared. I had the opportunity to meet with 4 performers in 3 separate tents: Yukari Komatsu, John Park and Miho Suzuki, and lastly Zachary Ibrahim.
As two other ladies and I were ushered into the first tent I noticed just how peaceful everyone was. It really...
I went in hoping to learn about gypsy culture. I left hoping it wasn’t true. Following the Sun has some offensive scenes, particularly for an all ages show. And there are two kids and a dog in the production (thankfully not in the same scenes). If you are a feminist or even just forward thinking, you may want to catch something else (I recommend Peter and Chris, Nashville Hurricane, and TJ Dawe. If you have kids, perhaps the Wonderheads). Many scenes overwhelm with an exceedingly male dominated and misogynistic tone. Several times in the production, women are sexually assaulted...
At the start of the show we are welcomed by Ian Ferrier, the storyteller and musician in Bear Dreams. He tells us that this company is from Montreal and that on their tour they have sought out a member of the literary community in each city to join them and share their art at the start of the show. He introduced us to BC Poet Hillary Peach. Hillary shared her poem about snakes and took the audience on an enjoyable emotional ride, asking what you would do if you woke up with a rattlesnake on...
I found myself drawn into the hive. Like Charlie, our doleful protagonist trapped in a soul-less social media job, I have wanted to opt out at times. But Charlie disappears into a village that is hive-like, borderline cultish, and just plain weird. Actor and co-writer of Village Ax, Sydney Hayduk plays three parts: disillusioned...
