Shadow Machine, the latest work by Co. Erasga (presented at W2 Storyeum from Oct 21-30), is described in broad strokes in its press materials, as “an exploration of the conflicting relationships humanity has held with machines and the industrial process since the first years of the industrial revolution.” Based on this ambitious description, I expected the performance to examine technological evolution in a large sense, and anticipated an evening of strangely morphed bodies and surreal technological experiments. While Shadow Machine did indeed feature inventive sets and mechanistic choreography, the narrative elements of the work were more idiosyncratic and...
As a big fan of both Grease movies back in the day, I was thrilled to be able to review Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society’s latest production Greece Does Grease. While I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and the all-too-familiar Grease songs (with slightly reworked lyrics), I have to admit that I felt like a naughty little kid sneaking into see the movie Mum and Dad banned you to watch when you were at school. And I loved it!
Greece Does Grease tells the classical Greek story of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, who falls in love with Hades,...
The contemporary dance duet enables unparalleled expression of intimacy between two people, while the solo often represents a quest within the self. Edge 4, consisting of a duet and two solos, delivers on the promise of these forms, and more: we learn that individuality persists in the most interconnected of couples, while the imperative to relate—to oneself, to externally-imposed ideals, or to the social and physical world—exerts itself over even the most self-contained of individuals
From the side-by-side civility of Caesura, through the manic attacks of Blood, to the final card game in “A pocket full of questions,” Edge One, a well-danced program of lively contemporary movement, explores various danceable modes of human interaction with energy, clarity, and grace.
Standing at the seaside in CRAB/Portside Park, looking across Burrard inlet toward the north shore mountains, who doesn’t want to bow and undulate in harmony? Mal de Mer, by Anatomica/ Proximity Arts, begins with the exquisitely satisfying tableau of two women (Susan Elliott and Tanya Marquart) swathed in sails, swaying in the thigh-high waves. What a pleasure to spend an hour in this gorgeous outdoors, as it is animated and given further shape by the engaging narratives (our sea-monkey origins? swimming with whales? drowning?), sound design (Emma Hendrix), sets (Jesse Garlick and Barnaby Killam) and movement structures of Mal de...
Metro sparkles with vivacity and real experience. It’s a dance creation by Linette Doherty that puts a lens on how people interact on public transit. It’s funny, touching and uplifting in tone. All that’s on top of the dancing, which seamlessly combines ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap and well, everything.
The strength of the 12 Minute Max showcases is in their brevity. At their best, the performances are like haiku: pointed and poetic, double-edged in their meanings. On the whole, this year's showcased were strong, and kudos must go not only to choreographers and performers, but to the curators as well, who assembled an original and entertaining line-up for 2010.
For the opening night of the explorASIAN Festival on May 8th, Co Erasga performed OrienTik/Portrait at the Frederick Wood Theatre at UBC. The performers included dancers Alvin Tolentino and Andrea Nann and taiko drummer Jordan Riley. Piano player Alison Nishihara was absent due to illness. Even with recorded piano and some obvious silent gaps, OrienTik/Portrait remained coherent and moving. Composed of distinct images, driven by bold energy and clear intention, it was a work of aesthetic simplicity in the best possible sense.
The directors behind Ballet BC meant it when they chose the title Re/Naissance. No soft-core metaphor here.
In the opening moments of the second performance, "Things I Told Nobody," we see a body spot-lit under one low-hanging light; slowly, we sense the dancer, fetus-like on the floor and dressed in neutral swaddling, is not alone on stage. Other lights begin to shine. They’re dim but create the illusion of one body reflected in a prism or the image of countless bodies coming to life in a honeycomb.
