Running May 28th through June 1st, the Montréal-based company Van Grimde Corps Secrets presents The Body in Question(s) at the 6th edition of the Festival TransAmériques. This work by Isabelle Van Grimde, with performer Soula Trougakos, is an exhibit-show that brings together sound, visual and multimedia artists to create a reflective study of the body and the lenses of nature, culture, science and technology. As further described on the company's website: "A man plays with his digital double while the genome of a dancer is inscribed on a painting. A foetus lies dormant in an aquarium a few strides away from imaginary anatomical charts. Free to move around, the spectator-visitor lingers at the edge of a forest of white string inhabited by unpredictable words and movements, mere inches away from the breath of a dancer and a close-up image of human skin..."
Be sure to check out the Summer 2006 issue of The Dance Current print magazine for an article on Isabelle Van Grimde.
If you haven't heard of the young rising star Travis Lim of Vancouver, check out this early video as he began to grab international attention. At Dance World Cup 2009, held in Montréal, Lim (age 7) took home gold for his solo - and did so again at age 9.
His credits and merits include achievements in acting, modelling and dancing, and along with appearing on local and national television, Lim was featured in the 2010 Winter Paralympic opening ceremony. He also garnered acclaim with his crew NU Groove (aka Freshh 2.0) when they represented Canada at the 2010 World Hip Hop Championships and brought home the silver medal.
Lim will be appearing at the 9th annual In The House Festival, running June 1st through 3rd in Vancouver.
This month The Dance Current is featuring online essay excerpts from The Choreographer’s Trust by Peggy Baker. The DVD and booklet series which chronicle the project are available for long-term loan from Dance Collection Danse (DCD) in Toronto. Begun in 2002, the project involves six works and twelve dance artists, and also includes Benesh notation scores.
In this interview with The Dance Current's editor Kathleen Smith, Baker shares some thoughts on androgyny, modern dance and her work Brute (1994).
Also, coming up May 18th and 19th, Baker's solo Sylvan Quartet (1997), is remounted for the first time on another dancer, Sahara Morimoto. According to the company's website, "images of the sylvan world - trees, birds, deer, foxes - emerge and dissolve in a lament for the forests we appear so intent on destroying."
Check out this comedic mockumentary directed by Bryan Skinner from British Columbia. Tumbling After revolves around a fake burlesque dance troupe, Jack and Jill's Tits and Giggles Review, co-managed by choreographer Jack Fontaine (John Emmet Tracy) and costumer Jill Monroe (Kelly Hudson). According the video's YouTube notes, the basis of its plot is the troupe's "downward sprial when it becomes entangled by a former neo-burlesque star, Rosie Bubbles (Johannah Newmarch)." The film is shot improvisationally over four days. While Skinner outlined the scenes, the dialogue and actions are entirely improvised by the cast. Tumbling After has been presented, and won awards, at multiple international film festivals.
Running May 9th through 13th at The Citadel in Toronto, Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie present From The House of Mirth. According to the company's website, the work is "based on Edith Wharton’s novel The House of Mirth, a devastating critique of the American gilded age aristocracy."
Directed and choreographed by James Kudelka, the work features live music composed by Rodney Sharman, libretto by Alex Poch Goldin and musical direction by John O. Hess. The cast and characters include dancers Laurence Lemieux, Claudia Moore, Christianne Ullmark and Victoria Bertram, with vocalists Scott Belluz (countertenor), Graham Thomson (tenor), Alex Dobson (baritone) and Geoffrey Sirett (bass baritone).
Be sure to check out the December/January 2005/2006 issue of The Dance Current print magazine for an item on Laurence Lemieux.
Dance Ambassadors Josh Matlow and Guillaume Côté read the dance manifesto in French and English.
Last month, on April 19th, the Dance Manifesto was shared by Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow and Guillaume Côté, principal dancer for the National Ballet of Canada. This event, held at Canada's National Ballet School, marked the launch of the Canadian Dance Assembly's "I love dance/J'aime la danse" national campaign and the country's first ever National Dance Week. Their message: Canada is a dance nation!
Also check out our previous post about National Dance Week.
Recently released on YouTube, Carpe Diem is a short contemporary dance film that touches on the dynamics of camaraderie and social pleasures of a a secret society of women. Here they gather to dance in the face of oppressive rule, which prohibits creative thought and artistic expression. Choreographer/producer/videographer/editor Jesse Dell notes that "under the guise of a social tea in an abandoned speak easy, they are free to indulge in their shared joy of movement... or are they?" Performers include co-choreographer Jordana Deveau, with Jennifer Morse and Madeleine Shen.
Be sure to catch Dell performing May 22nd in Toronto at the Reservoir Lounge with musician Lindsay Barr.
The Dance Current Special Interview Series: Part Four of Four
The May/June 2012 issue of The Dance Current print magazine includes an interview with Emily Molnar, artistic director of Ballet BC.
Molnar on inclusiveness of dance: "There are many people in this world that dance. They may not be paid to dance, but they love it. And those are the same people that are going to appreciate what we’re trying to do, when we want to create dance on stage. We want people to be touched by dance, no matter what it takes. And so it’s not about judging or categorizing. It’s about making it inclusive and bringing people together." By Evann Siebens, The Dance Current: Print, May/June 2012.
Stay tuned on for more clips from this four-part interview series, and be sure to read the entire In Conversation article in the recent print edition of The Dance Current.
The May/June 2012 issue of The Dance Current print magazine includes an item on Diana Reyes (aka Fly Lady Di):
"Actor, choreographer and dancer Fly Lady Di was born Diana C. Reyes. Recently she worked as Manifesto's All-Styles Dance Director, and co-creator of the event Solid Ground. Diana also can be seen in the latest Bedouin Soundclash video, 'Brutal Hearts' and choreographed the interactive web-series Prison Dancer, released March 2012." The Dance Current
This video captures Reyes performing house dance and waacking in the streets of Mumbai with her friend Priya Lisa Gonsalves, co-creator of Syntheskillz Urban Dance Community in India. Gonsalves made this video during Reyes' visit to India in January 2012, when she also faciliated two workshops for Reyes to give: one at Syntheskillz's studio and another at their weekly street dance party, Blame it on the Boogie.
Click read more to see footage from one of Reyes' waacking, house and old school hip hop workshops in Mumbai.
The May/June 2012 issue of The Dance Current print magazine includes an interview with Ana Alexandre.
"To achieve the life you want, you need to learn to overcome fear time and time again. It is impossible to succeed without failing occasionally. If you want to reach your goals and live your ideal life. you have to risk failure. Be brave and step out of your comfort zone. What you do can be something small such as saying hello to a stranger or changing your hairstyle; it can also be big such as calling someone you haven't spoken to in years, starting your own business, or telling someone that you love them." By Ana Alexandre, The Dance Current: Print, May/June 2012.
Alexandre is a life coach, speaker and nutritionist, trained through The Coaches Training Institute and The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. She works to encourage people to get "unstuck" and to live passionate and fulfilling lives, full of health and vitality. Her advice in this video reflects part of her own journey to follow her dreams.
