March 9 - 27, 2004 Roundhouse Community Centre
PRODUCERS’ NOTE
We want to put Vancouver on the international map of dance as the city to come to for dance that moves the heart and soul, that stimulates the mind, charges the senses, and fuels the imagination. We thank you for joining us in this adventure of exploration into new worlds of dance. This year’s festival has a rich component of live music, visual art, and photography in addition to a wide spectrum of dance expression from BC, Ontario, Quebec, Poland, Japan, and Germany. We invite you to come early and to linger later for free dance and music events that we have included in our programming. The VIDF is produced in partnership with the Roundhouse Community Centre by the Vancouver International Dance Festival Society and the Kokoro Dance Theatre Society. To the members and Boards of Directors of these two societies to the wonderful staff of the Roundhouse, and to all of our hard working volunteers, we give our thanks for making the VIDF possible. We also could not produce the festival without the support of many government agencies, sponsors in the private sector, and collaborating arts organizations. Please look at our acknowledgements page to see a list of the agencies, businesses, and individuals who make this festival possible.
Barbara Bourget Jay Hirabayashi
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Kokoro Dance Theatre Society and the Vancouver International Dance Festival Society gratefully acknowldege the support of:
FOUNDATIONS AND FUNDING AGENCIES
The Dance Section, Equity Office, and Music Section of the Canada Council for the Arts as well as the Japan-Canada Fund administered by the Canada Council, the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Government of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, the City of Vancouver through the Office of Cultural Affairs, CanDance Touring Exchange/CanDanse: échanges-tournées, a co-presentation ofThe Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, Studio 303, VIDF and The CanDance Network, the Goethe Institut, the Hamber Foundation, and the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation.
BUSINESS, COMMUNITY, AND INDIVIDUAL SPONSORS
Roundhouse Community Centre, Amir Ali Alibhai, Elizabeth Kidd, Terry Podealuk, Jeremy Baxter, Brenda Racanelli, Jeff Bonny, Larisa Fayad, Jonathan Rider, Mike Inwood, Masha Rudas, Emma Davis, Elizabeth Steele, Holiday Inn - Downtown, Juby Alibhai, Dance Allsorts, Barbara Clausen, EDAM, Peter Bingham, Mona Hamill, Jumpstart, Raymond Milne, Opus Hotel, Elixir Restaurant, Pamela Groberman, Katherine S. Evans, Subeez Cafe, Benedict Deis, Kira Schaffer, Chelsea O’Brien, John Korsrud, Ron Samworth, Dylan van der Scyffe, André Lachance, Doug Cameron, Marguerite Witvoet, Lisa B., Ten Fifteen West Sixteenth Bed and Breakfast, Peter Eastwood, Philip Seth, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Playhouse, Shayne Droucker, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Frances Wasserlein, Holiday Inn - Downtown, Shiatsu Divine, Meinhardt Fine Foods, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, T, Flower Factory, David Suzuki, Canadian Springs, Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours, Ballet BC, Europe Bound, Escents, Mido Framers, Front & Company, Milestones, Fine Finds,Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Gateway Theatre, The William Tell Restaurant, John Lanara Hair Studio, The Reef, Locus, Little Sisters’, Anagram Pictures/ Screen Siren Pictures, Granville Book Company, Rodney Clarke, Kaya Kaya, Vancouver East Cultural Centre, Firehall Arts Centre, Pacific Cinematheque, Diane Kadota Arts Management, Mas Funo, M.A.C., Odette Jobidon, Bikram’s Yoga Yaletown, Harbour Dance, Danielle Clifford, Pam Quick-Rosa, Sophia Books, Smoking Lily, Arthur Erickson Home & Garden Foundation, Denman Fitness, Flow Yoga, Videomatica, Tomato Café, Seymour Mountain, Chris Randle, Geist, Arsenal Pulp Press, Out on Screen, Paul’s Omelletery, Bard on the Beach, Oasis Flowers, Daniel le Chocolat Belge, Banyen Books, Hanamo Florist, Ki Wight, Vancouver TheatreSports League, Yasmine Franchi, Prana Yoga and Zen Centre, Irene Brady and Jodi Watt, Alibi Room, House of Envy, Nikoo’s Studio, Alan Jones, Troy Melnick, Suki’s, Rubber Rainbow Condom Company, Reg Tupper, Alix Hirabayashi, Clancy Dennehy, Powell St. Festival, Select Wine Merchants, Naomi Shikaze, M-A-C Cosmetics, Philip Ing, Mainstage, Christie Lites, TW Productions, Salmon’s Rentals, Pastis Restaurant, Magic Flute, Kitsilano Wine Cellar, Parthenon Importers, Les Amis du Fromage, Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe, Les Amis du Froage, Gerald King, Mido Framers, Laurence M. Svirchev, Dalia Vukmirovich, Carolyn Chan, Cicchetti’s, George Rosenberg, Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, Diageo, La Baguette & L’Echalote, Jesse Weise, Alex Novicic, and all of our volunteers
MEDIA SPONSORS
The Vancouver Sun, CBC Radio and Television, Radio Canada et Télévision
MEDIA RELATIONS
The Prinzen Group, Cheryl Prinzen 5
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE Workshops/Master Classes
March 6 - 7, 12 PM to 5 PM • EDAM workshop with Peter Bingham and Chris Aiken (EDAM Studio) March 8 - 12, 9:30 AM to 12 PM • EDAM workshop with Chris Aiken (EDAM Studio) March 13, 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM • David Pressault (Roundhouse) March 15 - 19, 10 AM to 11:30 AM • Jacek Luminski (Harbour Dance) March 20, 10:30 AM to 12 PM • Rubberbandance Group (Scotiabank Dance Centre - presented by Dance Allsorts) March 22, 10 AM to 11:30 AM • Kate Alton (Roundhouse) March 23, 1 PM to 2:30 PM • Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg (Roundhouse) March 23, 3 PM to 5 PM • Thomas Lehmen (Roundhouse) March 24 - 26, 10 AM to 1 PM • Tadashi Endo (EDAM Studio)
PERFORMANCES
March 9 - 11, 7 PM • EDAM - The Tuning Effect March 9 - 11, 9 PM • Kokoro Dance/Hard Rubber Orchestra - White Hot Core March 12 - 13, 8 PM • Vancouver Symphony Orchestra - Say a Prayer March 15 - 17, 8 PM • David Pressault Danse/Erwin Vann - They Won’t Lie Down March 18 - 20, 8 PM • Silesian Dance Theatre - Thoughts That Got Ruffled Much March 21, 8 PM • Rubberbandance Group - Dance Allsorts Lecture Demonstration March 21 - 22, 8 PM • CanDance Exchange - Kate Alton - Let Me Tell You About My Day & Fierce/Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg - Lift/Rubberbandance Group - Reflections of Moving Particles March 23 - 24, 8 PM • Tadashi Endo - Kara da Kara March 25 - 27, 8 PM • Thomas Lehmen - Mono Subjects
FREE PERFORMANCES
March 15 - 17, 7:15 PM • Firefly - What blinds us March 18 - 19, 7:15 PM • Hizon’s b-boys/b-girls - Freestyle Fanatics March 20 - 21, 7:15 PM • Helen Walkley - Billy and Andrew March 22 - 23, 7:15 PM • Dancers Dancing - Quicksilver March 24 - 25, 7:15 PM • Brock Jellison - 77 Minutes March 24 - 25, 7:15 PM • Flamenco Rosario - Allegrias and Bulerias
ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS
March 9 - 27, 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM Monday to Friday; 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM Saturday and Sunday • Leslie Poole - Celebrating the Body - Figure Paintings March 9 - 27, 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM Monday to Friday; 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM Saturday and Sunday • Chris Randle - Appellation and Image 6
EDAM (Vancouver) March 9, 10, 11, 2004 at 7 PM THE TUNING EFFECT Dancers: PETER BINGHAM, CHRIS AIKEN Pianist: ANDRÉ GRIBOU Lighting: JEFF BARTLETT The Tuning Effect is a group of highly skilled improvisers: Two dancers, a musician and a lighting designer. Together they weave their different art forms into a dynamic evening of performance. This group focuses on the music, developing an emotional landscape, around which they take their unique spontaneous journeys. This is done through the versatile piano playing of AndrÊ Gribou, Professor of Music at Ohio University. His score ranges from improvisational antics to Bach, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven. The rich and thoughtful lighting of Jeff Bartlett, Artistic Director of the Southern Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, adds cohesion, discord and atmosphere. The group is completed by long time collaborators Chris Aiken and Peter Bingham. Aiken, winner of numerous awards including the Guggenheim, teaches at Ursinas College in Pennsylvania. His partner Bingham, well known in the world of improvisation, is the Artistic Director of EDAM Dance in Vancouver. They last performed in The Tuning Effect at the New York Improvisation Festival to critical acclaim. http://www.edamdance.org
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Kokoro Dance and the Hard Rubber Orchestra (Vancouver) March 9, 10, 11, 2004 at 9 PM WHITE HOT CORE Choreography: BARBARA BOURGET AND JAY HIRABAYASHI Lighting: GERALD KING Music: HARD RUBBER ORCHESTRA led by composer: JOHN KORSRUD The Hard Rubber Orchestra’s big sound and Kokoro’s exotic butoh jazz dance come from all angles to ignite your imagination with the full evening production White Hot Core. Meltdown temperatures are generated when these two highly volatile groups combine dance and live music. The use of performance island platforms and a dumpster for a dressing room placed in a relaxed cabaret setting provides an unusual, thought-provoking, performance environment. Kokoro Dance, inspired by the Japanese avant garde dance form known as butoh, has an international reputation for provocative and evocative dance productions. The Hard Rubber Orchestra is an 18-piece, post-modern, new music ensemble that plays daring, unpredictable, high energy music from leader/composer John Korsrud whose influences include John Zorn, Krzysztof Penderecki, Public Enemy, John Cage and Miles Davis. White Hot Core was a hit when it was first performed at the 1995 du Maurier International Jazz Festival in Vancouver and is sure to wow audiences again during this three-nights-only performance run. The Hard Rubber Orchestra is the “Godzilla of the Vancouverjazzscene,abig,goofymonsterthatstompsthroughcomplexchartswith the swagger of big swing band and the heat of a thermonuclear explosion.” Alex Varty, The Georgia Straight “Count on Kokoro Dance’s butoh-driven work to leave images that persist in the mind long after the lights go up.” Gail Johnson, The Georgia Straight http://kokoro.ca http://www.hardrubber.com 8
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Vancouver) March 12, 13, 2004 at 8 PM
(note: March 12 tickets available only through the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Ticketmaster)
SAY A PRAYER curated by: JEFFREY RYAN VSO conducted by: BRAMWELL TOVEY Choreographers: PETER BINGHAM, BARBARA BOURGET, JAY HIRABAYASHI, LEE SU-FEH and WEN WEI WANG Music: ARVO PÄRT - Cantus (Barbara Bourget) JEFFREY RYAN - ecce homo (Barbara Bourget) AARON JAY KERNIS - Musica Celestis (Lee Su-Feh) ALEXINA LOUIE - Music for a Thousand Autumns (Wen Wei Wang) AUGUSTA READ THOMAS - Murmurs in the Mist of Memory (Peter Bingham) JOHN ADAMS - Christian Zeal and Activity (Jay Hirabayashi) musica intima - vocal chamber ensemble A special evening of music and dance inspired by religion, spirituality and mysticism with commissioned choreography by EDAM’s Peter Bingham, Kokoro Dance’s Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi, battery opera’s Lee Su-Feh, and Wen Wei Dance’s Wen Wei Wang. Members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bramwell Tovey together with the musica intima choir will perform music by Arvo Part, Jeffrey Ryan, Aaron Jay Kernis, Alexina Louie, Augusta Read Thomas, and John Adams. Say a Prayer is a rare and wonderful opportunity to hear the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performing heart-felt music interpreted by a handful of Vancouver’s most distinctive choreographers. EDAM, Kokoro Dance, battery opera, and Wen Wei Dance create dances with influences that include contact dance, ballet, Chinese martial arts, and butoh. http://www.vancouversymphony.ca
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FREE PERFORMANCE
Kira Schaffer/Firefly (Vancouver) March 15 - 17, 2004 at 7:15 PM What binds us Choreographed by Kira Schaffer Performed by Kira Schaffer, Schaffer’s students and Roundhouse Community Dancers What binds us combines aerial silk and aerial cradles with modern dance. The piece explores themes of entrapment and freedom as well as alienation and connection between people. Kira Schaffer combines dance and physical theatre with circus skills like fire performance, aerial acrobatics and stilt dancing. She regularly uses props as an extension of the physical body and much of Kira’s work involves an element of danger. For Schaffer, fire and aerial dance – despite the inherent risks – express two very human desires, the yearning for flight and freedom and the “fire for life”. Fear is transformed when the dancer builds comfort with the element.
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David Pressault Danse and Erwin Vann (Montreal/Brussels) March 15, 16, 17, 2004 at 8 PM THEY WON’T LIE DOWN Idéation/Concept: DAVID PRESSAULT and ERWIN VANN Chorégraphe/Choreographer: DAVID PRESSAULT Musique originale/Original Music: ERWIN VANN Interprètes/Performers: ZIYIAN KWAN, ZOE POLUCH, DAVID PRESSAULT, and ERWIN VANN Conception des éclairages/Lighting: SHANE DROUCKER Environnement sonore/Sound Design: PATRICE HARDY Scénographie/Set Design: SANDRA VAN ROLLEGHEM Costumes: DAVID PRESSAULT DANSE Construction du décor: JOHANN WIEGHARDT Photos: CHRIS RANDLE Co-produced by: CONCERTGEBOUW, Bruges, Belgium VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL, Canada CENTRE CULTUREL BRAINE-L’ALLEUD, Belgique AGORA DE LA DANSE, Montréal, Canada CENTRE CULTUREL DE HUY/AMAY, Belgique
They Won’t Lie Down is the meeting and collaboration between two artists: Brussels’s sax player/ composer Erwin Vann and Montreal’s choreographer/ performer David Pressault. They propose an evening of music and dance that will go beyond traditional boundaries, taking its audience deep into a visual, musical and kinetic feast with a new music accompaniment they will not forget. They Won’t Lie Down portrays tableaux of different human experiences ranging from seduction and giving into our impulsions, to loss of innocence and loss of soul. Performed by three extraordinary dancers with Erwin Vann himself on stage to create a subtle and hypnotic atmosphere that will shift like sunlight to moonlight. http://www.davidpressaultdanse.com 11
FREE PERFORMANCE
Jhaymee Hizon (Vancouver) March 18 - 19, 2004 at 7:15 PM Freestyle Fanatics Created by Jhayme Hizon Performed by Hizon’s b-boys/b-girls Hip-hop artist Jhaymee Hizon a.k.a. “Eloquence” performs an energetic freestyling piece. All b-boys and b-girls express their own unique character through modern moves like headspins, windmills, freezes and intricate floor work. Jhaymee has taught b-boy/b-girl dance for five-years. He was featured in the movie “See Spot Run”, and appeared in music videos on MTV and on TV shows such as ABS CBN Manila, Jordy Birch. He has also danced in numerous fashion shows for Nike, Adidas, Helly Hansen and Tommy Hilfiger. Jhaymee continues to teach and perform to enforce one of the true elements of hip-hop culture.
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Silesian Dance Theatre (Poland) March 18, 19, 20, 2004 at 8 PM THOUGHTS THAT GOT RUFFLED MUCH
Don’t trust what people say about themselves. They don’t lie They simply do not know (Julia Hartwig, Błyski / Iluminations) Choreography: JACEK LUMINSKI Dancers: ANNA KRYSIAK, HANNA WOCZKA, VICTORIA FOX, TOMASZ WESOLOWSKI, SEBASTIAN ZAJKOWSKI, ERYK MAKOHON, SYLWIA HEFCZNSKA Music: IANNIS XENAKIS, P. ANKA, ROLAND SCHMIDT, MACCARTHY MONACO, M. PEREZ MORALES, ERICH KORY, EVAN ZIPORYN, KAYAHAN KALHOR Silesian Dance Theatre, Poland’s first professional contemporary dance company, has developed a new dance aesthetic derived from an analysis of Jewish songs, legends, superstitions, customs, rituals and dance forms (noting the importance of the palm of the hand, pelvis, chest and spine), ecstatic factors, and ritualistic movements. In performance, this seven member company exhibits an extraordinarily physical presence. The dancers float in space, connecting internal and external worlds and going beyond them with the use of technical skills enriched with psychophysical tools and mental power reflecting the Hassidic tradition of dance being a conversation with God. Silesian Dance Theatre has performed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, Lithuania, Russia and the United States. These performances are the company’s first in Canada. In April, the company will be in residence in Vancouver to begin an artistic collaboration with Kokoro Dance that will premiere at the 2005 Vancouver International Dance Festival. http://www.stt.art.pl/eng/theatre.htm 13
RUBBERBANDANCE (Montreal)
produced in collaboration with New Performance Works as part of the Dance Allsorts series
March 21, 2004 at 2 PM, - Ex Hall DANCE ALLSORTS is an informal world dance series designed to give audiences an opportunity to experience unfamiliar or unique forms of artistic expression and promote cross-cultural artistic exchange. The goal is to share, learn and experience traditional, classical and contemporary movement forms. Dance Allsorts is designed for the general public, on a pay-what-you-can basis (free for children!). Performances include a short discussion of the work hosted by the performers, and audience participation is encouraged. DESCRIPTION BY RUBBERBANDANCE GROUP: We examine the body, its movements, relationships and the world around us. Observing situations as they develop into our dependencies, our needs and our wants. Exploring all of this through a movement vocabulary that fuses the dynamic of street dance with the grace and subtleties of ballet and contemporary dance. In the end, we begin to see that all of these experiences are one. Rubberbandance Group is a Montreal-based collective whose mission it is to exploit the possibilities of the dance experience. Exploration is at the very core of what we are doing with Rubberbandance Group; always challenging ourselves and the movement so that we are constantly discovering new ways of experiencing dance with each other and with our audience. We feel very strongly that the success of our past work is based on our searching nature. Interested in the dynamics of urban dance and the contemporary dance aesthetic, we have spent the past year breaking down the walls between these extremely different dance styles. In their fusion we have watched a unique idiom emerge that we are continuing to develop. By experimenting with the uncomfortable and the unknown through the fusion of ballet and hip hop the immediacy of the dancer’s experience is witnessed first hand by the audience. It is of the utmost importance to our group that we are successful in sharing this experience with our audience, offering them not only a fuller experience of dance but also a fuller experience of their own lives. As we question how we can share and open ourselves through our work and our relationships with each other, we encourage our audience to do the same by steering out of the familiar. http://www.rubberbandancegroup.com http://www.newworks.ca/allsorts.htm 14
FREE PERFORMANCE
Helen Walkley (Vancouver) March 20 - 21, 2004 at 7:15 PM Billy and Andrew
Created by Helen Walkey Performed by Andrew Olewine and Billy Marchneski Billy and Andrew is the first draft of the meeting of two brilliant, funny and whimsical guys, Billy Marchenski and Andrew Olewine. Walkey draws their inherent qualities into poignant and playful form. Helen Walkley is an independent performer, choreographer, improviser and teacher currently based in Vancouver, BC. She has also lived and worked extensively in the Netherlands, Germany and the United States. She has performed at the New York Improvisation Festival and Dance Theater Workshop/NY, the American Dance Festival, On the Boards/Seattle, Danceworks/ Toronto, the Edge Festival/Vancouver, Danslab/Amsterdam and the Tanzfabrik/ Berlin. She is also a certified Laban Movement Analyst and has a M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Simon Fraser University. In 2002/03 she was an Artist in Residence at the Dance Centre in Vancouver. Andrew Olewine began his initial training studying classical ballet at the North Carolina school for the Arts and the Professional Division of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. After moving to Vancouver in 1986, he danced with various modern dance companies including five and a half years with the Karen Jamieson Company. Billy Marchenski started 2003 dancing in Battery Opera’s new work, CYCLOPS. Since then, he’s acted with Seventeenth Floor in THE POSSIBILITES, presented by Felix Culpa, portrayed a sex therapist in Radix’s SEXMACHINE for SEE SEVEN, toured Battery Opera’s SPEKTATOR throughout Eastern Europe and Canada and played the roles of Mark and Allen Ginsberg for Screaming Flea’s THIS ROOM IS MOVING. He was last seen in Felix Culpa’s staged reading of REVENGE, an adaptation of Cyril Tourner’s REVENGER’S TRAGEDY.
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Kate Alton (Toronto)/Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg (Vancouver)/Rubberbandance Group (Montreal) CANDANCE TOURING EXCHANGE/CANDANSE: ÉCHANGES-TOURNÉES - A COPRESENTATION OF THE GUELPH CONTEMPORARY DANCE FESTIVAL, STUDIO 303, VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL AND THE CANDANCE NETWORK, SUPPORTED BY THE DANCE SECTION OF THE CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS AND CANADIAN HERITAGE
March 21, 22, 2004 at 8 PM Kate Alton LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY DAY Choreography: KATE ALTON Dancer: DANIELLE BASKERVILLE Music: PHIL DWYER
Let Me Tell You About My Day is a response to Canadian jazz composer and saxophonist Phil Dwyer’s music describing the extreme events of a particular day. A Note from Phil Dwyer, Composer, Let Me Tell You About My Day: At the age of thirty-five, after a long period of increasingly erratic behaviour, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Thankfully I had the support of a loving family and a remarkable group of friends to nurse me back to health. The mind can be a fragile thing, a fact for which I now have a much greater appreciation. This piece is a loose representation of the day I ended up in the hospital. That day, Jan 19, 2001, included a marital screaming match, a brass band in a yoga studio, half a case of 1998 Chateau Lynch-Bages, a real estate closing, a mother-son screaming/crying match, and finally a cab ride to 250 College St, followed shortly by heavy doses of pharmaceuticals. I had it pretty good, tons of support and good doctors, but I certainly feel for the mental health patient out on the street, with no support and no doctor. There but for the grace...... Kate Alton is a Toronto based dancer and choreographer. She was a featured member of Toronto Dance Theatre from 1989 - 1995, leaving in that year to pursue an independent career. http://www.overalldance.ca/ 16
Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg (Vancouver) LIFT Choreography: TARA CHEYENNE FRIEDENBERG Dancer: TARA CHEYENNE FRIEDENBERG Lift investigates the experience of aging as a woman in western culture. Images and practices in popular culture surrounding our obsession with the maintenance of youth as a commodity. The ideas of plastic surgery, diet, exercise, and new age practices all give us the notion that we can be forever young if we work hard enough for it (and have enough money to pay for it). The reality of sagging skin, greying hair, and stiffening joints does not fit in very well with cultural pressures to be firm and perky without revealing our true chronology. The piece draws upon text taken from the media, and from interviews with woman speaking about their own experiences and attitudes towards the marching of time. Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg began her performing career at age 3 and hasn’t stopped since. She is known for her comictragic solo work, and interdisciplinary ability.
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Rubberbandance Group (Montreal) REFLECTIONS OF MOVING PARTICLES Choreographer: VICTOR QUIJADA Composer: MITCHELL AKIYAMA Dancers: ANNE PLAMONDON, JAYKO ELOI, JOE AURELIEN AND VICTOR QUIJADA Using a fusion of hip hop, break dance, contemporary, ballet and theatre we see four characters interacting with the urban reality that surrounds them while they search for inner tranquility. We examine the body, its movements, relationships and the world around us. Observing situations as they develop into our dependencies, our needs and our wants, exploring all of this through a movement vocabulary that fuses the dynamic of street dance with the grace and subtleties of ballet and contemporary dance, in the end, we begin to see that all of these experiences are one. Rubberbandance Group is a Montreal-based collective interested in the dynamics of urban dance and contemporary dance aesthetics. Rubberbandance Group has spent the past year breaking down the walls between these extremely different dance styles. In their research, they have watched a unique idiom emerge by experimenting with the uncomfortable and the unknown through the fusion of ballet and hip hop where the immediacy of the dancer’s experience is witnessed first hand by the audience. Victor Quijada, Choreographer/Dancer Victor Quijada began break dancing at the age of eight. At sixteen, he began formal dance training at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Upon graduation, he spent two years with mentor Rudy Perez’ Performance Ensemble, then moved to New York where he performed with Twyla Tharp Dance until 1999. In the summer of 2000, Victor joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens performing and choreographing with the company for two years. Since 2002, he has been focused on his choreographic career and developing work with Rubberbandance Group. http://www.rubberbandancegroup.com 18
FREE PERFORMANCE
Dancers Dancing (Vancouver) March 22 - 23, 2004 at 7:15 PM Quicksilver Choreographer: Judith Garay Dancers: Christopher Duban, Desirée Dunbar, James Gnam, Natalie LeFebvre-Gnam, Natasha Lutz Music: Patrick Pennefather, Flo, vocals by Sheinagh Anderson Costume Design/Construction: Judith Garay/Margaret Jenkins Artistic Director Judith Garay choreographed Quicksilver, a powerful and poignant performance, for the five dancers of Dancers Dancing. It is inspired by life, death and the ephemeral nature of this changing existence. Unexpected loss, the illusion of certainty, change as an uninvited intruder and emotional emergency create the world of Quicksilver. Dancers Dancing is a modern dance repertory company known for the technical excellence and sheer energy of its dancers. The ensemble of dedicated and gifted performers includes the best of the new crop of fiery and vibrant young dancers, as well as nationally known artists. “The dynamic movement is perfectly suited to its fantastically rich music by Patrick Pennefather…the performers undulate their bodies in soft meditative patterns one moment then blast out fiery, primal gestures the next.” (Gail Johnson, The Georgia Straight – 2002). http://www.dancersdancing.com
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Tadashi Endo - Butoh-Ma (Japan/Germany) March 23, 24, 2004 at 8 PM KARA DA KARA Dance, light, staging, music, time conception: TADASHI ENDO KARA DA KARA is the expression of a man suffering during war. Still alive, he remembers all his friends who died. The memory of all the situations during war makes him crazy. Again and again he remembers all of his feelings: fear and courage, hate and love, desperation and hope. What is the reason for war? Only the children will give us hope for a better world. When the body speaks, in which language does it speak? Different bodies—different languages. Butoh is Ganimata—bow-legs. European dance is straight. AreJapanesebodiesandEuropeanbodiesdifferent,ordowewanttomakethem different? Language is communication between humans. Is it possible that the body’s language can communicate with nature? While speaking, intonation, melody and speed are very important. When the body speaks, you cannot measure the speed. While talking, if suddenly the breath stops; you cannot hear anything. Tension—stopped movement—silence Fudo no do—moving in order not to move— A moment—so thrilling—as if everything would crash down to the floor with violent noise. Where do the spoken words fly to? Like millions shining stars they are rays in the sky. When we are talking or quiet, the body is shining or standing in the shadow, Like the stars shine or disappear Keiken—mind experience Taiken—body experience When the body speaks we do have an event, An event that we cannot time, because time is the law of nature checked with our human measure. For example, you can pour water into a bowl slowly or quickly. The water, which fills the bowl, has no time Life has no limits Growing means slowly going to death Birth is the first step to death To count a lifetime, is like nothing—Mu Nothing—Mu is all A journey into the body landscape This time is longer than the time from birth to death Tadashi Endo
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FREE PERFORMANCE
Brock Jellison (Vancouver) March 24 - 25, 2004 at 7:15 PM 77 minutes Choreographer: Brock Jellison Music by Ron Briggs Brock Jellison boosts the tempo with a pre-view of 77 minutes, a piece that will be performed at the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Fifteen dancers fuse tap, hip-hop and break dancing to depict life before and after the infamous bomb has been dropped. It is an anti-war artistic statement that combines dance styles with a blend of funk, soul, rock and live percussion. 77 minutes tells about popular artists resisting the government to keep the arts alive. The story came to Jellison during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he performed in 2003. This performance is just a taste of what is to come from this emerging artist. Jellison began dancing at the age of three and trained at his mother’s studio until he turned 17 years old. His first professional job with Tap Dogs took him on a whirlwind tour that prepared him for teaching dance in Vancouver and choreographing emotive pieces like 77 minutes.resisting the government to keep the arts alive. The story came to Jellison during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he performed in 2003. This performance is just a taste of what is to come from this emerging artist.
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FREE PERFORMANCE
Flamenco Rosario (Vancouver) March 26, 27, 2004 at 7:15 PM Anoranzas Choreographer and dancer: Rosario Ancer Guitar/Musical arraignment by Victor Kolstee Viva flamenco! Audiences will see genuine Spanish art when Flamenco Rosario performs Anoranzas (nostalgic longings) – traditional dance with flamenco guitar played by Victor Kolstee. The piece is inspired by the six intense years which Rosario and Victor shared in Spain, where they met, got married, started a family, performed together and got inspired by that beautiful country and their music. It is a nontraditional contemporary work that incorporates a number of different time signatures and instruments. Flamenco Rosario explores the many facets of flamenco and offers shows that are informative as well as entertaining. For the past thirteen years, they have consistently delivered inspiring performances and has cultivated an audience that is well-versed and knowledgeable about flamenco. The company honours the rich flamenco tradition and creates flamenco presentations that further the evolution of the art form. The company includes professionally trained artists from around the world and graduates from the professional program at Centro Flamenco in Spain. In addition to showcasing local talent, Flamenco Rosario regularly brings in guest artists from abroad to take part in performances and to give workshops. Since it’s inception, the Flamenco Rosario company has presented performances such as the yearly Flamenco Festival; Raices (Roots), Flamenco Ayer y Hoy, Fantasia Flamenca, Noche Flamenca, Danzas de Espana and the ongoing Cuadro Flamenco series which promotes emerging artists. http://www.centroflamenco.com 22
FREE PERFORMANCE
MAINDANCE GRADUATE STUDENT PROGRAM (VANCOUVER) March 27, 2004 AT 3 PM CHOREOGRAPHER PERFORMER(S) ANNE COOPER MIREILLE ROSNER KATHLEEN MCDONAGH JENNIFER CLARKE DAVID PRESSAULT MARA BRANSCOMBE RON STEWART ELISSA CLIFFORD DAVID PRESSAULT MARA BRANSCOMBE JENNIFER CLARKE ELISSA CLIFFORD MIREILLE ROSNER MEGAN ROSS MELANIE TAN MainDance is committed to developing young artists with a relevancy to the ever-changing demands in the field. Interfacing with professional artists locally, nationally and internationally in search of new dialects in the language of dance, the balance of a seasoned creator embracing the vulnerability of unchartered territory creates the quintessential model for students in a creative process.
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Thomas Lehmen (Germany) March 25, 26, 27, 2004 at 8 PM MONO SUBJECTS Concept, choreography: THOMAS LEHMEN Choreography, music, performance: MARIA CLARA VILLA-LOBOS, GAETAN BULOURDE, THOMAS LEHMEN Assistance: MELANIE MOHREN Visual design: KATRIN SCHOOF Technical director: GÖTZ DIHLMANN Artistic advice/production: PETRA ROGGEL Production: THOMAS LEHMEN AND PETRA ROGGEL Co-production: KAMPNAGEL HAMBURG, MOUSONTURM FRANKFURT, SPRINGDANCE FESTIVAL UTRECHT, TANZWERKSTATT PODEWIL BERLIN, FAR FESTIVAL DES ARTS VIVANTS, NYON; WITH SUPPORT OF HAUPSTADTKULTURFONDS BERLIN AND FONDS DARSTELLENDE KÜNSTE ESSEN E.V. AUS MITTELN DES BUNDES
Mono subjects:
three performers, dancers and musicians who do not pretend to be anybody else but themselves. Surrounded by a white room, including nothing else than the reality of his performers. The gap between publicity and intimacy; the tension that occurs out of the permanently exposed privacy draws a red line in the piece. A choreographed question of the relation between reality, truth and theatrical directing them.
A research concerning the truth of exchanged information in the theatrical context. Thomas Lehmen’s mono subjects is a mental and corporal confrontation with the basic theatrical elements and parameters: the artistic work and the performers’ attitude towards it. mono subjects: an exhibition of the own personal reality on stage, a performative production and reproduction of the individuality of the three performers. http://www.thomaslehmen.de/
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Leslie Poole March 9 - 27, 2004 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM Monday to Friday; 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM Saturday and Sunday CELEBRATING THE BODY - FIGURE PAINTINGS Internationally recognized, Vancouver-based, senior artist Leslie Poole received his MFA from Yale University in 1970. With over 100 solo exhibitions in Canada and the U.S. (including Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco), he is firmly established as one of Canada’s most extensively exhibited artists. Poole’s paintings, drawings, and prints have been purchased by many major public, corporate, and private collections. His works question rather than tell; his intention is a dialogue with the viewer. With subjects as diverse as male and female figures, still life, landscape, and selfportraits, Poole’s methods range from realist to expressionist in style.
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Chris Randle March 9 - 27, 2004 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM Monday to Friday; 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM Saturday and Sunday Appellation and Image For more than 25 years, Chris has been photographing dance. He has had the pleasure of working with many performers and choreographers, both here and across Canada. Each year brings forth new artists, and from a photographer’s viewpoint, new and exciting challenges.
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RĂŞve Ă Deux
NewworksbyJenniferMascallandSarahChaseco-produced by Mascall Dance, New Dance Horizons and Ron Stewart
featuring: Ron Stewart, Robin Poitras video: D-Anne Trepannier lighting: James Proudfoot music: Christopher Butterfield costumes: Barbara Clayden
Regina: New Dance Horizons Feb 27-28, 2004 Tel. 306 525-5393
Vancouver: Firehall Theatre
March 3-6, 2004 Tel. 604 689-0926 Photo credit: Don Hall 27
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