MERGE

DANCE PHOTO SUBMISSIONS

2011-07-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

MERGE zine is calling all artists willing to dedicate dance/ movement related photos for our 2011/2012 season!

Photos may be featured in upcoming issues, on our blog or on our new Facebook page!

If you are interested in donating your photography please e-mail us: merge.zine@gmail.com
All donations are much much appreciated!

-The Merge Team.

CALL FOR WRITERS

2011-07-11T21:01:00.001-07:00

CALL FOR WRITERS

Dear Merge Readers,

We are currently undergoing some exciting changes to the current Merge format and are looking for writers, reviewers and overall assistance in the publication and promotion of the Merge Zine. We are on the hunt for eloquent, open minded writers who are willing to commit to writing a column for the 2011/2012 Merge season (4 issues), as well as writers interested in submitting articles relating to our wonderful world of dance.

For more information on these opportunities or to contact us in regards to other possible forms of involvement please send us an e-mail with a little bit about yourself and your interests in Merge.

merge.zine@gmail.com

For more information on who we are please visit mergezine.blogspot.com

Rachel Martin & Kelly Morden,

Co-Editors,

Merge Zine for Emerging Dance Artists

"It's About Time: 60 Dances in 60 Minutes"

2010-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Review of Dancemakers Performance by Jason Apostolopoulos

Dancemakers Presents:
"It's About Time: 60 Dances in 60 Minutes",
Thursday, November 11 - November 13, 2010
L’Agora de la danse
840 Cherrier
Montreal, QC

Created by Artistic Director Michael Trent in collaboration with the Dancemakers performers (Robert Abubo, Laurie Duncan, Kate Hilliard, Kate Holden, Benjamin Kamino, Steeve Paquet), dramaturge Jacob Zimmer and Associate Director Bonnie Kim. Music composed by Josh Thorpe.

For three days, Montrealers got the chance to view and participate in a Dancemakers piece that challenged traditional views about dance and buckled individual notions of time and rhythm.

The show, "It's About Time: 60 Dances in 60 Minutes", is a repetitive series of a base composed of one minute fragments. At first they were clearly demarcated by a tone that sounded after each minute. As the show progressed these fragments were repeated, but with slight differences. Sometimes the dancer’s positions and movements changed. At other times the movements went faster or slower: what was done for one clear minute at the beginning would later take place in only fifteen seconds, at another time for three minutes. Near the end of the show, video was projected that displayed an earlier part of the show, challenging the performers ability to reproduce an action in time. The show often paired actions that we are familiar with (i.e. cooking a shepards pie, someone counting to 60, a band playing music) with something totally unusual and bizarre. Pairing the predictable and the unpredictable made the show that much more exciting.

What I found most interesting was not the prevailing theme of time, but rather how classical strategies were used in a contemporary structure. The show featured only one phrase that was choreographic; the movement of the dancers were mostly in service of some quotidian task yet not lacking in physical intensity or engagement. In the inclusion of a cannon the dancers would imitate people walking down a street, each dancer walking at different pace down a white strip of marley. The passing bodies in this mundane act formed what is rhythmically perceived as a traditional cannon. The repetition and transformation of the initial minute - long fragments were like variations of a phrase, only the phrase might have been a band playing music, rather than of something like a pirouette.

News!

2010-11-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Merge readers,

The Merge team would like to take the time to thank all of our proud supporters and volunteers that have made contributions over the past years. We truly appreciate your companionship and dedication as the Merge zine would not be possible without your support.

We are eager to announce an aspiring future for Merge. Merge will be taking a one year sabbatical with hopes to better serve our community. Over the upcoming year we plan to take this time to apply for Provincial and Federal grants to fund our zine and team of hard working volunteers. This being said, we encourage all advice, funding, or support you are able to offer us during the next year.

The Merge team is also undergoing some reconstruction. We encourage reliable and optimistic volunteers to send their info to merge.zine@gmail.com to be considered joining our team of dedicated individuals.

Please continue to check out the Merge Blog http://mergezine.blogspot.com for upcoming news, info on shows, festival, reviews and interviews.

Thanks again for all of your help and support, past present and future. Every little bit means so much to us. We love you!

-The Merge Team.

The Chimera Project: FRESH BLOOD

2010-10-15T07:35:00.001-07:00

A Reflection on The Chimera Project’s FRESH BLOOD

By: Jason Apostolopoulos for Merge ‘zine for emerging dance artists

October 13, 2010

Enwave Theatre, Toronto

The second annual edition of the Chimera Project’s FRESH BLOOD kicked off on a rainy Wednesday night at Harbourfront’s Enwave Theatre. The concept behind FRESH BLOOD is a noble one: provide a platform for emerging Canadian choreographers to showcase original works. This year, sixteen young artists contributed short but powerful pieces. The result was a wonderful night filled with innovation, plenty of talent, and real sign that the future of Canadian dance is a bright and colourful one.

The show kicked off with a solo performance by Julia Male entitled Only Reaction. Her movement was precise and beautiful, and consisted of repetitions of different sequences. She maintained an effective use of restraint which was tasteful and unique.

Next came Courtnae Bowman’s No Me Quitte Pas. Using the music of Nina Simone, Bowman created a work that reflected the beauty and raw emotion embodied in the song. She employed an interesting use of canons, solos, duets, and trios as well as a wide range of dynamics. Although it wasn’t groundbreaking it didn’t need to be.

Krista Posyniak’s Behind Blue was based on a previous performance meant for two people and I expected that there would be a sense something was missing from her performance. There wasn’t. She executed movement with great precision and delicacy, and made use of the entire stage.

Following Krista’s performance was Chelsea Lee’s Inner Manerisms, consisting of six dancers, one woman and five men. The performance was well executed and virtuosic. I am especially fond of the way that that solos were incorporating: taking place in the centre of stage, surrounded by the rest of the dancers.

Jasmyn Fyffe’s indentity was the only performance of the night to really employ the unique architecture of the theatre: She danced on an upper balcony, using the lighting to create two different shadows that seemed like there were three dancers doing different things, instead of just one.

The first part of Niki Wozniak’s Mine You, Angel was tender and gentle. The second part was rough and violent. This was a great presentation of the poles of love and abuse that can exist between two people in a relationship. The piece ended with a movement off stage that felt like the dancers were on fast forward, which the audience took a great liking to.

Elke Schroeder’s Rock and a Hard Place was a successful execution of her goal to employ an “extreme pedestrian style of movement.” Different phrases and solos matched the changing parts of Guns’n Rose’s Sweet Child O’ Mine. The movement was hardcore and frenetic, especially the ending which saw the dancers throwing their bodies as if they were drunk rockstars.

ILL NANA/DCDC’s performance Cant Stop Loving U was definitely a highlight for me. The dancers wore striking outfits and completely commanded the stage. The performance was unique, blurring the lines of genre and gender, matching big and wide movements with very elegant grace.

Returning from a short intermission, we were treated to a beautiful Flamenco performance Sangre by the talented Anjelica Scannura. She executed the traditional movements flawlessly, but added some of her own flare, incorporating a blazer and a lot of attitude into the performance.

Erin Cowan’s performance Dark Night of the Soul brought down the intensity for a more calm and restrained solo performance. This one stood out for me because of the way that she created beautiful symbols and striking shapes with her movement.

Contact Lens by Pamela Rasbach was certainly one of the most fun and cinematic performances of the night. The dancers performed in big parkas with their faces covered. It was the dance version of the Matrix: even those crazy slow motion effects were incorporated into the piece by having the all of the dancers move in a series of frames that represented one person.

Then there was Paul Charbonneau’s A Duet For Merideth. He interweaved fast movements with slow ones, and effectively showcased the theme of dependence by incorporating complicated lifts and duets. The movements were precise and elegant, and worked in a way that created a great synergy with the two dancers.

Kyra Jean Green’s Nina was a very insightful performance centered on the portrayal of a woman with bipolar disorder. The dancers were fluid and staccato at the same time. I loved how the spoken dialogue was represented in movement that was at times literal and at other times abstract.

Carlos Rivera presented two short excerpts that were a playful social commentary on stereotypes. The movement was very frantic and engaged the audience the most out of all the performances. It was a performance imbued with meaning and was incredibly innovative.

Last but not least was Hiroto Saito’s Apt H, 16/F, Serenade Cove. The movements were very complex, even though they made use of a table and chairs as props. The dancers fell back on their chairs, leapt over and under the table, while maintaining a very traditional form.

FRESH BLOOD is a testament to the high level of talent, diversity, and innovation in the freshest faces of Canada’s dance scene. The audience was asked to cast pink ballots denoting their choice of best performance, and no doubt the race will be a close one.

The Chimera Project: FRESH BLOOD

2010-10-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

FRESH BLOOD

ARTIST PROFILES by Jason Apostolopoulos

for Merge 'zine for emerging dance artists

Performance: Ne Me Quitte Pas

Choreographer: Courtnae Bowman

Courtnae Bowman is the Artistic Director of Cadence Progressive Contemporary Ballet. Her interdisciplinary approach to choreography blurs

the lines between classical ballet and contemporary dance.

Performance: A Duet For Merideth

Choreographer: Paul Charbonneau

Paul Charbonneau recently graduated Ryerson

University's Theatre School with a specialization in Dance Performance. He is a prominent fixture in Canada’s dance community, having collaborated with some of Canada's most celebrated choreographers including: Robert Glumbeck, William Yong, D.A. Hoskins, Hari Krishnan, Courtnae Bowman, Matjash Mrozewski, Allen Kaeja, Hanna Kiel and most recently Darryl Tracy.

Performance: Dark Night of the Soul

Choreographer: Erin Cowan

Erin Cowan’s solo performance at last year’s Fresh Blood, A portrait of a socially awkward party girl, won her the 2009 Paula Citron Fresh Blood award. She received praise from Paula Citron for her ability to “command physicality and make choreography speak for her.” Erin brings her highly articulate and inventive approach to movement to the stage once again for 2010’s Fresh Blood.

Performance:Can't Stop Loving U

Choreographer: ILL NANA / DiverseCity Dance Company (Jelani Ade-Lam, Renald Jean-Pierre, Sze-Yang Ade-Lam, Kristina Udegbunam)

ILL NANA/DiverseCity Dance Company is a queer positive multiracial dance company that fuses together classical dance techniques with urban dance forms. Hip hop, ballet, jazz, house, vogue, step, latin, modern, and wushu kung fu come together in an exciting, lively and totally unique performance.

Performance: Nina
Choreographer: Kyra Jean Green

Kyra Jean Green obtained her BFA in dance from The Juilliard School in May of 2006. Upon leaving Juilliard she has danced with CityDance Ensemble, Culture Shock, Cas Public, and Destins Croisés. She has set choreography on Hubbard Street II, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Bosma Dance, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, and was commissioned by the Kennedy Center to present her choreography.

Performance: Inner Mannerisms
Choreographer Chelsea Lee

Chelsea Lee is a graduate of the Ryerson Dance Program and has had the privilege of performing all over the world, including; NYC, Brazil, Japan, Europe and North America. At a young age she was introduced to the art of photography from her father, which has helped her to infiltrate film and still images into her work. Being an avid traveler she has been inspired by many cultures, languages and unique architecture from around the world.

Performance: indentity
Choreographer: Jasmyn Fyffe (Fyffe Dance Projects)
Jasmyn Fyffe has self produced one 70 min work Warfare as a DanceWorks CoWorks Series Event at Dancemakers in June 2010. She has also presented in: Squigg Festival, Junction Arts Festival, Evolution of Gospel Music, Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, The Rivoli, CUSO-VSO Dance for the World Benefit, An Open Door-Blue Ceiling Dance Production, Fresh Blood, Irie Music Dance Festival and Project Dance Toronto. Fyffe has been commissioned by Cathedral Productions, Obsidian Theatre, and Dramatic Change Youth Theatre to name a few.

Performance: ???
Choreographer: Julia Male

Julia Male received her BFA in Dance from Concordia University in 2009. She creates work that is abstract, delicate and strong in its pursuit of nuance, an extreme in esoteric exploratory work. She lives and works independently in Montreal

Performance: Behind Blue
Choreographer: Krista Posyniak

After studying ballet in Montreal and Edmonton, Krista moved to Toronto and entered the Professional Training Program at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Since graduating in 2008, Krista has choreographed for Series 8:08 and Dance for Justice. She has had the privilege to dance for many talented, Toronto-based choreographers, including Susie Burpee, Jennifer Dallas, Jasmine Graham, Kate Nankervis and Eroca Nicols. She is a co-founder and member of The Creative Republic Artist's Collective and teaches for the Young Dancers' Program at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre.

Performance: Contact Lens
Choreographer: Pamela Rasbach (Typecast Dance Company)
Pamela Rasbach is an emerging choreographer in the Toronto dance community. Her passion for creation has led her to produce numerous works including: Synthetica, Laser Blade, Novice Citizen, And Then. And Them . . . ,Delphica, 35 Foot Two (Jealous You), and Tsunami. She was chosen to participate in Dance Ontario's creative partnership program, and her work inCORPORATION was featured at Dance Ontario weekend in 2009. In Spring 2009 Pamela was one of nine international artists chosen to participate in Berlin's TAKT Kunstprojektraum, at which she created the dance films Visceral Fabrications and Adults Suck (Then You Are One).

Performance: "I'm not the Indian you have in mind"- Thomas King
Choreographer: Carlos Rivera

Carlos Rivera is a dancer, teacher and choreographer, he is an Associate Artist for Red Sky Performance and currently he is a Rehearsal Director for the company. Based in Toronto he is of Mixteco Indigenous descent, and trained at the Government of Mexico City's Cultural Secretary Dance School and the Centre for Choreographic Research (CICO-INBA), as well at The Banff Centre for the Arts. This September Carlos was part of the Six Choreographers Indigenous Workshop organized by Earth in Motion World Indigenous Dance Company. "I'm not the Indian you have in mind" is Carlos first choreographic work made and presented in Canada.

Performance: Rock and a Hard Place
Choreographer: Elke Schroeder,
Elke Schroeder has been training and performing in various disciplines of dance and theatre for over 20 years, and is a graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Ms. Schroeder has performed at fFIDA, the Junction Arts Festival, In a White Room, the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, Equity Showcase Theatre and Nuit Blanche. She has worked with Darryl Tracy, Andrea Nann, Heidi Strauss, Susie Burpee and TILT Sound + Motion and has been teaching her FloorWork(ed) classes for over a year. She continues to dance independently and manages Ahimsa Yoga Centre.

Performance: Sangre (Blood)
Choregrapher: Anjelica Scannura

Anjelica Scannura, Co-Artistic director of Ritmo Flamenco, is the next superstar of Flamenco: “The 21-year-old is so impressive as a dancer that she has been asked to join prestigious flamenco companies in Spain. A second-generation artist (her parents are Valeria and Roger Scannura of Ritmo Flamenco) she is a wild child of dance whose fusion performances radiate a passion that belies her age.” (Globe and Mail, 2010). She has been asked to teach and choreograph for the Quinte Ballet School of Canada, York University and most recently McMaster University. Anjelica is also an accomplished actor and her most recent film project was the feature film Leslie My Name is Evil in the supporting role of "Sadie" which was featured at TIFF 2009. She is honoured to be a part of The Chimera Project's Fresh Blood.

Performance: Mine You, Angel
Choreographer Niki Wozniak | Desiraeda Dance Theatre.
As co-Founder and Artistic Director of Desiraeda Dance Theatre since 2007, Niki Wozniak has choreographed several works for the contemporary company, including their most recent production Weight (Dancemakers Centre for Creation, Toronto 2010). An award-winning dancer, Niki appears in her own work and has also had the honour of performing in the works of Robert Desrosiers, Shawn Hounsell, Siona Jackson, Laila Diallo, Linda Garneau, and more. She is currently performing in the Canadian Opera Company's production of Aida. “The solid execution of these fascinating works definitely makes Desiraeda a troupe to look out for." (Eye Weekly)

Performance: Apt H, 16/F, Serenade Cove
Choreographer: Hiroto Saito
Hiroto Saito started to choreograph in 2006. This is his third piece performed in Ballet Jórgen Canada's Solos & Duets showing in 2009. He would like to thank Bengt Jórgen, artistic director of Ballet Jorgen Canada for the kind approval to appear in Fresh Blood 2010. He appears in Fresh Blood by courtesy of Ballet Jorgen Canada.

Performance: An Excerpt from Nocturne
Choreographer: Irene Whittaker-Cumming

Irene Whittaker-Cumming, dancer and choreographer, co-created Being Human Dance. Trained at the Ryerson Theatre Dance Program, York University and Tisch School for the Arts (NYU), performance experience includes The Stratford Festival of Canada and Canada Winter Games. Her choreography has been performed at Choreographic Works, New Voices Festival, Crapshoot! at Theatre Passe Muraille, Kaeja MadDance Salon and The Junction Arts Festival. She has toured with the Garden Street Circus (2009), and with BHD to The Brazos Contemporary Dance Festival (Texas) and Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival. Irene has employed dance for AIDS education in West Africa, and has been an educator in Kenya, Uganda and Canada. She was honoured to receive the Kenny Pearl Award for Choreography (2008).

FRESH BLOOD is presented in association with Harbourfront Centre
Part of Harbourfront's Next Steps 10 | 11 Season

Oct 13-14 2010 8 pm $20-$16 90 min

Enwave Theatre Harbourfront 231 Queen's Quay West Toronto

DLX: The Red Team Dances

2010-08-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

DLX: The Red Team Dances
by: Felicity F. Feinman

DLX: The RED Team created a different environment from Dance Duels and the Eros Cabaret. The involvement of more established choreographers created a more formal atmosphere. As I entered the beautiful, historic Winchester Street Theatre, I was greeted by the ever-charming staff of the Dance 2 Danse festival and ushered in with a program and a stamp on my hand.
The vast array of choreographers and companies provided an interesting medium in which to watch the role of the dancer in interpreting choreography. The first piece by Jay9 Dance Projects used sculptural shapes and shadows to illustrate Shades of Grey. The dancers were given the role of interpreting a more abstract theme and they maintained focus throughout.

Next, DeviationDance danced The Joke, a piece about modern society. Through stunning partnerwork, Micaiah Ganz and Lina M. Jimenez Nykwist, two incredibly strong female dancers, demonstrated the struggles in our modern virtual world. The piece began with Ganz sitting at a computer and Nykwist in business clothes seemingly going off to work. The two dancers became more and more frustrated with their lives as the piece went on. In this case, the dancers were also the choreographers and this could be seen with their strength and comfort in interpreting the work.

Thirdly, Jeffrey Chan created a piece that I found very interesting to watch. It involved a dancer and a dramaturge who was speaking in Chinese. I cannot personally speak Chinese, and so for me the dancer played the role of not only an interpreter of choreography, but a translator of the words of the dramaturge. It’s amazing just how much can be expressed through movement and how much we can pick up on without actually understanding the words.

HELMUT by Lauren Weisz was meant to be a tribute to the late erotic fashion photographer Helmut Newton, but it expressed its own point of view. The piece opens with three pairs of dancers dancing in what seems to be a bar in the early part of the century. Two of the pairs start to move as the other pair continues to sway together. The two pairs begin to act out the fantasies of the other pair. The men completely control and manipulate the women. Every time she moves away, the man brings her back. Finally, the two couples collapse on the floor together and the other couple begins their own power struggle. The man appears to be winning until the woman takes off her clothes and intimidates him as he backs away. Then, the man pulls off his jacket and puts it over the woman as if he’s claiming ownership over her. Finally, he takes off his tie and leaves her gagged and alone on the stage. It is a disturbing and moving piece.

Lastly, Kate Rogers danced a short autobiographical solo on what it’s like to have an unknown future. Her remix of Que Sera provided an interesting backdrop for the dance. The famous song was reinvented in a disturbing fashion, like the remnants of her childhood were not comforting, but haunting.

This show was interesting in particular because it provided an opportunity to see pieces that were danced by the choreographers and pieces where the dancers and choreographers were separate. It showed that sometimes the dancer’s voice can add a new level to the choreographer’s message and sometimes the choreographer can sing out their message loud and clear.

Dance Duels to the Death

2010-08-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Dance Duels to the Death
by Felicity F. Feinman

Have you ever watched So You Think You Can Dance and thought the judges were completely ridiculous? Have you ever wished you could jump into their place and make sure the right person got cut for once? Well, you should’ve gone to the Dance Duels series in the Dance 2 Danse Festival, where the audience was the judge.

This is how it worked: The Dance Duels were broken down into two programs and three shows. Each program consisted of six pieces. At the end of the show, the audience voted for their three favourite pieces and those with the most votes got to continue on. The Black program performed first on Friday at the Winchester Street Theatre and the Blue program performed the next day. Finally, the three pieces with the most votes from each program continued on to perform in the finale on Sunday, where three winners were picked.

I was lucky enough to be at the finale. As it turns out, two pieces from the Blue program were in dead heat, so there were actually seven pieces in the finale. The show began with a witty piece by Angela Blumberg and Augusto Monk. The stage was littered with triangles, representing the love triangles that a certain artist loved to paint. Blumberg alternately played this artist and the poor woman who was in love with him. Her dancing was accompanied by a video and a soundtrack with hilarious voice manipulation. The piece ended as Blumberg was chased by a swarm of insects “which gave her the fire to start a new life”.
The show continued with a magnetic solo by Kala Fletcher. Her writhing, sexual movement made for a disturbing portrayal of a Maneater. This was followed by a breathier solo by Anna Stannutz. Melanie Aceto continued the program with her own solo performance. She first performed without music and then with to illustrate that “those who hear not the music think the dancer mad”.

As the Black program took over, Anjelica Scannura performed an incredibly captivating flamenco solo. Accompanied by her parents, Scannura appeared to be almost possessed by the music. Her passion and style made the dance form really shine. As someone who has never seen flamenco before, I was extremely impressed. Winston Spear provided a great contrast with his clever robot dance. Finally, the show closed with Caitlin Griffin. Her intention of movement was fascinating to watch and her technique was flawless, much like her performance earlier this week at The Eros Cabaret.

Over-all, the finale really showcased the talent of those who took part in the Dance Duels series. It made it quite difficult for me to vote for my favourites. If you must know, I chose Angela Blumberg and Augusto Monk, Angelica Scannura and Caitlin Griffin.

Diverging Diversity: D2D’s Contemporary Tour de Force

2010-08-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Diverging Diversity: D2D’s Contemporary Tour de Force

By: Rachel Martin

The D2D festivals DIVERGE / DIVERSE program which I attended on the evening of August 19th offered audiences an eclectic grouping of five works by various artists. Although the program was unclear as to what brought these artists together, after seeing the performance I could be sure it was their interest in pushing boundaries and their focus on exploration.

The show opened with Junction, choreographed by Heather Saum and performed by Brittany-Brie D’Amico, Anna Stanutz and Lisa Weiler. As the piece began the trio worked together as a tightly arranged unit adhering to obviously strict music cues. Saum spent most of her work playing with contrasting speeds and lines, seamlessly bringing the dancers together in unexpected moments of synchronicity. Throughout the dancers seemed torn, trying to find themselves as individuals while being equally drawn to each other.

In a sharp contrast the second piece, …imprinting territories… created in 2009 by Tracey Norman as part of her Masters thesis, was an emotionally charged solo performance. Norman, who acted as creator and performer, used memory as her physical compass, fitting into her thesis which explored body-mapping. Norman exuded a tentative curiosity from start to finish. It seemed that each movement she made triggered memories for Norman. As an audience member I could feel her making each decision, to move forward or back, to continue to balance or release her weight, as though remembering each step along the way of the dance. In moments you could sense Norman recognizing pieces of the dance her expression telling us that she had been here before. Delicately choreographed, intricately performed Norman excited me with both her dancing and choreography.

The Gradient, created by Lisa Weiler who performed in the show opener, was a trio performed by Francesca Chudnoff, Ashley Desson and Meaghan Giusti. A very pretty dance, The Gradient challenged the audience to consider new relationships and our tendencies to either embrace or deny them. Within that theme Weiler contrasted gentle meetings of the trio and combinations of duets with harsher solo’s that were gut-wrenching in their neediness, for what, I am not certain.

Lucy Rupert’s solo, originally created in 2007 as part of DanceWorks CoWorks Series, 11 x forgetting (Fitter. Happier excerpt), was performed by Rupert with such tenacious dedication my eyes could not leave her body. The full body dedication with which she danced was so clear that her shadow, created by the fascinating lighting design, appeared as her partner in the dance as opposed to a loose apparition of herself. Investigating personal struggle, Rupert created a fierce tension within her body that was so genuine her stresses became tangible. Between Rupert’s amazing physical control and the evocative choreography, 11 x forgetting is a piece that could be watched over, and over.

The final section of the evening was a grouping of excerpt, short pieces and a work in progress contributed by Ballet Jörgen. Although all of the works upheld the beautiful quality and creativity Toronto has come to expect from Ballet Jörgen, I was particularly enamoured with ICARUS, a work in progress by choreographer Malgorzata Nowacka. Nowacka took advantage of the dancers phenomenal lines and played with various groupings of trios, duets and a quartet all of which came together, feeding each other in repetition and allusions of previous parts of the dance and intricately piecing together what had appeared to be solos into duets. Clear in its form and performance I for one hope to witness its world premiere this upcoming October.

An exciting show giving audiences the gamete of what contemporary Toronto dance has to offer, D2D put together a collection of artists, old and new, emerging and renowned that complimented each other wonderfully.

A Night at The Eros Cabaret

2010-08-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

By: Felicity F. Feinman
The Eros Cabaret was a true cabaret, complete with belly-dancers, a jazz band, a beat-boxing flautist, and of course the independent dancers of Toronto that we know and love. The Rivoli is not what one would consider a typical dance venue. A trendy restaurant/pool hall on Queen Street, the Rivoli provided a friendly, casual atmosphere for the show. The seats were situated around the dance space, next to the bar and just under the fairy lights. With Sion Irwin-Childs acting as the charismatic MC, all the elements worked together to produce an intimate dance experience that cannot be found at the Four Seasons Centre.
The show opened with both a dancer and a percussionist improvising together. Four Elements created a fascinating conversation between dance and music. The night continued on with dancers from all over the country including Caitlin Griffin from Vancouver, who was fresh from performing in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. The talent that got her there was clear in her beautiful, fluid solo. Another stand-out was Amanda Mabro and her dynamic jazz band from Montreal. The Eros Cabaret was also multimedia, containing films by Izabel Barzine, Felix Chan and Sion Irwin-Childs himself. Barzine and Irwin-Childs’ films both contained themes of water, but with an interesting contrast. Where Barzine depicted a semi-drowning sequence in what appeared to be a coffin full of water, Irwin-Childs filmed the sensuality of a young woman in a waterfall. Finally, the show closed with Kyra Green’s individual, spunky solo entitled “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up”.
All in all, it was a fantastically diverse evening brought to us by The Riding Academy at The Horse Palace, and Steam Whistle Brewing or as Sion puts it “horses and beer”.

Maya and Jackson - Metro

2010-07-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Maya and Jackson - Metro
By Yvon Allard

Toronto Fringe Festival, July 11, 2010

Metro by the company Maya and Jackson was a hodge-podge collection of multi-disciplinary commercial dance forms telling the comedic, dark and sometimes odd tales of public transit. Ranging from lighthearted and silly to more serious, the piece reenacted a cornucopia of easily associable “Tales of the Metro.” From the common weary traveler, to the lack of personal space, the stranger shoulder sleep, more serious issues of rape and theft, to a downright hilarious interpretation of traveling Christian conversions; Metro has a little something for everyone.

The show incorporated commercial dance styles of jazz, lyrical jazz, hip-hop, tap and acrobatics. The patchwork performance, though sometimes having a disjointed recital-like feeling, managed to keep a consistent flow thanks to its easily relatable theme. The choreography kept the audience’s attention by always playing with the mood, the styles of dance, and the atmosphere (not to mention a few back handsprings).

In a world where dance sometimes seems to take itself too seriously, Metro was a breath of fresh air. It was carefree watching with no expectations. The mixture of classic and popular music combined with animate mime and jazz dancing gave a very Broadway feel at a very un-Broadway price. Overall, Metro was a great way to unwind, laugh, and just enjoy.

The Go-Two Company - Under Analyze Me

2010-07-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Go-Two Company – Under Analyze Me

By Yvon Allard

Toronto Fringe Festival, July 10, 2010

The Go-Two Company’s premiere performance of Under Analyze Me was an intimate and multi-dimensioned exploration of new age communication. The work explored the over-analysis that goes hand in hand with the sometimes cryptic and easily misunderstood high tech communication devices of present. Under Analyze Me begs the question: Why can’t we just make it a little more personal?

Candice Irwin and Aria Evans, performers, choreographers and company heads, crafted an inviting and interesting performance experience in the Helen Gardnier Phalen Playhouse. The show flowed through two duets and two solos, all inter-connected with comedic skits. Enriched with great use of movement allegory and props, Candice and Aria effectively express their techno-frustration and longing for more richly interpersonal relationships.

Though the flow was interrupted and disjointed due to the different choreographic styles and performance qualities of the two performers/dancers, their dedication to the movements and an interesting combination of aggressive and gentle dynamics created a flouncy, fun and sometimes dark comedic atmosphere for the viewer to absorb in. The show was an enjoyable experience, ending on a comedic note: Candice threw Aria over her shoulder to which Aria responded, now having her face in Candice’s rump, “Candice? Did anyone ever tell you that you have a nice butt?”

The audience resounded, “Yes, Candice DOES have a nice butt!”

Kinetic Elements - Eternal Eclipse

2010-07-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Kinetic Elements: A Journey Through Time and Space

Rachel Martin

Toronto Fringe Festival, July 10, 2010

Kinetic Elements, led by artistic director, choreographer and dancer Kendra Hughes, performed Eternal Eclipse on Saturday July 10^th at the Bathurst Street Theatre. With an eclectic cast of performers Hughes made use of her dancer’s individual abilities in this primarily physical show. With the current trend in contemporary dance being to not actually dance it was refreshing to see so many bodies moving from start to finish.

The theme of the show revolved around planetary relationships – how they interact spatially, their chemistry as well as incorporating some of the metaphoric possibilities. What would happen if Mars and Saturn came into the same orbit? How would one embody the Earth? The choreographic choices made throughout this production gave each planet, solar system and piece of cosmic dust an emotional and relatable humanity.

Eternal Eclipse combined solos, duets and trios with large group sections, giving us a taste of all of Hughes choreographic abilities. Most engaging were the solos and duets, which were created specific to the dancers unique characteristic, whether it be phenomenal lines, a background in hip-hop or training in Indian classical dance. With a score created by Non-Zero that fed the ‘out of this world’ atmosphere Hughes took us to another place and time allowing us access to her inner most imagination.

Ten Toes - Life Games

2010-07-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

Blast to the Past: Life Games by Ten Toes

By Rachel Martin

Toronto Fringe Festival, July 10, 2010

Life Games, created and performed by Ten Toes was an uninhibited examination of the stages of life. Building from childhood through to adulthood this performance took us back to the simplicity of a child’s perspective reminding us of the bashful creativity that forms play. Just as the title states the show was a series of movement sequences, either realistically or abstractly based of off games one may play throughout their life.

The performance was already in motion as the audience were finding their seats in the George Ignatieff Theatre on July 10^th 2010. As we entered the theatre, the three dancers mindlessly toyed around the stage entertaining themselves with the many pieces of clothing and books strewn around the space while a radio played along in the background. The piece began with a detailed arrangement of clapping, similar to the games a child may play, but with much more difficult patterning. The dancers used the clapping to connect and intertwine themselves with each other, a theme that continued throughout the show.

The central prop was a small three person couch which made itself useful as the performers carelessly tossed themselves from cushion to cushion, from the arm of the couch to the back. The intricacy of their bodies moving past, around and almost through each other continued in a pinnacle floor sequence where they assisted each other in rolling and lifting over heads and under legs, a fluid mass of bodies akin to something you would see in an aerobatic performance. Ten Toes, a newly conceived company, put together a carefree show which evoked fond memories and giggles from audience members and, I’m sure, the dancers themselves.

Intertia Productions - The Duck Wife

2010-07-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

For the Love of Duck

By Rachel Martin

Toronto Fringe Festival, July 9, 2010

Theatre, dance, live music and comedy were all just pieces of the puzzle that formed Duck Wife, a fully interdisciplinary show created and performed by Inertia Productions. Reining from Montreal, Inertia Productions performed throughout the Fringe Festival including the evening of July 9^th 2010, at the Bathurst Street Theatre. The story, based on an old folklore tale, followed the journey of a young man in search of his wife – who is a duck. The story itself lent to endless opportunities for comedic and sentimental moments, all of which Inertia Productions took advantage of.

Formatted similarly to a musical, the cast careened fluidly between theatrical scenes and musical dance numbers. The live band set the score with lively rock music, exciting vocals and the occasional sound effect to accentuate which ever animal or character was being portrayed. The dancing was fluid and appropriately set the tone of the stage for whatever was to come, in one moment hilariously embodying a mating duck, the next taking us on an exhausting journey through the mountains.

The highlight of the show by far was the performers who were engaging in each moment as they flip flopped effortlessly from character to character, human, animal and otherwise. A detailed production with equal effort and quality on all artistic parts right down to the costuming, The Duck Wife would be the perfect performance for the audience who wants a little taste of it all.

Random Acts of Dance - Biome

2010-07-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Random Acts of Dance: Biome

by Lara Roberts

Toronto Fringe Festival

July 7, 2010

The Toronto Fringe Festival has been presenting interesting and innovative dance all around Toronto. I recently had the chance to view Biome, a production by Random Acts of Dance at the Factory Theatre.

Biome is a physical demonstration of life's complex ecosystems, that have developed throughout history and have allowed for life today. The dancers Julie Grant and Liisa Murray took their inspiration from the Planet Earth documentaries, and they become primal organisms in their movement and intent.

Their movements are purely physical and explore improvisation, ground work, and partnering. The dancers begin on either side of the stage, one facing the audience and the other with her back turned. They appear to mirror each other with small directional changes of their head; as if following a fly buzzing around them. Their curiosity moves from their focus, into their body as they take on these insect like movements. The dancers embody different creatures and open grounds to new territories, where evolution has played its course. The dancers play with the sense of timing with themselves and each other, developing a natural predator-prey relationship.

Biome is danced with pure conviction and there is no evidence of the dancers previous self. This unselfconscious approach allows the audience to truly explore the theme they are presenting. The dancer/audience connection is established clearly for even the uninitiated viewer of modern dance. They successfully demonstrate metaphorical and physical challenges, to illustrate the never-ending pulse of life.

response to Biome - Random Acts of Dance

2010-07-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

A response to Biome by Random Acts of Dance
by Larissa Taurins
Toronto Fringe Festival
July 8, 2010

2010-07-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

The Isadora
MERGE zine’s helpful tips-and-tricks for ultimate enjoyment of
Dance at the Fringe

Throughout the Fringe, Merge is publishing a newsletter called The Isadora, a quick and snappy write-up with Fringe dance news and comments that engage the public with dance. The writer and designer of this publication is Amelia Ehrhardt. It is being distributed at the various performance locations of Fringe dance - pick up a copy!

Femmes du Feu: Rocking the House

2010-07-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Femmes du Feu: Rocking the House

by Katya Kuznetsova

Toronto Fringe Festival

July 3, 2010

On the night of July 3 2010, Femmes du Feu presented their new aerial show The Plank. Altogether athletic, theatrical, comical and surreal, it rocked the house. It brought aboard aerial and floor movement, storytelling and stage design to produce a unique dance theatre experience. The costumes, set/rigging, sound and lighting were integral to the effect of sailing the high seas with the two fearlessly graceful dancers.

The stage was dressed with ropes, a net, a metal pole and an anchor - all hanging down from the fly space. As the house lights darkened, the sound of seagulls transported us all onboard a docked ship. Then, a wooden plank was lowered from the far right corner of the space and a couple of handsome barefooted lady pirates walked in one after the other, complete with messy hair, muscular arms, tattoos and a bottle of rum. Immediately, they began climbing, swinging and swirling through the air, as if competing for our attention.

Moving with a sailor’s matter-of-fact-ness and a panther’s grace, they almost had us convinced that sailing and aerial dance were an easy breeze. Then, in a flash, they made our hearts drop at the sudden sight of them plunging towards the ground, quickly unrolling and sliding down their ropes. It became clear once and for all: both matters are beautifully difficult and risky business.

As the sliding, the swaying, the rolling, the falling, the flying and the spiraling took us further through the story of the two pirates, we ventured through storms, dreams and the underwater, before finally arriving at a new port, grateful for the thrill of it all.

The Plank continues to run on a varied schedule at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto until July 11. For tickets and more information, visit www.fringetoronto.com.

Alias Dance Project - "The Domino Effect": Sharing a Good Time

2010-07-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

Alias Dance Project - The Domino Effect: Sharing a Good Time

by Katya Kuznetsova

Toronto Fringe Festival

July 5, 2010

Alias Dance Project’s presentation of The Domino Effect on July 3, 2010 offered a mixed bag of experimental works fusing street dance with contemporary dance. Among the seven pieces, those with an element of theatricality clearly stood out.

In a trio titled Brain Pain by Gita Harris, the dancers moved through fragmented gestures, much like through filmstrip frames. Their white shirts, red suspenders, funky bow ties and running shoes opened the door to cartoon-like surprises, like chewing on a flower. Their commitment to their characters allowed us to trust all things bizarre.

In contrast, JoDee Allen played no character but herself in her solo Ripple. Attempting to balance on one leg, she confessed, “Gonna be honest with you, I’m not sure how this is gonna turn out today.” She pursued her balancing act until she finally fell to the floor, only to find a new thread of movement to experiment with. Motions grew, rippled and repeated through her body, until she suddenly slid into a full spin on her back. It turned out to be a delightful ride for us all.

Children of the Triangle by Valerie Calam offered articulate movement and clear composition. The seriousness of the black and white costumes and the angularity and precision of facial expressions and hand gestures placed the piece somewhere between posing for a traditional family portrait and a marching band practice. Watching it was like witnessing a strange ritual through a peephole.

The hour concluded with The Domino Effect, where seven dancers spun, dropped and slid across the space, openly supporting each other with easy eye contact, laughter and cheering. After the final bow, as the performers danced and grooved off the stage, I felt an overall positive vibe in the audience. We all shared a good time.

The Domino Effect continues to run on a varied schedule at the Tarragon Main Space Theatre in Toronto until July 11. For tickets and more information, visit www.fringetoronto.com

Dance Animal: A zany, sexy and over the top zoo

2010-07-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

Dance Animal: A zany, sexy and over the top zoo
by Laura Bolender
Toronto Fringe Festival
July 2, 2010

Mix hyper-synchronized movement with a whole lot of black spandex, witty monologues, and energizing techno beats and you get a side-splitting hour of performance. You will find it hard to erase the smile plastered on your face after leaving the George Ignatieff theatre. As Montreal-based director/choreographer Robin Henderson of Dance Animal explains, “It is a beast all on its own.” And that it is. This slap-stick comedic dance anthology displays the talent of Henderson’s zany, sexy and over the top zoo. Each dance interpreter, marked by their very distinctive animal name like “Dance Starfish” or “Dance Hippo” delivers a uniquely hilarious story about their journey to their ring master “Dance Tiger,” Ms. Henderson herself. Whether it is a scene about a robbery where Spiderman saves the day or a troop of mice battling a restaurant owner for soup, this show keeps you alert and laughing. Supported by popular and familiar tunes, it becomes difficult to stay seated!

The cast of eight has you writhing in humor. With a wide spectrum of training in movement, dance, theatre, writing and even biology they deliver a well-crafted, hilarious and lively performance. Forget a trip to the zoo—Dance Animal is incredible entertainment and talent combined. This slew of spandex, energy-pumping “animals” will not disappoint.

Dance Animal continues to run on a varied schedule at the George Ignatieff Theatre in Toronto until July 11. For tickets and more information, visit www.fringetoronto.com.

Merge covering Fringe Dance!

2010-06-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Merge will be covering all the Fringe dance action by providing commentaries of each of the works presented. These reflections will be written by emerging dance artists that are collaborating with the Merge team this summer. You will find the posts here and on the Fringe dance blog: danceatthefringe.blogspot.com

happy fringe!

Unfortunate souls and the unavoidable: sharon moore and marie-france forcier at the winchester street theatre

2010-06-02T01:36:00.000-07:00

Forcier Stage Works, the artistic brain child of Marie France Forcier, acts as a project based company which works consistently with the same core group of individuals. This format provides the flexibility for company members to maintain successful independent careers and simultaneously provides the familiarity of a full-time company. This manifests most strongly in the relationships between the performers – it is evident onstage that the dancers have performed together consistently for some length of time. The trust that comes from this sort of relationship helps the dancers take greater risks, and in the mid April Danceworks Co-production of Facts of Influence, risk is high and the dancers are pushed, physically and mentally to extreme levels within the two works shown: Bliss by Sharon Moore and Gold by Artistic Director Marie France Forcier.

Moore’s Bliss worked with an idea of spirits of the dead living among us, and how these spirits/characters affect our lives. The work communicates this idea very successfully and yet in a highly unexpected way. On first reading the program notes my assumption was that a work specifically about the afterlife would likely be dark, and potentially overbearingly so. While there was certainly a high presence of darkness within the work, it was less brooding than it was eccentric and comical; to be comparative, less The Others and more Beetlejuice. Bliss was a highly theatrical work, featuring a large amount of text delivery by the dancers, most prominently from three-year-long company member Molly Johnson, whose command of theatricality and projection left the impression that she had studied theatre in addition to dance. In comparison to the other dancers, Johnson developed the most specific character, generally embodying a historical British sea captain, evidenced both in an oddball English accent and a number of lines referencing a sinking ship. Other dancers occasionally engaged in similar dialogues however Johnson seemed the most purposeful character within the work, often singled out against the other four dancers who moved as a unit. Lifeless and frightening, they appeared to pull Johnson into the spirited netherworlds they occupied. This juxtaposition was generally clear, as was the intention behind the work, however occasionally I found that the excitement of the text was surpassed by the excitement of the movement, and the two elements did not always relate successfully. Specifically, sections combining movement and text simultaneously – a duet appearing alongside a monologue, for instance – I felt could have related to one another better. Shorter sections of text frequently worked logically, aiding in the strong development of the idea, however longer text sections occasionally left me wondering if it was character or caricature that Moore was intending to create. The movement within the work typically served most strongly to develop the characters – the embodiment of these spirits was highly evident in the physicality of the dancers, in the chest-puffed and elbows-out walks of Heather Berry or the strong sensuality exuded by Marie-France Forcier. Physical and visual imagery was extremely strong, with moments of spectacular lifts and complicated choreographic sequences left seared in my mind. Moore has a wonderful ability to space dancers in relationship to one another. In particular several sequences involving layering cathedral window frames against one another created a beautiful sense of scale and three-dimensionality in the work. I was in awe of the athletic capacity of the dancers, and by Moore’s propensity for movement invention. Never failing to challenge the dancers, the high physicality helped the development of the characters within the work, bringing the performers closer to the personalities as they became more entrenched in the 40-minute long work.

The second work on the bill was another premiere, this time a work by Forcier. Gold was another demanding work for dancers and also for a choreographer, tackling with ease challenging imagery and complicated movement. Similar to Bliss, the work was highly visual in nature and made excellent use of imagery and physicality. It was interesting (and telling) to see a work by the choreographer immediately following her performance in Bliss. It became especially clear what Foricer’s own movement quality was and how that language would translate onto another body. Strength, sensuality and an extreme technical capacity were apparent in her performance in Bliss, and these qualities were especially prevalent in Gold. The work drew inspiration from the effects of the unconscious mind on the conscious mind, in particular alternative states of consciousness such as dreaming or being under the influence of drugs. A dreamy quality was inherent throughout the work, and a number of highly visual sequences highlighted the idea of a hallucination. In the program notes Forcier describes Gold as a “tale about facing the unavoidable” and exploring “the development of all rituals surrounding human reproduction and extinction”. A striking moment illustrating this came when newest company member Erika Leigh-Stirton stood directly downstage facing the audience and gestured with her hands on her lower abdomen, forming images of the female anatomy with her wrists and hands. The recurrent image of eggs was used throughout the work, both in the suggestive gestures of Stirton and in a small basket of eggs carried through the space. Eventually these eggs were placed across the floor and stepped on gracefully by Heather Berry, cracking them to reveal that they were in fact just empty shells, hollowed out of yolk and whites. Berry’s inherent strength contrasted beautifully with the delicate nature of literally walking on eggshells and the image was enduring. Again in this work the movement was frequently inventive and invariably beautiful, however a stronger development of the idea would have brought some clarity to the work. The discussion of reproduction is highly prevalent, in particular with the use of the egg imagery. However the multiple reference points noted in both program notes and interviews made for some confusion about a driving force. In my opinion, this lack of focus came through in the work. The theme of human reproduction is a strong enough one to carry a work of this length singlehandedly, and would have been more effectively discussed if a more specific focus were given to it.

The evening stood as a testament to the power of dancers: the demands placed on the performers were high and this gifted group of performers stood up to the challenge with strength and grace, devouring every challenge thrown at them and taking risks wherever possible. Both works were ripe and plenty with movement invention and imagery, as well as both being born of ideas strong enough to stand alone. Forcier’s strength as a performer extends into her capacity as a choreographer, creating work with the same voracity as she performs it. It was exciting and indeed refreshing to watch dancers this skilled. As an audience member I was left in appreciation of the performers for rising to the many challenges placed on them by the choreographers. Furthermore I was impressed with the choreographers for rising to the challenge of the performers: capable of communicating anything and everything.

Amelia Ehrhardt

Amelia Ehrhardt is an emerging contemporary dance artist based in Toronto. She has performed in works by Susie Burpee, Kathleen Rea, Menaka Thakkar, and in an installation in Dufferin Grove Park by Heidi Strauss. As a choreographer she has presented her work at venues such as Extermination Music Night and Dance Ontario's International Dance Day, and in 2009 was mentored by Meagan O’Shea on a solo that was performed at the DeLeon White Gallery. She has worked and collaborated with Cara Spooner and Alicia Grant, Zita Nyarady, and Erin Cowan. She is a graduate of George Brown Dance and the Etobicoke School of the Arts where she majored in Drama, and has recently returned to school to attain her BA in Dance at York University. Amelia is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists and the DTRC.

2010-01-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

..reflecting on our latest issue

Hopefully you were able to flip through our latest edition and read ab outwhat our innovative writers had to say as they questioned the place of interdisciplinarity in the performing arts and discussed the use of technology in dance.
Here are some questions that these article raised for us- let's hear what you have to say- feel free to post your thoughts on http://mergezine.blogspot.com/

Letter from the Editor
As a Merge reader, do you feel that you would likely check-out the online editions of the magazine or, will you most likely rely on picking up a print version?

Straddling the Divide
How might video conferencing technology and other technological software or hardware be used to support collaborative artistic projects?
Do you think using technology in this way is an asset to the performing art of dance or a distraction?

Essentialist Dance
At one point does interdisciplinarity compromise the distinct nature of dance?
Does one have to have the intention of creating art for a creation be considered art?

2009-07-12T12:32:00.002-07:00

A big thank you to all of our writers who joined us for the Fringe. Congratulations to all of the wonderful groups who were a part of the festival this year, strengthening the role for dance in Toronto's arts scene. I'm already looking forward to next year! - Larissa

2009-07-12T12:32:00.001-07:00

The Hollow Show
by Niomi Cherney

So, one has to ask: What happens when you toss Godspeed You! Black Emperor into a mixture with Sigur Ross, T.S. Eliot, four dynamic interpreters and an articulate choreographer? The result is Lynndsey Larre’s The Wasteland Variations, a gut-wrenching exploration of the human spirit. The first piece in Mercenary Dance Theatre’s The Hollow Show, Variations takes its audience on a journey through vulnerability and despair, desire and rejection. Larre’s exquisitely crafted movement vocabulary, together with a skillful and dedicated cast of performers, formulates physical expression worthy of Eliot’s epic prose. The following two pieces, a solo titled Duet, and the duet, A mile in my shoes, carry forward Larre’s clarity of intention. Although actively well crafted and adequately performed, neither piece matches the emotional maturity and imagistic rendering of Variations.

Nonetheless, The Hollow Show is a must see in this year’s Fringe. Larre’s choreographic voice, unique, poignant and honest, leaves me confident in the legacy of Toronto’s next generation of dancemakers.

2009-07-12T12:31:00.003-07:00

Elizabeth Dawn Snell is Probing for a Pulse
by Brittany Duggan

Title and program notes aside, Elizabeth Dawn Snell’s latest choreography for HeartSurge speaks for itself. With only brief reference to the romantic matters of the heart, both at the beginning and the end, when Snell and Jason Vanstone – a core member of Snell’s Artists’ Play Dance Theatre - waltz almost nonchalantly around the George Ignatieff Theatre’s hexagonal stage. The remainder of the work pertains to ideas of the literal human heart, with its un-oxygenated veins in the form of a blue piece of fabric, its steady pulse coming in and out of the recorded sound score as well as its almost electric power, translated as a current of energy that is passed between the three dancers costumed in white (Tanya Crowder, Sarah McQueston and Tyler Webb), a motif repeated multiple times throughout the piece.

Vanstone interprets the lived experience of a friend’s own heart surgery, highlighting the complexity of the cardiac organ as well as the phases of recovery in overcoming such a delicate surgery, bringing his journey full circle and back to Snell, and to their waltzing duet. This theatrical piece of choreography hints at the fragility of life mixed with its unavoidable continuance, possibly also considering the brief nanosecond of non-life that hovers between each heart’s beat.

2009-07-12T12:31:00.001-07:00

Head First and Beyond
by Brittany Duggan

If the title Head First lends itself to more than just the countless number of times these extraordinary aerialists physically propel themselves, head first, it might be to explain what this collective is capable of achieving that other contemporary collectives can only strive for. That being, the ability to realize whole embodiment of personal expression, without having to modify because of the natural phenomenon we call gravity. In these two electric pieces, Femme du Feu’s six rocker aerialists seamlessly integrate themselves within the dangling, grid to stage, elasticized pieces of fabric. Interspersing air-bound stunts with phrases of grounded contemporary/jazz, they perform with a serious dose of rebellious flare and fearless commitment.

The opening duet, by choreographers and performers Sabrina Pringle and Holly Treddenick, as well as the final group number, are pieced together by a ranging compilation of popular music - Feist, Lily Allen, The Ting Tings; all of which support the fun, playful, while also tender and protective atmosphere created by these young women.

All in all, a very exciting way to spend fifty-five minutes of Toronto Fringe Festival time.

2009-07-12T12:30:00.002-07:00

The Ascension/The Chronicles of Descent
by Amelia Ehrhardt

An anomaly of the Fringe Dance Initiative, The Ascension/The Chronicles of Descent is presented not as one large work but instead by two separate entities. The first, Thistle Dance Works under the Artistic Direction of Emma-Kate Millar, presented a piece by Millar entitled Birds, a short choreography described as being about ‘two wayward birds that did not survive the trip south’, While the gestures of dancers Julie Grant and Hannah-Greyson-Gaito were very birdlike and focused, the idea that these birds had been lost in flight could have been more clear. The second piece, an excerpt from [shift], choreographed by Laura Bolender, Liisa Murray and Julie Grant of rad and performed again by Grant, did not quite stand alone as a solo but made sense as an excerpt. Grant possesses beautiful lines and uses them much to her advantage, indeed evoking beautiful imagery in a silent section at the beginning. The final piece, Charlie, choreographed and performed by Tanya Crowder of HowDareShe Productions, was a very complete solo. Crowder has a very finely honed stage presence that was at full strength in this solo, and while the depth of the choreography dipped slightly in the middle, her energy did not and it picked back up compositionally and ended on an extremely poignant and moving note.

2009-07-12T12:30:00.001-07:00

Dancing In My Unbirthday Suit
by Emma Letki

Taking place in a party, Dancing in my Unbirthday Suit looks at five of the early stages of life; infancy, childhood, adolescence, early adulthood and three stages of pregnancy. Allison Elizabeth Burns, Joannie Pharand and Vanessa Kneale have humorously compiled a short study of each of these milestones. They have captured the essence of each stage clearly, giving them full access to pick apart the situation and haphazardly sew it back together, showing the audience a true and comical side of life. The dancing is perfectly timed, squeezed between pillow fights and pregnancy work-outs. The sound track, like the dance, is cute and fun, consistently matching the mood of the scene. What looks like just a bit of fun is actually a well-thought out and articulated study of life’s events. The hosts of the party have even been so considerate as to assemble loot bags for the guests.

2009-07-12T12:29:00.001-07:00

Toys
by Amelia Ehrhardt

Toys, presented at the Factory Theatre, is under the Fringe category of Dance but perhaps is closer to physical theatre than to straight dance. Conceived and created by comedian Winston Spear, it is a movement based piece of theatre involving heavy prop and light use. The show involves a vast number of dollar-store style toys, all of which feature bright and colourful lights. The three performers, Andrew Chapman, Freddie Rivas and Winston Spear, move around the stage with the props, causing planes to collide, aliens to land and icebergs to float downstage. Use of light was extremely important and was the most effective element of the show. Tiny fingerlights transformed into insect like creatures, black light tubes became musical instruments and floating UFOs were quite mesmerizing in a space as large and cavernous as the Factory. The show is entertaining and borders on completely absurd, and while it could have benefitted from some sort of narrative, it was not necessarily needed and remained engaging without any discernable plot.

Dance Passport and MERGE team up to cover Fringe

2009-06-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

Good news!

MERGE will be joining forces with Dance Passport to cover Fringe Toronto.

Check out all Fringe coverage on here as well as on Dance Passport.
www.dancepassport.ca

MERGE is now online.

2009-06-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

MERGE
a zine for emerging dance artists has found its way online. Finally.

Check out our upcoming posts.

NEWS
Merge will be covering the Dance Initiative at Fringe Toronto's Theatre Festival.
From interviews to reviews to funny moments... keep checking back to get all the latest news on this years dance at Fringe.