DanceHouse

Astonishing. Sensational. International Dance. Vancouver, BC, Canada 

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The Friday Round Up

Keep it coming - so much dance this month!

Toronto Dance Theatre in Echo Park. Photo Guntar Kravis

Next week, February 23 and 24, DanceHouse brings the iconic Toronto Dance Theatre to Vancouver to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary with House Mix, a retrospective program showcasing five diverse works by choreographer Christopher House. “As an artist, [House] might be compared to Richard Serra, that most choreographic of sculptors, so attentive to curves, planes, elevations, rises, landings and, above all, footing, reconfiguring ever more ordinary, unadorned and consistent steps into original, affective and solid dance forms.” – Ben Portis, The Dance Current. Don’t miss this exciting program! For more info and to buy tickets. At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 8pm. Come early to hear the pre-show talk with Christopher House, hosted by Pia Lo. 7:15PM each night in the Vancouver Playhouse Upper Lobby.

With the TDT performance in mind, on Tuesday February 20, DanceHouse’s Speaking of Dance presents Vancouver and Toronto’s Cultural Scenes in the 70s: A Comparison. Moderated by Pia Lo (Dance journalist and blogger at Globe Dancer), in conversation with Megan Andrews (Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Performance Studies, School for Contemporary Arts at SFU), Kate Bird (Author of Vancouver in the Seventies: Photos From a Decade That Changed the City) and Cheryl Prophet (Senior Lecturer, Dance at the School for Contemporary Arts at SFU). Co-presented with Sfu Woodward’s Cultural Programs.Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 7pm  FREE

And for you dancers out there, don’t miss the opportunity to take a master class with some of the exceptional artists of TDT! For details of time and place, go here. All classes have limited capacity and require advanced registration, and we strongly suggest grabbing your spot now!

The 2018 Chutzpah! Festival opens February 16 and 17 with Ezralow Dance (USA). Award-winning choreographer / director / multi-media artist Daniel Ezralow‘s unique style of physical expression and articulate choreography has earned him a distinguished reputation as a groundbreaking artist worldwide. In his new show OPEN, Ezralow mingles contemporary dance with playful humour, provocative ideas, striking visuals, and an unforgettable classical score. At the Norman Rothstein Theatre. Tix and more info.

On Tuesday February 20, MascallDance presents the first in a series of BLOOM! Twice annually in the West End twilight, historic St Paul’s Church Hall comes alive at cocktail hour.   On two consecutive Tuesdays, local dance veteran MascallDance throws open its doors for an unusual kind of “tasting.” Audiences join up-and-coming dancers and choreographers to sample unique pairings of dances and wines with a comedy chaser.  This year BLOOM is thrilled to announce the participation of Lisa Haley, a young sommelier currently taking the town by storm.  Restaurant & Wine Director of Gastown's award-winning L'Abattoir Restaurant and recipient of Vancouver Magazine's 2017 Sommelier of the Year, Haley joins the dance crew to pair wine selections with the flavour and mood of each creation. Well-known local comedian, playwright, poet and actor Jenn Griffin tops off the show, sharing the mic with Haley with short comic commentaries on each dance.  For audiences, it’s a light-hearted way to wind down after work and support the next generation of Vancouver’s best and brightest. For artists, it’s the culmination of a six week residency offering them the rare opportunity to focus on their art with MascallDance resources and consult with Artistic Director, Jennifer Mascall, whose decades of outstanding invention need no introduction locally or nationally.  Don’t miss this opportunity to catch dance creators Luciana Freire D’Ancinciação, Lara Amalie Abadir, Eowynn Enquist, Isak Enquist, Levana Irena, Clay Nikiforuk, Stefan Smulovitz and Marissa Wong as they share a taste of their choreographies in progress.   TICKETS are only $10 and include wine tasters - at the door. At St Pauls Church, 1130 Jervis St. Door open at 4:30, show at 5:30

Tuesday February 20, the Dance Centre has a studio showing of 12 Minutes Max artists Immigrant Lessons (Kevin Fraser, Alyssa Amarshi), Olivia Shaffer, Damarise Ste Marie, and Sujit Vaidya. 12 Minutes Max seeks to foster experimentation and the development of a choreographic idea or work-in-progress, along with critical feedback and community dialogue from a creative community of performers, facilitators, and audience, with a primary focus on the choreographic process from development to presentation. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 6pm. FREE

Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg I Can’t Remember the Word for I Can’t Remember.

February 21 to 24, Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg premieres her new work I Can’t Remember the Word for I Can’t Remember. This piece has been described as stand-up comedy with dance. Funny, poignant and intimate. No fourth wall needed. A new solo created in collaboration with Vancouver director/writer/actor, John Murphy. Mining the missing files of memory, the boxes into which we misplace ourselves, and the inexplicably of….you…know…this…thing…Check out a promo video of the work here. Also on the program is a new piece by Chick Snipper, Unnecessary. An older woman seeks redemption and recognition through public performance. Having been inspired by Rabih Alamedinne’s novel An Unnecessary Woman, Chick felt compelled to create a solo for long time collaborator Anne Cooper, revealing the aloneness, vulnerability and vitality of an ‘older woman’. At the Firehall Arts Centre, 8pm. Tix 

DanceLab: Margaret Grenier/Dancers of Damelahamid. Photo Chris Randle

Sunday February 25 come to a studio showing of DanceLab: Margaret Grenier/Dancers of Damelahamid. The Dancers of Damelahamid are developing a new multi-media dance work, Mînowin, that integrates narrative, movement, song, and multi media design, connecting to landscapes from contemporary perspectives of customary Indigenous dance forms. Mînowin describes how we clarify direction, as we recover and reinterpret the teachings that define and redefine who we are, and that are accessed through story, dance and song. The piece will explore the moments where we connect with one another, moments that bring new life into our artistic practices, the upheaval and rebalancing, and places of renewal for each generation as we redefine ourselves. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 4-5pm. FREE

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

In just two weeks time, February 23 and 24, DanceHouse is thrilled to welcome Toronto Dance Theatre to the Playhouse stage with House Mix, five diverse works spanning three decades of choreography by Artistic Director Christopher House. Have a taste of the program in this video. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8pm. Tix 

Toronto Dance Theatre in Vena Cava.  Photo Guntar Kravis

With the TDT performance in mind, on Tuesday February 20, DanceHouse’s Speaking of Dance presents Vancouver and Toronto’s Cultural Scenes in the 70s: A Comparison. Moderated by Pia Lo (Dance journalist and blogger at Globe Dancer), in conversation with Megan Andrews (Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Performance Studies, School for Contemporary Arts at SFU), Kate Bird (Author of Vancouver in the Seventies: Photos From a Decade That Changed the City) and Cheryl Prophet (Senior Lecturer, Dance at the School for Contemporary Arts at SFU). Co-presented with Sfu Woodward’s Cultural Programs.Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 7pm  FREE

And for you dancers out there, don’t miss the opportunity to take a master class with some of the exceptional artists of TDT! For details of time and place, go here. All classes have limited capacity and require advanced registration, and we strongly suggest grabbing your spot now!

Next Tuesday February 13, DanceHouse is pleased to partner with Full Circle First Nations Performance and the Talking Stick Festival to present the exceptional Speaking of Dance Conversations - Collaborating Across Cultures. Offered up in advance of the Talking Stick Festival (February 14 – 25, 2018), this is a unique opportunity to join Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists in a conversation on collaboration. Moderated by Francine Burning (BA, Kenieke'haka, MA Student, Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Program, UBC) in conversation with Mario Boucher (Artistic Managing Director, Zøgma, Collectif de folklore urbain), Margaret Grenier (Executive and Artistic Director, Dancers of Damelahamid & Coastal First Nations Dance Festival), Karen Jamieson (Founding Artistic Director, Karen Jamieson Dance), Marissa Nahanee (Client Relations with Indigenous Community for Leadership and Development), and Rulan Tangen (Founding Artistic Director/Choreographer, Dancing Earth Creations). Co-presented with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs and Full Cirlce: First Nations Performance. Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 7pm  FREE

And speaking of the Talking Stick Festival, the 17th annual Festival runs from  February 14 – 24. The Festival began as a way to showcase and celebrate Indigenous art and performance to a wider audience. From its humble beginnings, this unique and exciting event has grown into a full 2-week festival noted as being the premier, multi-disciplinary Indigenous arts festival in North America. This year's theme is Schayilhen (S-ch-eye-yay-lh-un), which translates literally to "Salmon going up". Figuratively, it means salmon going up the stream to spawn and to sacrifice them for us to eat. The Festival includes visual art, dance, music, theatre and cinema, and there is something for everyone! For more details and a full schedule, go here. 

Sokalo by [ZØGMA] at the Talking Stick Festival

The 2018 Chutzpah! Festival opens February 15, 16 aSpeaking of Dancend 17 with Ezralow Dance (USA). Award-winning choreographer / director / multi-media artist Daniel Ezralow‘s unique style of physical expression and articulate choreography has earned him a distinguished reputation as a groundbreaking artist worldwide. In his new show OPEN, Ezralow mingles contemporary dance with playful humour, provocative ideas, striking visuals, and an unforgettable classical score. At the Norman Rothstein Theatre. Tix and more info.

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

Happy Groundhog Day! 

February 23 and 24, DanceHouse is thrilled to present Toronto Dance Theatre as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary! The company brings to the Vancouver stage a retrospective of three decades of work in House Mix, a program of five diverse works by Artistic Director and choreographer Christopher House, including the high energy, rhythmically complex Vena Cava (1999), the emotionally stunning Early Departures (1991), and a new work on an old theme titled Thirteen (2017). House’s use of space, ability to construct atmosphere and focus on the quality of interaction between his dancers is on display throughout the evening. Take a read of this Globe and Mail article about the dance philosophy of House, and check out a video here. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8pm. Tix

Toronto Dance Theatre in Fjeld. Photo Guntar Kravis

Tonight and tomorrow February 2 and 3 The Dance Centre Global Dance Connections series, in conjunction with the PuSh Festival, present Daina Ashbee in Pour, a dark and devastating solo. Pour explores the vulnerability and strength of women, using the taboo subject of the menstrual cycle as a departure point and turning it into an object of painful beauty steeped in symbolism. The piece applies imagery from the seal hunt to boldly tackle complex questions about femininity, blood, and the loss of control, deploying the body and voice in an unflinching depiction of suffering and catharsis. Daina Ashbee has quickly become a prolific and prominent Canadian choreographer, whose work is rooted in her relation to the land, the environment and her ancestors. A BC native of Cree, Métis and Dutch heritage, she is now based in Montreal. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

Last chance tonight, February 2, to see as part of the PuSh Festival, Vancouver’s Hong Kong Exile Foxconn Frequency (no.3): For Three Visible Chinese Performers. Wildly eccentric and marked by an infectious sense of play, this is a deconstructive take on piano pedagogy, manufacturing ethics, and the relationship between labour and sound. That’s right, this is not your average music performance—local upstarts Hong Kong Exile are known for their crazy creativity, and with this show they’ve outdone themselves.Three performers work with seven video outputs, five speakers and 3D printers, performing piano-keyboard drills in which they play with and against each other. There’s so much to enjoy here: the multimedia excess, the virtuosity of famed pianist Vicky Chow and, most refreshingly, the unabashed intellectualism of the project. This is avant-garde radicalism that plays like a video game: dynamic, exuberant and visually arresting. At Performance Works, 7pm. Tix

Legend Lin Dance Theatre from Taiwan, in The Eternal Tides.

Tomorrow night February 3, PuSh Festival presents Legend Lin Dance Theatre from Taiwan, in The Eternal Tides. The Eternal Tides is a momentous occasion—an adventure in beauty unlike anything seen before on the PuSh stage. In her Canadian debut, choreographer Lin Lee-Chen folds age-old rituals, customs and ceremonial rites into her radical vision, and the result is epic. The show is, above all, a tribute to water: the ocean that encloses the island of Taiwan, and the cycle of renewal it is part of. Using song, dance and striking stage design, Lin evokes the mythology of these elements. You might call it spiritual environmentalism—a tribute to nature as it was, and might be again. With its large ensemble of dancers and musicians, the show has an intoxicating power. Lin carries us through a procession of vivid tableaux; the imagery evokes myth and human reality in equal measure. The costumes and sets are stunning: fabric and silver grass, red-tinted figures and shocks of white, composed with flair and delicacy. At once austere and sensual, intimate and monumental, this show will leave you awestruck. At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 8pm. Tix

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

Today’s mantra: spring is around the corner, spring is around the corner....

We know it is early days yet, but a heads up for the upcoming DanceHouse presentation of Toronto Dance Theatre in a celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary with House Mix, February 23 and 24. More details over the coming weeks!

Toronto Dance Theatre Martingales. Photo Guntar Kravis

Tonight, Friday January 26, as part of Club PuSh, Ralph Escamillan presents HINKYPUNK. Striking, subversive and gorgeous to behold, Ralph Escamillan’s dance spectacular has its creator decked out in “sequin skin”—a layer of shiny ornamentation that serves to mask and reveal all at once. The skin conceals identity but expresses intent: to create a walking, breathing signifier. Drag, ballroom and vogue are subcultures that have allowed queer men to express themselves through artifice, and they’re a key inspiration for Escamillan. The HINKYPUNK is a camp cipher for audiences to contemplate—a mystery figure of liberation.The beguiling figure performs on a pedestal—an object for our delight and our study. Everything is up for analysis in this show: the gaze, the body and the artifice with which we create ourselves. This is a sexy, stimulating work—an intellectual swoon. At the Fox Cabaret, 9pm. Tix

Ralph Escamillan in HINKYPUNK. Photo: Richie Lubaton

Thursday-Saturday February 1-3 The Dance Centre Global Dance Connections series, in conjunction with the PuSh Festival, present Daina Ashbee in Pour, a dark and devastating solo. Pour explores the vulnerability and strength of women, using the taboo subject of the menstrual cycle as a departure point and turning it into an object of painful beauty steeped in symbolism. The piece applies imagery from the seal hunt to boldly tackle complex questions about femininity, blood, and the loss of control, deploying the body and voice in an unflinching depiction of suffering and catharsis. Daina Ashbee has quickly become a prolific and prominent Canadian choreographer, whose work is rooted in her relation to the land, the environment and her ancestors. A BC native of Cree, Métis and Dutch heritage, she is now based in Montreal. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

January 31 - February 2, as part of the PuSh Festival, Vancouver’s Hong Kong Exile presents Foxconn Frequency (no.3): For Three Visible Chinese Performers. Wildly eccentric and marked by an infectious sense of play, this is a deconstructive take on piano pedagogy, manufacturing ethics, and the relationship between labour and sound. That’s right, this is not your average music performance—local upstarts Hong Kong Exile are known for their crazy creativity, and with this show they’ve outdone themselves.Three performers work with seven video outputs, five speakers and 3D printers, performing piano-keyboard drills in which they play with and against each other. There’s so much to enjoy here: the multimedia excess, the virtuosity of famed pianist Vicky Chow and, most refreshingly, the unabashed intellectualism of the project. This is avant-garde radicalism that plays like a video game: dynamic, exuberant and visually arresting. At Performance Works, 7pm. Tix 

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

Nicola Gunn in Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster

The PuSh Festival is in full swing, and there is so much to see! You still have a chance tonight, Friday, to catch Nicola Gunn in Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster. The Dance Centre Global Dance Connections series, with the PuSh Festival, present this provocative muse on peace and conflict, moral relativism and the very function of art, inspired by an incident where a woman saw a man throwing stones at a sitting duck, and she yelled at him. The result is a gloriously off-kilter dissection of the excruciating realms of human behaviour, and a navigation of the moral and ethical complexities of intervention. Australia’s Nicola Gunn is an irresistible performer, delivering a dizzyingly witty text littered with anecdotes, digressions and philosophical theory, at the same time performing non-stop choreography that shifts from the comically incongruous to the strangely affecting. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

Until Sunday January 21, also part of PuSh, gender-fluid rebel Silvia Calderoni does a powerhouse star turn in MDLSX, by Italian theatre company Motus. The performer’s own life story is crossbred with fiction, producing a work of genre blending and gender bending. Using dance, text, video, music and the power of plain old speech, Calderoni and company throw haymakers at the patriarchy. You could call this an intellectual dance party—it’s both visceral and theoretical, provoking contemplation and ecstasy in equal measure. Changing identities and costumes at will, Calderoni shows our notions of gender and sexuality for what they are: barriers we can break down. At the Roundhouse Community Arts Centre, 7pm. Jan 21 at 2pm. Tix and more information.

Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe in Meeting. Photo Gregory Lorenzutti

In another goodie from the the PuSh Festival, January 24 - 27, Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe share the stage with 64 robotic percussion instruments in a piece titled Meeting. The gadgets chime, tap, click and shuffle while the humans move and speak in response. As they lock and shift, the dancers seem driven, almost desperate: the rhythm controls them. This is a triumph of engineering and a work of precision; the design of the instruments, the rigour of the dances and the music itself show a delicate, almost precarious intricacy. The Toronto Star says “[A]n extraordinary work… Beyond what’s visible and audible, MEETING poses bigger questions about human agency and free will.” For more info, tickets and a video go here. At Performance Works, Granville Island, 7pm

For Contact improv dancers out there, MACHiNENOiSY will be hosting CI Jams at Left of Main studio (211 Keefer St) twice a month. The dates are Jan 28, Feb 11, Feb 25, March 11, April 8, April 22, May 6, May 20, June 10. Jam time: 5:00-7:30  Cost: $5.00. 

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The Friday Round Up

Happy New Year (if somewhat belated)! We are back for an exciting few months of dance, and hope you will join us!

Frédérick Gravel in Some Hope for the Bastards

It’s that time of the year for the PuSh Festival, and as always there is so much to see! This coming Tuesday, January 16, as part of the festival, Frédérick Gravel will perform his work Some Hope for the Bastards. For the musically adventurous and visually attuned, Frédérick Gravel offers a music-dance spectacle to savour—an unholy hybrid of the highbrow and the high-octane. Onstage, nine dancers move in time to a head-nodding live music mix, their bodies shifting between repose and ecstatic motion. The emphasis here is on rhythm—you’ll struggle to stay in your seat as the propulsive beats roll and the dancers move in finely controlled harmony. “[A]rguably the most significant dance artist to emerge in Quebec in the past 10 years… He produces dance theatre that is sly and subversive.”—The Globe and Mail. Check out the video here.  At the Vancouver Playhouse, 7pm. Tix

Wednesday-Friday January 17-19, The Dance Centre Global Dance Connections series, with the PuSh Festival, present Nicola Gunn in Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster. The piece is a provocative muse on peace and conflict, moral relativism and the very function of art, inspired by an incident where a woman saw a man throwing stones at a sitting duck, and she yelled at him. The result is a gloriously off-kilter dissection of the excruciating realms of human behaviour, and a navigation of the moral and ethical complexities of intervention. Australia’s Nicola Gunn is an irresistible performer, delivering a dizzyingly witty text littered with anecdotes, digressions and philosophical theory, at the same time performing non-stop choreography that shifts from the comically incongruous to the strangely affecting. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

Silvia Calderoni  in MDLSX

Thursday January 18 to Sunday January 21, also part of PuSh, gender-fluid rebel Silvia Calderoni does a powerhouse star turn in MDLSX, by Italian theatre company Motus. The performer’s own life story is crossbred with fiction, producing a work of genre blending and gender bending. Using dance, text, video, music and the power of plain old speech, Calderoni and company throw haymakers at the patriarchy. You could call this an intellectual dance party—it’s both visceral and theoretical, provoking contemplation and ecstasy in equal measure. Changing identities and costumes at will, Calderoni shows our notions of gender and sexuality for what they are: barriers we can break down. At the Roundhouse Community Arts Centre, 7pm. Jan 21 at 2pm. Tix and more information.

For those of you that have always wanted to try out Contact Improvisation, this weekend Saturday and Sunday January 13 and 14, EDAM is offering a beginner friendly workshop for those wishing to learn Contact fundamentals.You'll experience learning and playing with skills like rolling, tumbling, noticing sensations, awareness of spherical space, incremental weight sharing with a partner and more. No need to bring a partner - practice will be both alone and through exchanging dances with others in the class. This workshop is designed to give you the confidence to join in Contact jams and classes.T o register, email [email protected] with 'CI Basics' in the subject line. At the EDAM studio, 303 E. 8th Ave, Vancouver. For more details

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The Friday Round Up

Tis the season - for The Nutcracker! There are a couple of choices here, so enjoy! And here’s to a wonderful holiday season and a great 2018 from all of us at DanceHouse - see you next year!

December 14 - 19, the Goh Ballet presents its holiday favourite, The Nutcracker. The lights dim and the beautiful sounds of Tchaikovsky’s music fill the air as you experience the journey of Clara and her beloved Nutcracker as they battle the evil Mouse King and his army of mischievous mice. The captivating scenery will become larger than life as sparkling snowflakes and a glittering Christmas tree fill the stage. Each year, Goh Ballet features internationally celebrated Principal Dancers from international ballet companies that seldom visit Vancouver. They will take to centre stage with the Goh Ballet company of dancers showcasing choreography by Emmy Award winning and world-renowned choreographer Anna-Marie Holmes. The performances are presented to live orchestral accompaniment performed by members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. At the Centre, Vancouver. Tix

The Alberta Ballet in The Nutcracker

If earlier in the month is just too busy for you, December 28-30 Ballet BC presents the Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Set in turn-of-the-century Imperial Russia, an era noted for its opulent grandeur, this extravagant production displays more than a million dollars in stunning sets and costumes. When Clara’s Christmas gift comes to life and defeats the evil Mouse King, she’s whisked away to a magical kingdom, where the Sugar Plum Fairy reigns. This is a beautiful production including children from local dance schools, mice dressed as Cossack soldiers and snowflakes dressed as Russian princesses. This spectacular production offers a perfect complement to Tchaikovsky’s glorious musical score played live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tix

And if the Nutcracker is not your thing, on Sunday December 17, Coastal City Ballet presents Hansel and Gretel. A whimsical tale, stunning designs and an irresistible choreography make Coastal City Ballet's Hansel and Gretel the ideal holiday treat for the whole family. This full-length version of the cautionary tale tells the timeless story of a brother and sister-duo who get lost in the woods and stumble upon a delectable house made of gingerbread. Hansel and Gretel are soon helping themselves, unaware they are falling into the Witch's trap. The work features imaginative sets, fantastical costumes, and the hauntingly beautiful music of Humperdinck's beautiful opera. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 6pm. Tix

December 18, Casa Om presents The Dance Screen: Take 1. For the past three summers the folks at Casa Om, notably Sylvain Senez and Ballet BC dancer Alexis Fletcher, have produced an intimate, outdoor performance series in their backyard in East Vancouver, called The Dance Deck. They are now bringing their creative intention to the inside of their house and are launching a new project: The Dance Screen. It will be an evening presentation of dance inspired films, projected in the intimate living room setting on a 120” screen. It is intended to showcase the talent of artists and filmmakers who have taken dance as their point of departure and include artists such as Michael Slobodian, Karissa Barry, Scott Fowler, Maya Tenzer & Andrew Bartee (from Ballet BC) and Jenna Mazur, among others. Check out some of the films here. Only 20 tickets will be sold per showing. Snacks and mulled wine will be provided, beyond that BYOB! All proceeds from this event will go towards supporting the future presentations of The Dance Deck summer series. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door. At Casa Om, 1745 Napier Street, Vancouver, doors 7:15pm, screening 8pm.

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

It’s happening this week - the first of the many Nutcrackers for holiday season 2017!

We know you are not thinking ahead to next Spring (!), but due to popular demand DanceHouse has added a 4th presentation of Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre’s Betroffenheit on Wednesday, March 14.  With the other three performances already sold out, this is your opportunity to grab tickets if you haven’t already! A creative collaboration between Kidd Pivot Artistic Director and choreographer Crystal Pite and Electric Company Theatre Co-Artistic Director Jonathon Young, Betroffenheit immerses audiences into the world of shock and bewilderment that encompasses us in the wake of a disaster. Don’t miss the rare return of this innovative, boundary-stretching hybrid of theatre and dance. The tickets for this extra show go on sale Friday December 8 at 10am, and can be found here. If you can, go to this show “Betroffenheit is a stunning testament to what can happen when life turns into art.” – Martha Schabas, The Globe and Mail

Betroffenheit Photo Michael Slobodian

You still have tonight and tomorrow night December 8 and 9 to go see Shiny, created and performed by dance artist Kelly McInnes in collaboration with performers Maxine Chadburn and Rianne Svelnis. Shiny is a multi-disciplinary performance that explores and challenges the beauty standards enforced upon women through the media of our culture. The piece explores the masking of the individual through the bizarre sameness of the beauty standard and magnifies the surreal, the grotesque, the bizarre, and the mundane involved in the quest for ‘perfection’. Shiny reveals our bodies for what they are while magnifying the absurdity in arbitrary aesthetic. Challenged to question their gaze, the audience is invited into a world of domestic beauty creatures. Check out a promo video of the work here. At Left of Main, 211 Keefer St, 8pm. Tix $15 online or at the door.

Arts Umbrella Dance Company in Mixed Nuts

This is always a fun one! December 8 - 10, the Arts Umbrella Dance Company will treat us to their version of the Nutcracker. Mixed Nuts is a classic holiday performance reinvented with a twist. Families and kids of all ages can enjoy AUDC’s modern and engaging retelling of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”. Mixed Nuts is more than just a ballet with a variety of dance styles from hip-hop, to ballroom, to the classic grand pas-de-deux. This year features old favourites and new pieces choreographed by leading Vancouver and Canadian dancers including Ballet BC and Kidd Pivot company members. At the Vancouver Playhouse, December 8 & 9, 2017 at 7pm, December 9 &10, 2017 at 2pm. Tix

Company 605 Photo David Cooper

For the dancers out there, Company 605 is offering their Winter Intensive December 11-15, led by Company 605’s co-directors, Lisa Gelley and Josh Martin, and special guest artist Alanna Kraaijeveld, who will lead the daily technique class, informed by her extensive experience as an improviser and Fighting Monkey practitioner. Lisa Gelley and Josh Martin will teach Repertoire from Company 605’s past and current works, learning various excerpts and movement language from the company’s highly physical pieces. The daily Creation Lab will focus on investigating collaborative dance-making, with Company 605’s co-directors providing different concepts and starting points for explorations, and participants accessing their own choreographic interests and movement choices. For more information check out the FB page. Once again, thanks to SFU School for the Contemporary Arts for their generous support of the Winter Intensive!

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

Have you recovered from that oh so busy week last week? Still lots to see before we hit the holiday lull...

Modus Operandi at New Works at Night

You still have time tonight, Friday December 1, to experience the talent of some of Vancouver’s emerging artists from the  Modus Operandi Contemporary Dance Program. Over the past 10 years, Modus Operandi has grown from a summer workshop to a nationally recognized post-secondary contemporary dance program, known for nurturing a new wave of radical thinkers and movers. New Works at Night presents a selection of original creations by Canadian choreographers, curated by Out Innerspace Artistic Directors Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond, on the next generation of exciting professional dance artists in M.O. featuring the premiere of new work by Serge Bennathan. At the Annex, 823 Seymour Street, Vancouver, 8pm.  $20 online, $25 at the door.

December 1,2, 8 and 18, Casa Om presents The Dance Screen: Take 1. For the past three summers the folks at Casa Om, notably Sylvain Senez and Ballet BC dancer Alexis Fletcher, have produced an intimate, outdoor performance series in their backyard in East Vancouver, called The Dance Deck. They are now bringing their creative intention to the inside of their house and are launching a new project: The Dance Screen. It will be an evening presentation of dance inspired films, projected in the intimate living room setting on a 120” screen. It is intended to showcase the talent of artists and filmmakers who have taken dance as their point of departure and include artists such as Michael Slobodian, Karissa Barry, Scott Fowler, Maya Tenzer & Andrew Bartee (from Ballet BC) and Jenna Mazur, among others. Check out some of the films here. Only 20 tickets will be sold per showing. Snacks and mulled wine will be provided, beyond that BYOB! All proceeds from this event will go towards supporting the future presentations of The Dance Deck summer series. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door. At Casa Om, 1745 Napier Street, Vancouver, doors 7:15pm, screening 8pm.

On December 3, Foolish Operations is hosting a workshop called Ensemble Thinking, facilitated by Julie Lebel. This workshop is open to dancers with experience in contemporary dance, theatre, improvisation, and contact improvisation. Yoga, clowning and release technique are great too. The workshop is designed for Dancing the Parenting participants to push their collective improvisation skills further, without the presence of their child, so that the group is stronger when children are present. Julie is currently formally training with the Lower Left Colective to become certified as an Ensemble Thinking teacher/facilitator and uses this set of tools extensively in her choreographic practice. "Ensemble Thinking (ET) is a system of collaborative group performance practices. These compositional exercises refine the individual’s ability to perceive, initiate, and support collective action.” At Templeton Activity Room, 800 Templeton Dr, Vancouver 4-7pm. For more info

Shiny at Left of Main Photo Sophia Wolfe

Wednesday December 6 to Saturday December 9, dance artist Kelly McInnes, in collaboration with performers Maxine Chadburn and Rianne Svelnis, presents Shiny. Shiny is a multi-disciplinary performance that explores and challenges the beauty standards enforced upon women through the media of our culture. The work explores the masking of the individual through the bizarre sameness of the beauty standard and magnifies the surreal, the grotesque, the bizarre,and the mundane involved in the quest for ‘perfection’. Shiny reveals our bodies for what they are while magnifying the absurdity in arbitrary aesthetic. Challenged to question their gaze, the audience is invited into a world of domestic beauty creatures. At Left of Main, 211 Keefer St, Vancouver, 8pm. Tix

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

Oh, so much to do this week! 

Tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, you still have time to see Action at a Distance’s Wells Hill. Co-presented by DanceHouse, SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs & SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts, Wells Hill features seven dancers who splice together themes of technology and communication in a new work based on the sweeping philosophies of Canadians Marshall McLuhan and Glenn Gould. The piece has been in the news this week - check out Janet Smith’s recent preview in the Georgia Straight, and Shawn Conner’s piece in the Vancouver Sun. Both have some great insights about the work from our homegrown Vancouver dancer/choreographer and Artistic Director of Action at a Distance, Vanessa Goodman. And if you want to hear Vanessa speak in person about her work, join us at the pre-show chat in the lobby of the theatre at 7:15pm. At the Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, SFU Gold Corp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards 8pm. Tix

Action at a Distance in Wells Hill. Photo Ben Didier

You still have lots of time to see all the wonderful things at Dance in Vancouver (DIV)! Just as a taste, tonight Friday November 24 check out the double bill with Karen Jamieson | Karen Jamieson Dance & Margaret Grenier | Dancers of Damelahamid perform light breaking broken and Lesley Telford | Inverso in Spooky Action (Phase One). And ongoing through Sunday November 26 as part of DIV, check out Festival Of Recorded Movement (F-O-R-M), a Vancouver-based youth International Movement on Screen festival, celebrating the body in motion through film. They will be screening a variety of films through DIV, a selection of commissions from the past two years of the festival; and also ongoing until Sunday check out Boombox Dances In Vancouver, with Blue Crush featuring Katie Lowen and Zahra Shahab in an investigation of organic and plastic skins that explore the ability to engulf, reveal, and conceal.  For times and place of these and many other events go here.

IndigeDIV     Lacey Baker, Andrea Bastien, Melina Laboucan, & April Russell - Photo: Chris Randle

If you are reading this before 4pm Friday November 24, make your way down to IndigeDIV, a dance and conversation series held on Indigenous Creative Territory, hosted by Raven Spirit Dance. The series brings artists, presenters and audiences together to discuss, share and witness how Indigenous artistic expression is a vital part of our community and it’s deeply rooted values are the foundation that can hold us all up. There is a circle under all that colonization built, RSD invites you to sit in these circles to listen and share. The evening starts with CONFLUENCE SCREENING from 4–430pm. Confluence is the gathering of Indigenous women in the rehearsal room and through the creative process we find meaningful connections to build scaffolding in which to hang our thoughts, desires and impulses as Indigenous dance artists. It will feature Collaborating Artists: Margaret Grenier, Jeanette Kotowich, Starr Muranko, Yvette Nolan, Michelle OlsonPicture, direction & edit by Ulla Laidlaw. Then from 4:30 to 6pm CONVERSATIONS: HOW YOU DO ANYTHING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING - VALUE GUIDED PRACTICE, where we will consider what values does one hold in the creative process and how does that shape the outer expression of the work created? Artists will share how their values (personal/collective/cultural) influences the way in which they work and shapes their performances. Panelists are Yvette Nolan, Su-Feh Lee, Ulla Laidlaw, Yvonne Chartrand, moderated by Michelle Olson. At the VanCity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St, Vancouver. For more info. 

On Saturday November 25, also as part of IndigeDIV, join Michelle Olson, Jeanette Kotowich, Olivia C. Davies, and Jessica McMann in Sharing: Works in Development. This is a sharing of works in progress by Vancouver Indigenous dance artists featuring Dynise Brisson, Olivia C. Davies, Margaret Grenier, Jeanette Kotowich, Jessica McMann and Michelle Olson. For more info. At KW Studios, 111 West Hastings St, Vancouver,  12-1pm for the public and  3-4pm for presenters. Space is limited so reserve your tickets here.

Tonight, Friday November 24, you can still catch plastic orchid factory in Digital Folk, a video game + costume party + music and dance performance + installation, built from the desire to revisit how communities gather to play music, dance and tell stories. It is an interdisciplinary collaboration between dance artist, James Gnam, visual artist, Natalie Purschwitz, lighting designer, James Proudfoot, sound designer, Kevin Legere and ten dance artists that explores a generation’s approach to identity, physicality, social dance and performance. Digital Folks lives as a scale model built out of an in-between world that is not quite a home and not quite a theatre. Where the desire for music, dance and community is focused through the lens of video game culture and technology. Check out the video here. There are two shows, 9 and 10pm, and prepare to spend the evening with a cash bar and a post-show party from 10:45pm! At Left of Main, 211 Keefer St. Get your tix here.

We told you last week about DIY@DIV, presented by Mutable Subject. DIY@DIV have a whole bunch of things happening over the weekend, but if you have not had enough dance by Sunday morning, join artists Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, Daisy Thompson+ Lexi Vajda for a breakfast showing of new works. At Left of Main, 211 Keefer St and the show is FREE! This is definitely worth getting yourself out of bed for!

Company 605 In Circulation

On until Saturday November 25, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts presents Company 605 In Circulation, a mixed program of Company 605’s current repertoire, consisting of excerpts from two recent full-length works, Albatross and Vital Few, as well as the premiere of a brand new short piece. Each of these distinct works circle around the same current interests of 605’s artists: individuals united, a shared experience held between separate bodies, and moving as one. At the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby. Tix

November 22-25 & November 29 - December 2, Henry Daniel’s nómadas, an audio/video installation and live performance that takes inspiration from the current large-scale movements of bodies across international spaces. This complex, ongoing pattern of movement can be seen as a type of chaotic transnational choreography. nómadas comes out of Daniel’s larger, long term Contemporary Nomads research project, which explores the “deep fragmentation which exists between communities within as well as outside national borders, between nationalized and personalized bodies, and between social and political institutions and the ordinary people they were meant to serve."The production features the collaborative work of guest artists Adam Basanta (Music), Sammy and Shanghan Chien (Media Design), and Alan Sorey(Set Design). Again, at the Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards. Performance: 8:00 PM Free Audio/Video installation: 6:00-7:30 PM on performance days

And for something completely different and a great way to come down after all that DIV action, on Tuesday November 28 check out Dancing Dialogues between Body and Soul: An Exploration on Expressive Dance for Women. Join a community of women exploring the connection between body and soul through expressive dance for a more joyful integrated life, led by Maria Carbonetti. For more info, time and place.

And remember, we can’t share your stuff with the dance community if you don’t share it with us first! Send your news, events and other interesting goings on to [email protected]. Thanks, and have a wonderful week!

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

So much to do and see this coming week - enjoy!

Next week November 24 - 26 (preview Nov 23) DanceHouse is thrilled to present Vancouver’s own Vanessa Goodman and Action at a Distance in Wells Hill ! In Wells Hill, three years in the making, seven exceptional dancers splice themes of technology and communication into this intriguing and provocative new work based on the sweeping philosophies of Marshall McLuhan and Glenn Gould. These two Canadian luminaries altered how we consume art and information, and their prescient ideas provide an engaging framework for an exciting, immersive performance that is both visceral and cerebral. Check out this really interesting essay by Peter Dickinson about the development of the work, and a video here. Please note that this performance will take place at Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards, November 23 - 25 8pm and November 26 2pm. Tix. 

Action at a Distance in Wells Hill. Photo Ben Didier

DanceHouse offers a variety of activities to deepen your understanding of works being presented, and this month for Wells Hill, we have some great events to share with you. In collaboration with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs and SFU School for the Contemporary Arts, the Wells Hill auxiliary discourse focuses on the lives, works, and sweeping theories of Glenn Gould and Marshall McLuhan. The first event in this series is tomorrow Saturday November 18 1-4pm, with Discourse on Glenn Gould, hosted by Owen Underhill, composer, conductor, artistic director, and SFU SCA faculty member. Saturday November 25 1-4pm, the second part of the series offers Discourse on Marshall McLuhan, hosted by Richard Cavell, Professor of English, co-founder of the Bachelor of Media Studies Program at the University of British Columbia and author of Remediating McLuhan. For more info on all events, go here.  Both events at Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards, and both are FREE.

On Tuesday November 21, Speaking of Dance Conversations offers Marshall McLuhan and the Global Village: What effect is globalization having on the arts in Vancouver?, moderated by Richard Cavell (Founder of Media Studies Program at UBC and author of Remediating McLuhan). At Djavad Mowafahian World Art Centre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards, 7pm. FREE. 

And finally, on both Friday November 24 and Saturday November 25, join Vanessa Goodman, Artistic Director of Action at a Distance in a pre-show talk as she discusses her work, hosted by Richard Cavell. In the lobby of the  Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, 7:15pm.

On November 20, join Donna Mejia, Henry Daniel and Adel Iskandar in a conversation about Ethics of Fusion and Collective Cultural Memory in the Age of the Internet. This event will open with a 10 minute transnational dance performance by visiting Colorado University of Boulder Assistant Dance Professor Donna Mejia. For more info. At Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards, 7:30pm.

Henry Daniel’s nómadas Dancer: Seana Williams, Photo: Emily Bayrock

On Wednesday November 22, check out Henry Daniel's nómadas, an audio/video installation and live performance that takes inspiration from the current large-scale movements of bodies across international spaces. This complex, ongoing pattern of movement can be seen as a type of chaotic transnational choreography. nómadas comes out of Daniel's larger, long term Contemporary Nomads research project, which explores the "deep fragmentation which exists between communities within as well as outside national borders, between nationalized and personalized bodies, and between social and political institutions and the ordinary people they were meant to serve."The production features the collaborative work of guest artists Adam Basanta (Music), Sammy and Shanghan Chien (Media Design), and Alan Sorey (Set Design). Again, at the Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards, 7:00pm.

It is time for the 11th biennial Dance in Vancouver, Wednesday-Saturday November 22-25! Four days of performances, studio showings and events, showcasing some of our most exciting companies and artists. There is so much to see it can’t all be listed here, but some of the artists and companies participating are Julianne Chapple, Margaret Grenier & Karen Jamieson and Wen Wei Dance. Check out all the details here. 

Some of our local Vancouver artists are doing a DIY@DIV! Presented by Mutable Subject, prOphecy sun + Luciana Freire D’Anunciação, Lexi Vajda, and Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, among multiple other fantastic artists, are performing their work at local Vancouver studios. For more info on times and places, please check out their info here - and there are parties to boot!

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

Happy Friday - enjoy the sunshine! And the dance!!

November 24 -26 (preview November 23) DanceHouse is thrilled to present Vancouver’s own Action at a Distance in Wells Hill. Three years in the making, Vancouver’s Vanessa Goodman brings the world premiere of Wells Hill to the DanceHouse stage. Seven exceptional dancers splice themes of technology and communication into this intriguing and provocative new work based on the sweeping philosophies of Marshall McLuhan and Glenn Gould. These two Canadian luminaries altered how we consume art and information, and their prescient ideas provide an engaging framework for an exciting, immersive performance that is both visceral and cerebral. Check out a video of the piece here. Please note that this performance will take place at Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards, November 23 - 25 8pm and November 26 2pm. Tix. 

DanceHouse offers a variety of activities to deepen your understanding of works to be presented, and this month in relation to Action at a Distance’s work Wells Hill, we have some great events to share with you, in collaboration with  SFU Woodward's Cultural Program and SFU School for the Contemporary Arts. Wells Hill auxiliary discourse on the lives, works, and sweeping theories of Glenn Gould and Marshall McLuhan. Curated by Richard Cavell, UBC professor whose research focuses on media theory and Canadian Studies, finding common ground in his publications on foundational media theorist Marshall McLuhan. On Saturday November 18 1-4pm join us for a Discourse on Glenn Gould, hosted by Owen Underhill, composer, conductor, artistic director, and SFU SCA faculty member. Then on Saturday November 25 1-4pm come back for the Discourse on Marshall McLuhan, hosted by Richard Cavell, Professor of English, co-founder of the Bachelor of Media Studies Program at the University of British Columbia and author of Remediating McLuhan. For more info on both events, go here. At Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodwards. FREE

Action at a Distance in Wells Hill. Photo Ben Didier

On November 15, join Malaysian-born dance scholar and dancer Ahalya Satkunaratnam, as she speaks on THE ART OF INTERDISCIPLINARY VERSUS THE MARKET OF "INNOVATIVE" EDUCATION. Satkunaratnam teaches courses in cultural studies, performing arts, and women’s and gender studies at Quest University, and her upcoming book to be published by Wesleyan University Press, Moving Bodies, Navigating Conflict: Practicing Bharata Natyam in Colombo, Sri Lanka, explores how dance practices make and undo local and state nationalisms, the intersections of gender and ethnicity with cultural practices, and the personal experiences of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war. At Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 7pm. FREE

FUSE returns Friday, November 10 to the Vancouver Art Gallery to present an artful evening of magic, spell and ritual. Become part of the coven at FUSE: A Conjuring, a night of unexpected happenings —from art-infused bars to live performances, music and surprise encounters. Featuring artists from across the country, FUSE: A Conjuring will create a lively environment where FUSE-goers can consider the sources and origins of artistic creation and collectively conjure new ways of seeing the world through art. Experience live performances and music in the Gallery spaces, DJs, eclectic Gallery tours, contemporary dance and unexpected surprises! Featured artists for this months FUSE: Simranpreet Anand | Kate Barry + Michael-Ann Connor | Grape Witches (Nicole Campbell + Krysta Oben, with coven members Lisa Haley, Maude Renaud-Brisson and Layla Smith) | Hick | Stacey Ho | Erika Holt | Shawn Hunt | Tsema Igharas | Kelly McInnes + Rianne Svelnis | Minimal Violence | Soledad Muñoz | Stephen Murray | Yusu. At the Vancouver Art Gallery, 8pm to midnight. Tix $29 at the door.

November 11, 24 and 25 Casa Om presents The Dance Screen: Take 1. For the past three summers the folks at Casa Om, notably Sylvain Senez and Ballet BC dancer Alexis Fletcher, have produced an intimate, outdoor performance series in their backyard in East Vancouver called The Dance Deck. They are now bringing their creative intention to the inside of their house and are launching a new project: The Dance Screen. It will be an evening presentation of dance inspired films, projected in the intimate living room setting on a 120” screen. It is intended to showcase the talent of artists and filmmakers who have taken dance as their point of departure and include artists such as Michael Slobodian, Karissa Barry, Scott Fowler, Maya Tenzer & Andrew Bartee (from Ballet BC) and Jenna Mazur, among others. Check out some of the films here. Only 20 tickets will be sold per showing. Snacks and mulled wine will be provided, beyond that BYOB! All proceeds from this event will go towards supporting the future presentations of The Dance Deck summer series. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door. At Casa Om, 1745 Napier Street, Vancouver, doors 7:15pm, screening 8pm.

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

Rainy (snowy?) days - oh how we love you Vancouver!

Tonight and tomorrow night November 3 and 4, Ballet BC opens it’s season with the World Premiere of Resident Choreographer Cayetano Soto’s Twenty Eight Thousand Waves. Soto has created a new one-act work for the full company that brings together his integrated vision as a choreographer, costume and lighting designer in surprising new ways. An intuitive and masterful designer of movement and space, cited by Dance Europe as having “an abundance of originality”, Soto commands his audiences to dive into intriguing worlds of curiosity and discovery with his choreography. Also on the program is the North American premiere of Johan Inger’s B.R.I.S.A., an exploration of the themes of awakening and change. “I want to explore the world that lies behind people and their habits – great winds of change actually begin with the smallest of breezes…” —Johan Inger. One of the most prominent dance makers today, Johan Inger’s renowned work probes our intellect and sensitivities. Inger made his choreographic debut in 1995 after a thriving dance career at the Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), where he remains as Associate Choreographer. At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 8pm. Tix

Ballet BC Dancer Brandon Alley. Photo by Michael Slobodian

Also November 3 and 4, Karen Flamenco, in collaboration with Troy McLaughlin’s Dance Works, presents the all time favourite, Grease - flamenco style! Experience the friendships, romances and adventures of a group of high school kids in the 1950s. Karen Flamenco’s Pink Ladies together with Troy’s Tap dancing T-bird’s will set the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre into a 1950’s High School adventure of friendships, romances and gangs. Sing-a-long to the familiar songs from this all-time favorite musical, as dancers tap and stomp to the rhythms accompanied by live music, both traditional flamenco and the popular music from Grease. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 7pm. Tix

November 3 Lep-E Alternatives™ Presents BecauseWeAreUsedToLiving, a presentation as part of Dave Biddle's MFA Graduating Project, in collaboration with movement specialist Olivia Shaffer. Guest appearences by Justine Chambers, Andrea Cownden and Ileanna Cheladyn. In 1911, the same year Kafka wrote his Leopards in the Temple aphorism, a cougar repeatedly broke into the Stanley Park zoo, killed goats, and drank their blood. Eventually the city brought in a team to hunt the cougar down and kill it. The taxidermy cougar was then placed in the Stanley Park pavilion and incorporated into its exhibitions. Ninety five years later Vancouver based musician and sleep therapist Linda Fox released her debut album Leopards Break Into My Heart. This album, though meeting absolutely no critical success, has recently gained a cult following in Vancouver's Post-New Age scene. Using a combination of text, video, sound, and performance BecauseWeAreUsedToLiving takes a closer look at the music of Linda Fox while exploring the role of membranes in symbiogenesis, where the merging of two or more species creates an entirely new species. In particular, it is considered where these membranes exist in documentation. Djavad Mowafaghian World Arts Centre, SFU Woodwards, 5pm. FREE

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

It’s Friday - enjoy!

Tero Saarinen Company (Finland) in Morphed

Tonight and tomorrow October 27 and 28, you still have time to join DanceHouse at their season opener with Tero Saarinen Company (Finland) in Morphed. In Morphed, seven male dancers seduce, challenge, demand and swagger, borrowing from casual street dance, Gene Kelly musicals, classical 19th century and modern dance. Saarinen masterfully crafts a fresh exploration of masculinity undaunted by the extremes of sensitivity and heroism, and all that lies between. Check out the Vancouver Sun’s article the company where Saarinen says his style has been called “butoh dance with wings”! And remember to come early for the pre-show chat with Tero Saarinen himself, in conversation with Janet Smith, 7:15 pm in the upstairs lobby of the Playhouse Theatre. Show time 8pm. Tix 

Also October 27 and 28, The Dance Centre Presents Deanna Peters | Mutable Subject in META. META proposes that our body is not one thing. We are fluid, messy and protean. Created and performed by Deanna Peters in collaboration with performers Justine A. Chambers and Kim Sato, with costumes and set design by Natalie Purschwitz, this new work dismantles expectations of what a body can be, generating a richly imaginative and engaging experience. It is really worth a trip over to Deanna’s website where she has some wonderful video and writings related to the work. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

Tonight through October 28  Amber Funk Barton and her contemporary dance company the response. return to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts for the third installment of their exciting WorkSpace series. WorkSpace is a performance series developed by the response. dance team to showcase work-in-progress excerpts of dance work being explored by the company. Inspired by memories, past relationships and the relativity of time, WorkSpace III will endeavor to embody these ideas to a curated playlist of pop music. This special installment of WorkSpace III will also feature the emerging dancers of the company’s Apprentice Program, along with a new solo work for Amber Funk Barton by guest choreographer Heather Laura Gray.  Take a look at the video trailer here. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby 8pm. Tix

Jose Manuel Alvarez in Kasandra Flamenco’s Ritmo y Soniquete

Sunday October 29 Kasandra Flamenco is thrilled to present Ritmo y Soniquete, a super charged, high octane flamenco show starring some of Spain’s hottest flamenco musicians, singer Miguel Rosendo and festero Luis de la Tota, with the fire power of Barcelona’s Flamenco dancer, Jose Manuel Alvarez. Experience the Kasandra Flamenco Ensemble at its most raw and powerful, showcasing the best of improvisational, rhythmic Flamenco with spontaneity, passion and emotion. Experience pure flamenco at its roots as the artists torch the stage! Two shows at The Cultch 3pm and 8pm. Tix

Sunday October 29 New works presents Dance Allsorts: South Asian Arts. South Asian Arts has been championing South Asian dance, music, and culture since its formation in 2005 by Gurpreet Sian and Raakhi Sinha. With prestigious dance and music performances ranging from the 2009 Juno Awards to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, South Asian Arts has firmly established themselves as a premier organization successfully promoting the rich, cultural diversity of British Columbian artists to widespread audiences. At the Roundhouse Community Arts Centre Performance 2pm | Free Workshop 3:15pm TIx

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

Lots of dance to see, but you just may have to swim your way there! Happy rainy Friday!

Tero Saarinen Company (Finland) in Morphed

Coming up in one week, October 27 and 28, DanceHouse presents the Tero Saarinen Company (Finland) in Morphed. In Morphed, seven male dancers seduce, challenge, demand and swagger, borrowing from casual street dance, Gene Kelly musicals, classical 19th century and modern dance. Saarinen masterfully crafts a fresh exploration of masculinity undaunted by the extremes of sensitivity and heroism, and all that lies between. Check out this weeks  article in the Georgia Straight by Janet Smith, and have a taste of the piece in this video. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8pm - and don’t forget the pre-show chat in the upstairs lobby of the Playhouse at 7:15pm. Tix for the show here.

Tuesday October 24 join DanceHouse in Cultural Policies in a Global World: a Comparison, moderated by Janet Smith, with Jarkko Lehmus (dancer, Tero Saarinen Company and producer, Cirko – Centre for New Circus); Charlie Wu, (managing director, ACSEA-Asian-Canadian Special Events Association and TAIWANfest). Co-presented by DanceHouse and SFU Woodward’s, Speaking of Dance Conversations is a series of free public dialogues and roundtable conversations about the world of dance, contextualizing it within culture and society. Presented by noted writers, choreographers and creative thinkers, Speaking of Dance is a platform for everyone to share and develop their observation and interpretation of dance. 7pm at the  Djavad Mowafahian World Art Centre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 West Hastings Street). FREE

Did you know each time DanceHouse brings a company into town, it engages each visiting company in a series of local masterclasses. The classes with the Tero Saarinen Company are Thursday, October 26 10am – 11:30am in partnership with Harbour Dance Centre, details and registration, and also Saturday, October 28,  2:30pm – 4:00pm, in partnership with Lamondance Training and Performing Company. Details and registration

plastic orchid factory & MAYDAY/Mélanie Demers present Animal Triste.  Photo Mathieu Doyon 

You still have two nights, October 20 and 21, to catch the plastic orchid factory & MAYDAY/Mélanie Demers present Animal Triste. In the world’s grand parade, humans are nothing more than sad little animals. Prisoners of a hidden biology that guides their every step. In MAYDAY/Mélanie Demers’ Animal Triste, a national cast of stellar, inexhaustible performers grapple with this inner turmoil. With setbacks and vagaries of living together. Neither quite man nor woman, slaves to their desires and anxious to escape them, they are terrestrial beings, wild animals, angels and demons. Side by side, these domesticated primates rush towards something: their ruin, most likely. Check out the Georgia Straight article about the piece, and a video here.  At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

October 24 The Talking, Thinking, Dancing Body (TTDB) is a facilitated conversation about aesthetics, context and artistic process. Initiated in 2012 by Lee Su-Feh, it encourages speaking about performance from an awareness of our bodies as well as the world it lives in. It unabashedly interrogates the body in performance through a lens that is concerned with anti-colonialism, anti-racism and feminism. The 2017-18 season sessions will be facilitated by Justine Chambers, Sadira Rodrigues and Lee Su-Feh, scribed by Alexa Mardon. Hosted by battery opera performance in partnership with The Dance Centre. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 5-7pm. FREE

October 24-26 MACHiNENOiSY invites you to Underdancing. Throughout the fall MACHiNENOiSY Artistic Directors Delia Brett and Daelik offer a series of 3-day workshops, and this is number 5.  In Underdancing learn how to dance like the waves floating your partner to shore instead of getting dragged and pulled in the undertow. Come experiment and play with experienced contact teachers Delia and Daelik and learn how to build a resilient and supportive foundation for your partner. Underdancing is an open level contact workshop and is suitable for beginners and advanced contact dancers alike. At their studio Left of Main, 211 Keefer Street. 6:00 - 8:00 pm. The cost per workshop is $35. **Please register at [email protected].

October 25-28  Amber Funk Barton and her contemporary dance company the response. return to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts for the third instalment of their exciting WorkSpace series. WorkSpace is a performance series developed by the response. dance team to showcase work-in-progress excerpts of dance work being explored by the company. Inspired by memories, past relationships and the relativity of time, WorkSpace III will endeavour to embody these ideas to a curated playlist of pop music. This special instalment of WorkSpace III will also feature the emerging dancers of the company’s Apprentice Program, along with a new solo work for Amber Funk Barton by guest choreographer Heather Laura Gray. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby 8pm. Tix

October 26 - 28 The Cultch and TomaoArts present Kayoi Komachi/Komachi Visited, A Noh Chamber Opera, the world premiere of a new chamber opera that blends Japanese noh theatre and western classical music. Based on a traditional noh play about 9th century poet Ono-no-Komachi, the opera has been re-imagined to tell a contemporary story of a man and woman haunted by a passionate and troubled relationship. Kayoi Komachi/Komachi Visited is composed by Farshid Samandari and stars soprano Heather Pawsey as Komachi and master noh actor Yamai Tsunao as Fukakusa. The opera involves Japanese and Canadian singers and features a live orchestra of strings, flute, percussion and kotsuzumi (noh shoulder drum). Kayoi Komachi/Komachi Visited is about love, poetry, and the power of words. At The Cultch, 1895 Venables St., Vancouver, 8pm. Tix

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round Up

So much dance happening - have a great week!

Tero Saarinen Company in Morphed

DanceHouse is revving up for its season opener on October 27 and 28 with the Tero Saarinen Company (Finland) when they perform Morphed. In Morphed, seven male dancers seduce, challenge, demand and swagger, borrowing from casual street dance, Gene Kelly musicals, classical 19th century and modern dance. Saarinen masterfully crafts a fresh exploration of masculinity undaunted by the extremes of sensitivity and heroism, and all that lies between.Check out this interesting interview with Saarinen, and have a taste of the piece in this video. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8pm - and don’t forget the pre-show chat in the upstairs lobby of the Playhouse at 7:15pm. Tix for the show here.

Did you know each time DanceHouse brings a company into town, it engages each visiting company in a series of local masterclasses. The classes with the  Tero Saarinen Company are Thursday, October 26 10am – 11:30am in partnership with Harbour Dance Centre. Details and registration and also Saturday, October 28,  2:30pm – 4:00pm, in partnership with Lamondance Training and Performing Company. Details and registration

Co-presented by DanceHouse and SFU Woodward’s, Speaking of Dance Conversations is a series of free public dialogues and roundtable conversations about the world of dance, contextualizing it within culture and society. Presented by noted writers, choreographers and creative thinkers, Speaking of Dance is a platform for everyone to share and develop their observation and interpretation of dance. The first of these conversations Cultural Policies in a Global World: a Comparison, moderated by Janet Smith, is on Tuesday October 24, 7pm at the  Djavad Mowafahian World Art Centre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 West Hastings Street). FREE

Compañía Sharon Fridman in Hasta Dónde…?

You still have tonight and tomorrow October 13 and 14 to see The Dance Centre presentation as part of its Global Dance Connections series Compañia Sharon Fridman in Hasta Dónde…? + All Ways. One of a new generation of sensational Israeli choreographers, Sharon Fridman has taken the dance world by storm since establishing his company in Madrid a decade ago. His athletic, adventurous work is rooted in contact improvisation techniques, filtered through an innate musicality and an eye for design. Hasta Dónde…? explores the relationship between two men as it evolves through dependency, struggle and harmony. The endlessly fluid lifts and tumbles are propelled by a wonderful surging score. Fridman’s latest work All Ways is a meditation on the multiple paths before us: seven outstanding dancers power through an extreme physical and emotional spectrum, which ranges from fierce urgency to calm contemplation. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

A reminder that October 13, 2017 - 11am + 8pm and  October 14, 2017 - 2pm + 8pm Dances for a Small Stage presents Small Stage: Act 1, specially designed for kids and parents who are never able to make it to a Small Stage show due to the age restrictions.  At the BMO Theatre Centre, and tix are only $12! Tix

October 17 - 22, The Cultch presents Encounter SINDHOOR/NATYAVEDA - Navarasa Dance Theater (India/USA) Presented with Diwali in BC. The best physical theatre out of India, Encounter delves into the struggles and challenges of the indigenous communities of India through an explosive fusion of dance and theatre. Acrobatics and original music in a tribute to indigenous people’s history around the world. Read an article in the Georgia Straight about the company here. At the York Theatre, 8pm; October 22 7pm. Tix 

Opening next Thursday October 19 and continuing October 20 & 21, plastic orchid factory & MAYDAY/Mélanie Demers present Animal Triste. In the world’s grand parade, humans are nothing more than sad little animals. Prisoners of a hidden biology that guides their every step. In MAYDAY/Mélanie Demers' Animal Triste, a national cast of stellar, inexhaustible performers grapple with this inner turmoil. With setbacks and vagaries of living together. Neither quite man nor woman, slaves to their desires and anxious to escape them, they are terrestrial beings, wild animals, angels and demons. Side by side, these domesticated primates rush towards something: their ruin, most likely. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

[dancehouse-van]

The Friday Round UP

How nice is this extended summer we are having?

Tero Saarinen Morphed. 

We are just three weeks out to the opening of the DanceHouse season! October 27 and 28, in the spirit of Finland’s centennial, DanceHouse is pleased to present the acclaimed work of celebrated Finnish choreographer Tero Saarinen. In Morphed, seven male dancers seduce, challenge, demand and swagger, borrowing from casual street dance, Gene Kelly musicals, classical 19th century and modern dance. Saarinen masterfully crafts a fresh exploration of masculinity undaunted by the extremes of sensitivity and heroism, and all that lies between. Dance Magazine says “A seldom-seen, wondrous combination of hardness and softness brings out the potential of dance.” Check out a video of the work here, and tickets are available here - it is not too late to buy a subscription to the whole season, or single tickets are available also. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8pm

Co-presented by DanceHouse and SFU Woodward’s, Speaking of Dance Conversations is a series of free public dialogues and roundtable conversations about the world of dance, contextualizing it within culture and society. Presented by noted writers, choreographers and creative thinkers, Speaking of Dance is a platform for everyone to share and develop their observation and interpretation of dance. The first of these conversations Cultural Policies in a Global World: a Comparison, moderated by Janet Smith, is on Tuesday October 24, 7pm at the  Djavad Mowafahian World Art Centre, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 West Hastings Street). FREE

Thursday October 12 as part of the Dance Centre’s Discover Dance! series, get set for VanTap Romp, a percussive extravaganza with a troupe of accomplished and entertaining dancers! Featuring guest artist Terry Brock and friends, this exhilarating program showcases the infectious rhythms, technical skill and musicality of tap, tracing its vibrant history and its contemporary innovations. The dancers will ‘lay down some iron’ and create a rhythmic conversation full of zest and charm. For more info go to the Vancouver Tap Dance Society. At the ScotiaBank Dance Centre, noon. Tix 

Thursday-Saturday October 12-14, The Dance Centre presents as part of its Global Dance Connections series Compañia Sharon Fridman in                   Hasta Dónde…? + All Ways. One of a new generation of sensational Israeli choreographers, Sharon Fridman has taken the dance world by storm since establishing his company in Madrid a decade ago. His athletic, adventurous work is rooted in contact improvisation techniques, filtered through an innate musicality and an eye for design. Hasta Dónde…? explores the relationship between two men as it evolves through dependency, struggle and harmony. The endlessly fluid lifts and tumbles are propelled by a wonderful surging score. Fridman’s latest work All Ways is a meditation on the multiple paths before us: seven outstanding dancers power through an extreme physical and emotional spectrum, which ranges from fierce urgency to calm contemplation. At the ScotiaBank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix

This is exciting: October 13, 2017 - 11am + 8pm October 14, 2017 - 2pm + 8pm Dances for a Small Stage presents Small Stage: Act 1, specially designed for kids and parents who are never able to make it to a Small Stage show due to the age restrictions.  At the BMO Theatre Centre, and tix are only $12! Tix

Animal Triste  Photo: Mathieu Doyon

October 19, 20 & 21 plastic orchid factory & MAYDAY/Mélanie Demers present Animal Triste. In the world’s grand parade, humans are nothing more than sad little animals. Prisoners of a hidden biology that guides their every step. In MAYDAY/Mélanie Demers' Animal Triste, a national cast of stellar, inexhaustible performers grapple with this inner turmoil. With setbacks and vagaries of living together. Neither quite man nor woman, slaves to their desires and anxious to escape them, they are terrestrial beings, wild animals, angels and demons. Side by side, these domesticated primates rush towards something: their ruin, most likely. “The result is a pivotal work.” (C. Lalonde, Le Devoir). At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8pm. Tix