Reviews and responses are posted in language of origin. |
Les critiques et incidences sont postées dans leur langue d’origine.
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Season: 2003-2004

A Spirited Portrait
"Tziganes" by Serge Bennathan for Dancemakers
Toronto: April 20th through May 1st, 2004
by Kathleen M. Smith

Family and home are usually equated with security, grounded in a place with four walls and a roof. For much of the world however, family and home might mean something much more ephemeral. The tone for such musings is set in the opening moments of Serge Bennathan's newest work for Dancemakers, "Tziganes".
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Pages from a Storybook Ballet
"Cinderella" choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître for Alberta Ballet
Edmonton: April 2nd and 3rd, 2004
by Pamela Anthony

In his new full-length "Cinderella" for Alberta Ballet, choreographer and artistic director Jean Grand-Maître's vision is of a young woman more concerned with the daunting task of survival than with snaring a prince. In this ballet, we meet a Cinderella whose eventual triumph is reclaiming her birthright, her natural dignity, and the affection of her father. Falling in love with the Prince is a happy outcome of that journey, not the goal.
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Inscrutable Reflections
"Narcisse en Silence" by Mariko Tanabe Danse
Montréal: April 7-10
by Philip Szporer

In Greek mythology, the beautiful Narcissus discovered his image in a pool, fell in love with himself, and not being able to find consolation, died of sorrow by the same pool. While the myth may be imprinted in our collective unconscious, Montréal-based dancer and choreographer Mariko Tanabe's "Narcissus" is hardly conventional.
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Ballet in the Vernacular
"The Magic Flute" choreographed by Mark Godden for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Vancouver: Feb. 26-28
by Kaija Pepper

Mark Godden's "The Magic Flute", with its mix of classical ballet and contemporary cultural references, is great fun. Not just for the work itself, but also because of the reactions of the audience. To hear so many chuckles and gales of laughter at the ballet was a pleasure.
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Chamber Ballet
"Coppélia" choreographed by Bengt Jörgen for Ballet Jörgen Canada
Coquitlam, BC: February 28
by

On February 28th, Toronto's Ballet Jörgen Canada made a stop in Coquitlam, British Columbia, a suburb thirty minutes east of Vancouver, with its production of "Coppélia". The second-to-last stop in a tour of smaller communities around BC, this performance of "Coppélia" was a rare dance event for the Evergreen Cultural Centre (typically home to theatre and music), an intimate, 250-seat theatre opened in 1996.
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Tandem Images
Rêve à deux: Mascall & Chase for Poitras & Stewart
Regina: February 27-28
by Gregory C. Beatty

Probably the most famous couple in dance history is Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. While not as well-known as them, Robin Poitras and Ron Stewart -- she of Regina, he of Vancouver -- have a history of dancing together that dates back to 1998, when Montréal choreographer Bill Coleman teamed them in "Zurich 1916".
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Dance, Drama and Drumming
"Middle Passage: A Journey from Africa to the Americas" presented by COBA (Collective of Black Artists)
Toronto: Feb. 18-21
by Kathleen M. Smith

A warm embrace on a cold, damp night was COBA (Collective of Black Artists)'s gift to Toronto audiences with their recent show, "Middle Passage", at Harbourfront's Premiere Dance Theatre. The combination of dance, drama and most especially, drumming, was deeply satisfying on some, if not all, levels.
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WEB FEATURE
A Canadian Experience from Paris to New York
"Les Boreades", an international opera
by Mistaya Hemingway

In March of last year, an operatic event in Paris sent shock waves through the international arts scene, but barely made a ripple in Canada. The production was so riotously received in Paris, that one evening the audience had to be reprimanded by the Maestro for their behaviour.
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Expressive Geometry
"Adela, Mi Amor" choreographed by José Navas for Compagnie FLAK
Montréal: Feb. 3-14
by Philip Szporer

Inspired by the writing of Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, and in particular his most political dramatic work "La casa de Bernarda Alba", José Navas finds common ground with the playwright in that he wanted to respond to what he calls the "non-dance" that he sees produced in the Québec milieu. What's he's created with his newest work, "Adela, Mi Amor", at its very core, is a dance work celebrating movement.
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Sepia Snapshots: A Poetic Response
"Old Country" and "Resistance" by Kaeja d'Dance
Toronto: Feb. 12 & 14
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

A response in poetry.
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Of Toddlers, Maidens and Women
Three Flights Up: choreography by Lynda Raino, Constance Cook and Denise Lieutaghi
Victoria: January 24
by Robin J. Miller

In the grey drizzle of a typical January on the West Coast, Victoria's three best-known choreographers each took thirty minutes to prove that modern dance likes to tell stories just as much as classical ballet does.
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Urban Dance: Concertized
DNA: Definitions Non-Applicable - Urban Movements, Images and Sounds
Montréal: Jan. 15-Feb. 7
by Lys Stevens

From January 15th to February 7th, three Montréal presenters offered several dance programs in both long and short formats on the theme of urban street culture, concertized. For the second year running Tangente has collaborated with Montréal, arts interculturel, and a third presenter, this year the Gesu, centre de créativité, to frame this particular theme in dance creation, which is emerging in the Montréal contemporary dance scene.
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Truth and Narrative: New Dancefilm Releases
Allen Kaeja & Mark Adam, Moze Mossanen, Charlie Cahill, Veronica Tennant, Édouard Lock
Recent and upcoming broadcasts on CBC and Bravo!
by Kathleen M. Smith

Finding the choreographic truth in dance on screen -- generally devoid of text, narrative or other useful linguistic signposts -- is sometimes a tricky business. The creators of a handful of important dancefilm projects, just out or soon to be broadcast, manage to frame their truths to greater or lesser degrees.
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Unplugged and Inside-Out
"Débranché" by PPS Danse
Montréal: Théâtre du Gésu, Jan. 28-31
by Philip Szporer

Fashioned not unlike a television reality show, "Débranché", PPS Danse's new production, evokes the highly disposable but hugely popular genre that drives commercial television worldwide. As is the case with Mark Burnett, the producer and creator of the CBS program "Survivor", choreographer and PPS Artistic Director Pierre-Paul Savoie knows how to sell his wares.
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A New Contour
Margie Gillis - 30th Anniversary
Montréal: Place des Arts, Salle Maisonneuve, Dec 11-13
by Philip Szporer

Audiences probably watch Gillis' work differently from the way they watch other kinds of dance. Many come in awe, ready to receive the work with reverence and devotion. At the recent anniversary concert, for example, one middle-aged man a few rows ahead of me looked like he was ready to fling himself on stage (he didn't), but he did rush to throw his "billet doux" at her feet.
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A Muted Debut
"Closer to the Audience" by Hanna Kiel
Vancouver: December 3-4
by Kaija Pepper

A third modern dance company, Choom Hanna, made its Vancouver debut this season with "Closer to the Audience", choreographed by artistic director Hanna Kiel (the other two are Wen Wei Dance and Crystal Pite's Kidd Pivot). Choom Hanna is based both in Canada and South Korea, where Kiel is from, and where she also returns to work.
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Intellectually Playful Dance
"Sly Verb" choreographed by Christopher House with Toronto Dance Theatre
Toronto: November 18th-22nd
by Kathleen M. Smith

In the intellectually playful world of Christopher House, dance is usually just one of many ideas. House regularly wraps his full-length works in layers of text and theatrical imagery to express a very catholic curiosity about history, science, art and life.
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Alchemy of a Dance Festival: FIND-Lab Part 2
Festival international de nouvelle danse
Montréal: Sept. 30-Oct. 12
by Kathleen M. Smith

The second part of this year's edition of FIND was characterized by unusually fine weather outdoors, uneven programming indoors and an absolute obsession with technology everywhere you looked. Could these three elements possibly be related?
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Wrestling with Memory
"Autobiography: Chapters One through Five" by Gerry Trentham
Toronto: Dec. 4-6
by Bridget Cauthery

Gerry Trentham is a creator of moments. One of my all-time favourite moments in contemporary dance came courtesy of Trentham's 1998 work "Cathedral". And so I went to "Autobiography: Chapters One through Five" expecting moments. I was not disappointed.
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The Fleeting Ecstasy of Youth
"Risque (Risk)" by Paul-André Fortier
Vancouver: Nov. 19-22, 2003
by Kaija Pepper

Oh, the energy! The six young dancers in Paul-André Fortier's "Risque (Risk)" have energy to burn. They dance as if the fiery, impassioned experience is the only one worth having. The rest is all ashes, or waiting.
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A Middle Eastern Take on "Le Sacre"
L'Oeil et la nuit, a program of works by Motaz Kabbani
Montreal: Oct 31st
by Philip Szporer

Motaz Kabbani is still making a name for himself on the Canadian dance scene, and now he has done something somewhat daring and unusual that should garner attention.
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Motion in Motion
Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film and Video
Toronto: Oct. 23-26
by Philip Szporer

The 12th annual edition of the Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film and Video, curated by Kathleen M. Smith and Marc Glassman, opened in grand style, with a ballet-based evening of screen dance.
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Searching for Dance: FIND-Lab Part 1
Festival international de nouvelle danse
Montréal: Sept. 30-Oct. 12
by Philip Szporer

From high culture venues to warehouse-styled art spaces on Montréal's tenderloin, Festival international de nouvelle danse (also known as FIND-Lab) audiences had the opportunity to witness in real-time Gertrude Stein's adage that "great art is irritation".
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LOVE ME: Cinderella, Astroturf, red sequins and dancing men
"Celle qui, dit-on, aurait perdu sa chaussure (Cendrillon) " / Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal
Montréal: Oct. 16-18, 22, 23 & 25
by Marie Claire Forté

How much can you renew a traditional fairy tale? Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and Belgian choreographer Stijn Celis answer with "Celle qui, dit-on, aurait perdu sa chaussure (Cendrillon)". In more than a word, this translates to: "The one whom, they said, would have lost her shoe (Cinderella)". Premiered October 16th at Place des Arts, the hyper-narrative ballet was presented in a contemporary light, permeated by symbolism and an underlying theme of a grand quest for love.
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A Wealth of Influences
"Tao (The Way)" choreographed by Wen Wei Wang
Vancouver: Oct. 15-18, 2003
by Kaija Pepper

It's the individual movement that stays with you: bodies, male and female, unfurling legs and arms, flattening their torsos forward, winding and reaching like exotic plants trying to face the sun or growing in all directions in fast motion right before your eyes.
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Questions of Contrast
"Asht Nayika: Eight Different Heroines" by Usha Gupta
Edmonton: Sept. 27-28, 2003
by KO

Usha Gupta's "Asht Nayika" was the first performance in the 25th anniversary season presented by the Brian Webb Dance Company in Edmonton. This fusion exploration brought together kathak dance, Usha Gupta's South Asian form, as well as flamenco and modern dance to explore the central theme translated as "Eight different states of women."
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Faces of Memory
"Cinq voix, cinq visages" by Jane Mappin
Montréal: Agora de la danse, Sept. 17th-20th Toronto: Dancemakers Studio Theatre at the Distillery, Oct. 2nd-4th
by Philip Szporer

In "Cinq voix, cinq visages", choreographer Jane Mappin conjures up a whole community of dancers, singers, storytellers and a mixed-generation cast, in a ninety-minute medley of stage performance along with video interviews and moving images. Mappin says she's fascinated by the idea of memory.
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Dance from the Heart
(a)round 2 presented by Four Chambers Dance Projects
Toronto: Sept. 6-7 & 9-13
by Kathleen M. Smith

When words fail, dance can still tell an eloquent story. But how satisfying it is when words and movement are mixed in just the right proportions (for me, three parts dance to one part language) to present complicated ideas about personal history, emotional truth and the sad/funny foibles of the human condition.
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Humour, Words and Some All-Out Dance
Dancing on the Edge Festival
Vancouver: July 2003
by Kaija Pepper

The fifteenth annual Dancing on the Edge, presented by the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver from July 3rd through 13th, was a remarkably — mature edition. The humour was mostly about the joys and sorrows of middle age, there was maybe one dancer who didn't have a seriously developed technique, and about half of the emerging choreographers were already emerged age-wise ...
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Dance and Biology
Shared Habitat Festival of Art and Science 2
Toronto: June 2003
by Kathleen M. Smith

It's always cause for celebration when artists look beyond their own navels for inspiration.
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Parks Full of Dance
Dusk Dances
Toronto: July 2003
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

Neither the dark sky, nor the wet grass deterred the formidable crowd from coming out on the evening of July 11th, to enjoy the first park on Corpus' two-park Dusk Dances festival. This year marks producers David Danzon and Sylvie Bouchard's ninth event. Since its inception, Dusk Dances has become a summer-time institution
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Inspired Responses
Series 8:08 Season Finale 2003
Toronto: June 5-7
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

Responses in poetry...
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Setting IDAC In Motion
In Motion presented by Integrated Dance Artists Collective
Toronto: May 10, 2003
by Paula Citron

In this expanded review, I hope that the enterprising young women of Integrated Dance Artists Collective (IDAC) won't mind if I use them as an example for all groups on an inaugural run. In many aspects, their show "In Motion" was a wonderful model for new dance groups to emulate ...
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Language of Dance
Stream of Dance Festival
Regina: April 23-26, 2003
by Gregory C. Beatty

Since its founding in 1986, New Dance Horizons has gained strength with each passing year. In 2002, it took its most ambitious step yet, organizing and presenting Stream of Dance, a three-day festival devoted to prairie dance.
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Season: 2002-2003

Liquid Memory
"Watermark: visible when held against light" choreographed by Michelle Silagy
Toronto: April 24-26
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

A poetic response.
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Everything Except Time
"Sheepman Dreams" by Kokoro Dance's Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi
Vancouver: Mar. 25-30, 2003, part of the Vancouver International Dance Festival
by Kaija Pepper

Kokoro Dance's "Sheepman Dreams " is an hour-long submersion into the deep, dark consciousness of a long sleep. The slow, earthbound movement traps the dancers and audience in its own unnaturally extended sense of time and space.
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Dancing, Death & Narcissism
'Monsieur' choreographed by Estelle Clareton
Montréal: March 12-15, 2003
by Philip Szporer

Estelle Clareton, one of Québec's up-and-coming choreographers, sets up an inspired theatrical premise early on in her new work, "Monsieur", the first in a planned triptych focussing on men. A packed house, anxiously awaiting the premiere of this solo work for dancer Daniel Firth, is told that the star of the show is late due to unforeseen circumstances.
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Sleek Statements
Reclusive Conclusions and other duets choreographed by Tedd Robinson
Ottawa: March 20-22, 2003
by blank

The world premiere of Tedd Robinson's production Reclusive Conclusions and other duets is definitely one of the highlights of dance in the nation's capital this season. In a break from his self-labelled "reclusive existence" as a solo artist, the Ottawa-based Robinson choreographed three duets for himself and guest artists Mako Kawano, Louise Lecavalier and Margie Gillis.
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Deconstruct/Disconnect
The King and Queen of Ruins and In Good Company choreography by Sasha Ivanochko, Lesandra Dodson and Shannon Cooney
Toronto: March 13-15, 2003
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

Through short reviews and poetry, I have charted my experiences of DanceWorks' double bill, The King and Queen of Ruins/In Good Company, performed at the duMaurier Theatre Centre in Toronto from March 13th-15th and featuring the work of choreographers Sasha Ivanochko, Lesandra Dodson and Shannon Cooney.
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Martial Arts Meets Sea Shanty
"Cyclops" by battery opera's Lee Su-Feh and David McIntosh
Vancouver East Cultural Centre: Feb. 28-Mar. 8, 2003
by Kaija Pepper

"Cyclops" is a loose compilation of myths and imagery about the sea, created by battery opera co-directors Lee Su-Feh and David McIntosh.
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Blurred Bodies, Bionic Bodies
"Amelia" choreographed by Édouard Lock for La La La Human Steps
Montréal: Feb. 13-16
by Philip Szporer

"Amelia" is one of the most anticipated dance productions of the season. After a much-ballyhoued European tour, and a stop in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre for the Canadian premiere, Édouard Lock's La La La Human Steps opened the Festival Montréal En Lumière ...
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A (re)View of "Quest"
"Quest" choreographed by Byron Chief-Moon, in collaboration with Karen Jamieson
Vancouver: Feb. 5, 2003
by

This review was submitted in response to the postings below by Lindsay Zier-Vogel, who is exploring the integration of poetry into her writing about dance. See this author's response to Zier-Vogel's writing under the "Of Wishes and Driftwood" link.
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A Personal View of Humanity
"Beauty" choreographed by Julia Sasso
Toronto: Jan. 28-Feb. 1
by

Every so often an artist makes a definitive work - one that encapsulates his or her vision of the nature of humanity and the world. Such provocative works stimulate discussion that resonates beyond the particulars of the work itself.
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Peggy Baker's "Home" Season
"Home" presented by Peggy Baker Dance Projects
Toronto, Jan. 16-19
by Kathleen M. Smith

If home is where the heart is, dancer/choreographer Peggy Baker's domestic turf must surely encompass the entire planet - Baker can wear her heart on her sleeve like no other performer. The evening-length "Home" is a collection of three brief works ...
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A Bazaar of Impressions
"Schatje" choreographed by George Stamos
Montréal: Jan. 16-19
by Philip Szporer

George Stamos is the kind of choreographer that can't make tidy dances, but that's not to say he doesn't use his material judiciously. In "Schatje " (the affectionate Dutch word "honey" , which, according to Stamos, is used by gays, prostitutes and drag queens), he's feeding on club and strip joint behaviour in a theatrical setting ...
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Of Wishes and Driftwood
"Snakes in my Belly" choreographed by Nicole Fougère
Toronto: Dec. 12-14, 2002
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

a poetic response ...
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Juxtaposition
Toronto Dance Theatre in "Converse" by Peter Chin & "Virgin Queen" by Matjash Mrozewski
Toronto: Nov. 16-30, 2002
by Kathleen M. Smith

Compare and contrast. The recent Toronto Dance Theatre double bill of premieres by Toronto choreographers Peter Chin and Matjash Mrozewski provided a rare opportunity to get analytical about two very different approaches to dance.
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Transformations
Jing Ju/The Secrets Unveiled & Circle of Sacred
Toronto: Nov. 16–17, 2002
by

It never ceases to amaze me that dancers I know well sometimes change in performance to become beings I barely recognize. They animate space, suspend time and grow larger than life. Their bodies can speak, sing, fly or hold perfectly still.
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people : life
Channel 3: Glass Anchor by Heidi Strauss, Idle by Justine Chambers
Toronto: Nov. 13–17
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

More poetic responses to motion.
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Still-Life Inspires Motion
Louise Bédard's "elles"
Montréal: Nov. 20–30
by Philip Szporer

Choreographer Louise Bédard’s deep respect for Modotti has inspired her new production, “elles”. It would have been easy to take a literal approach to her subject, to play with the still-life aesthetic of Modotti’s photographs …
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A Cerebral Take on a Swirling Tale
"Scheherazade" by John Alleyne for Ballet BC
Vancouver: Nov. 14th–16th
by Kaija Pepper

Vancouverites had to wait until mid-November for the ballet season to open this year, when Ballet British Columbia premiered artistic director John Alleyne’s “Scheherazade”.
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"An Orgy of the Ordinary"
"Volio" choreographed by Lola McLaughlin
Toronto: Oct. 25–26
by Rebecca Todd

As a victim of the hyped-up Toronto lifestyle, I’m grateful when artists have the courage to make works that slow time and open space. As a case in point, I went to Lola McLaughlin’s “Volio” tired and hassled and not at all in the mood for contemporary dance. To my surprise,
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Rain-Soaked, Wind-Soaked
"The Satie Project" choreographed by Serge Bennathan for Dancemakers with Eve Egoyan
Toronto: Oct. 8–12 & 15–19, 2002
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

the skin could not sense wet, only temperature, only pressure, and so, she asked the one beside her with her eyes and hands splayed into question marks, were they in water?
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Luna: She, He, All
O Vertigo's "Luna"
Toronto: Oct. 1–5, 2002
by Lindsay Zier-Vogel

A response in poetry to O Vertigo's "Luna". Luna, her name and the shape of her shoulders, and the centre spheres of her collarbone,
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Not Just for Dance People
Cas Public’s “Courage mon amour”
Montréal: October 9–12 & 16–19, 2002
by Philip Szporer

It’s not just dance people who will be interested in the new Cas Public production, “Courage mon amour”, by choreographer Hélène Blackburn.
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An Expression of Today in Bharata Natyam
Life Lines: an evening of women's lives in dance & theatre
Toronto: Sept. 27 & 28, 2002
by Rebecca Todd

The theme of women’s lives links the three works by two different choreographers in Life Lines, an evening of bharata natyam-based dance
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