Reviews

Stéphanie Cyr and Calder White / Photo by David Cooper

Mama, do we die when we sleep? Explores Wonder in a World of Responsibility

Part of the Dancing on the Edge Festival in Vancouver, Rachel Meyer’s work was inspired by the question posed by her two-year-old daughter By Rachel Silver Maddock

Vancouver’s Dancing on the Edge Festival 2021 kicked off with a welcome return to live performance on the West Coast. Mama, do we die when we sleep? by Rachel Meyer was not the only sold-out show on the program, but it did sell out remarkably fast, even when extra tickets were added last-minute.

Posted July 22, 2021

The Living Performance Environment in MOTHER sound / body Presents a World of Possibilities

The performers wear sensors on their wrists, which control lighting, music and projections in the performance environment By Rachel Silver Maddock

The show presents a “living” performance environment that responds to dancers almost like a co-performer, and the possibilities of that technology seem endless.

Posted June 28, 2021

Wanted Rides the Line Between Campy and Cool

CAMP’s swaggering cowboy comedy considers good and evil at Vancouver International Dance Festival By Tessa Perkins Deneault

The world of the cowboy is the setting for CAMP’s exploration of good and evil, but the idea that hero and villain can be a matter of perspective applies to us all.

Posted June 7, 2021

Stories of Struggle and Triumph Underscore GRIT: Short Dances

Five emerging artists showcase the diversity of Asian cultures and identities By Joshua Chong

GRIT: Short Dances is an online showcase of five dancefilms streaming on YouTube from May 14 to 21. Together, they form a kaleidoscopic tapestry that offers a glimpse into the breadth of Asian perspectives that are woven into the fabric of our country.

Posted May 21, 2021

The Coming Silence Is a Wild Ride

kloetzel&co.’s self-guided tour presents a wilderness that is threatened by extinction By Jenna Shummoogum

A performance centred on extinction, The Coming Silence interprets humanity’s place in the wilderness of today.

Posted May 10, 2021

Propeller Dance Brings Vibrant Joy to Our Living Rooms for Earth Day 2021

Celebrating and connecting with the Earth in the virtual age of a pandemic By Patricia Allison

Stepping into Propeller Dance’s two-hour live and interactive virtual Earth Day celebration was like being welcomed into a warm and vibrant community.

Posted May 3, 2021

The Dance Centre’s Latest Show in the Discover Dance! Series Is a Flamenco Smorgasbord

Kasandra “La China” offers a cursory introduction to the flamenco art form that leaves you wanting more By Joshua Chong

There’s much to admire in this short half-hour performance. Kasandra “La China”’s love for the art form shines through clearly, and her captivating performance pulls off what every showcase should do: it leaves you wanting more.

Posted April 23, 2021

Belinda McGuire’s ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Dancefilm Invigorates a Challenged Art Form

Order in the Eye of the Beholder is available until April 30 By Deirdre Kelly

User control is a constitutive feature of electronic gaming but foreign to contemporary dance, making this project by the Canadian-born, New York-based indie dance artist Belinda McGuire genuinely innovative.

Posted April 13, 2021

Orange Is a Mesmerizing Duet on Human Connection

Deanna Peters/Mutable Subject and Less San Miguel/LessIZM’s experimental creation melds two bodies into one By Joshua Chong

Joshua Chong reviews Plastic Orchid Factory’s production of Orange, an aching but welcome antidote in this era of physical distancing.

Posted April 12, 2021

KNOW the RULES, WIN the GAME Is a Clever Look at the Artist in Politics

Kunji Ikeda uses history and humour to ask what would happen if artists today were trusted advisors to government By Rachel Silver Maddock

Kunji Ikeda presents “the artist” as vulnerable though essential to the state in his work KNOW the RULES, WIN the GAME.

Posted April 8, 2021

Aching Distances

Ali Robson’s performance response to Dancing with Tantalus in review By Jillian Groening

Ali Robson’s performance response to the visual art exhibition Dancing with Tantalus considers what is cultivated through the dynamic proximities of bodies, surfaces and art objects in virtual space.

Posted March 24, 2021

Decidedly Jazz Danceworks’ Drive-In Show Is an Innovative Pandemic Performance

There is something in the details closes tonight By Jenna Shummoogum

Decidedly Jazz Danceworks’ There is something in the details takes place through the windows of the company’s building. Music and voice-overs stream through a radio frequency that you can access in your car. Every vehicle is parked on an angle so that each cohort can have the best sightlines, and instead of applause, people honk their horns in appreciation. This is pandemic performance.

Posted March 20, 2021