Last night I learned a lot about dance.
I hadn't been to much contemporary dance for about a decade (save the National Ballet's Rooster last year), but I landed in a great place to reacquaint myself with it.
60 dances in 60 minutes delivered. I was surprised at how apparently disparate elements could be drawn into a movement piece, particulary with great humour--not only the audience but also the company had fun. If you feel up to speed on contemporary from watching So You Think You Can Dance, treat yourself to it live: there was an energy in the room that was engaging, even to the relative neophytes like me. I was also struck by the physical strength of the five dancers, which you can't always appreciate in a larger performance space. I certainly was made more conscious of time and our interaction with it, reinforced by the cyclical elements of the choreography--and who'd have thought water, tickling and shepherd's pie would accomplish that??? By the end of the performance I felt like I had started to develop a working vocabulary for dance and movement--at least an understanding I had lost as an uninhibited child. As my companion said, it was a 'perfect performance': you were totally engaged the whole time, and that from a lifelong dancer. It certainly whet my whistle for another whirl at live dance.
You can still catch performances of this world premiere at 8pm til the 14th with a 3pm matinee that day too. Tickets are $32-38 and are available through 416 973-4000 or http://harbourfrontcentre.com/nextsteps You can also see more at www.dancemakers.org .
I hadn't been to much contemporary dance for about a decade (save the National Ballet's Rooster last year), but I landed in a great place to reacquaint myself with it.
60 dances in 60 minutes delivered. I was surprised at how apparently disparate elements could be drawn into a movement piece, particulary with great humour--not only the audience but also the company had fun. If you feel up to speed on contemporary from watching So You Think You Can Dance, treat yourself to it live: there was an energy in the room that was engaging, even to the relative neophytes like me. I was also struck by the physical strength of the five dancers, which you can't always appreciate in a larger performance space. I certainly was made more conscious of time and our interaction with it, reinforced by the cyclical elements of the choreography--and who'd have thought water, tickling and shepherd's pie would accomplish that??? By the end of the performance I felt like I had started to develop a working vocabulary for dance and movement--at least an understanding I had lost as an uninhibited child. As my companion said, it was a 'perfect performance': you were totally engaged the whole time, and that from a lifelong dancer. It certainly whet my whistle for another whirl at live dance.
You can still catch performances of this world premiere at 8pm til the 14th with a 3pm matinee that day too. Tickets are $32-38 and are available through 416 973-4000 or http://harbourfrontcentre.com/nextsteps You can also see more at www.dancemakers.org .
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