Jennifer Dallas, Artistic Director of Kẹmi Contemporary Dance Projects, says that she is inspired by choreographers who are playing in the cracks between disciplines. Dallas herself has been able to turn this “playing” into award-winning productions. In Kittly-Bender she successfully brought the worlds of dance and theatrical clowning together on stage, exciting audiences and winning […]
Celebrated Russian choreographer Boris Eifman brings to life the story of composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), and it is a tale of beauty and tragedy. Eifman, inspired by the composer’s life, utilizes Tchaikovsky’s historic works to draw out evocative imagery of the man’s inner demons and public life. At the start of the ballet we […]
Growing up in the ballet world, I had often heard her name, but I never dreamed that I would be fortunate enough to see Evelyn Hart dance. Master of her craft, she is everything I hoped she would be. Her hands appear as light as a bird as she moves so tenderly and gently through […]
Ballet BC made a stop in Toronto on a packed tour, and showcased an evening of athleticism, nuance, and sensitivity. Performing at the St Lawrence Centre for only two nights, I was lucky to catch a glimpse. It was refreshing and exciting to see another nationally renowned ballet company perform, as I am so used […]
Choreographer Crystal Pite’s work is always deeply thrilling—her ability to bring an audience into a transformed alternate reality is her trademark. In Revisor, her second collaboration with writer Jonathon Young, we are witness to a darkly surreal world that is presented to us both as farce and warning. Revisor is a militaristic period fantasy, heavy […]
“You only leave home if home is the mouth of a shark” This is one of the many hard truths about the refugee experience that No Woman’s Land asks its audience to grapple with. Through thoughtfully constructed and highly theatrical vignettes, Jaberi Dance Theatre challenges viewers to experience the plight of refugees on a deeply […]
A periodic cry, almost a scream, penetrated the performance space as the audience arrived and settled into their seats. It was unsettling, but mostly ignored. Choreographer Daina Ashbee’s Pour– presented by TO Live in association with Native Earth Performing Arts and The Theatre Centre- seemed to begin when a figure (dancer/interpreter Paige Culley) began pacing across the front of the stage, still […]
The proof is in the pudding is a strangely apt synopsis of The Art of Degeneration, a solo show by Louis Laberge-Côté. Why so? Because the climax of the show is him dipping his hands in chocolate pudding and smearing it all over this body. But here is the crazy part: it is absolutely appropriate […]