Reviews
A Personal View of Humanity
Beauty Julia SassoEvery 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.
Posted February 14, 2003
A Bazaar of Impressions
By Philip Szporer Schatje George StamosGeorge 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, and everything and everyone is open to scrutiny – the manipulator and the manipulated, the subject/object and the viewer/viewed.
Posted February 2, 2003
Peggy Baker's "Home" Season
By Kathleen Smith Home Peggy Baker Dance ProjectsIf 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.
Posted February 2, 2003Of Wishes and Driftwood
By Lindsay Zier-Vogel Snakes in my Belly Nicole FougèreA poetic response.
Posted January 2, 2003
Juxtaposition
By Kathleen Smith Converse, Virgin Queen Toronto Dance Theatre, Peter Chin, Matjash MrozewskiCompare 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.
Posted December 14, 2002
Still-Life Inspires Motion
By Philip Szporer elles Louise BédardChoreographer Louise Bédard’s deep respect for Modotti has inspired her new production, “elles”.
Posted December 14, 2002people : life
By Lindsay Zier-Vogel Channel 3: Glass Anchor, Idle Heidi Strauss, Justine ChambersMore poetic responses to motion.
Posted December 1, 2002
Transformations
Jing Ju/The Secrets Unveiled & Circle of Sacred William Lau, Dancers for Peace, Sashar ZarifIt 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.
Posted December 1, 2002
A Cerebral Take on a Swirling Tale
By Kaija Pepper Scheherazade John Alleyne, Ballet BCVancouverites 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”.
Posted November 30, 2002
"An Orgy of the Ordinary"
By Rebecca Todd Volio Lola McLaughlinAs 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.
Posted November 9, 2002Rain-Soaked, Wind-Soaked
By Lindsay Zier-Vogel The Satie Project Serge Bennathan, Dancemakers, Eve EgoyanA poetic response.
Posted November 2, 2002
Not Just for Dance People
By Philip Szporer Courage mon amour Cas PublicIt’s not just dance people who will be interested in the new Cas Public production, “Courage mon amour”, by choreographer Hélène Blackburn.
Posted November 2, 2002Luna: She, He, All
By Lindsay Zier-Vogel Luna O VertigoA response in poetry to O Vertigo’s “Luna”.
Posted October 19, 2002
An Expression of Today in Bharatanatyam
By Rebecca Todd Life Lines: an evening of women's lives in dance & theatre Lata Pada, Sampradaya Dance CreationsThe theme of women’s lives links the three works by two different choreographers in Life Lines, an evening of bharatanatyam dance presented by Lata Pada’s Sampradaya Dance Creations.
Posted October 12, 2002
