The Firehall Arts Centre Presents Empty-Handed

Post Show Talkback:  October 3

Photos & Trailer:  https://shorturl.at/cfOTs

“You are excrement. You can change yourself into gold.” – Alejandro Jodorowsky

(Vancouver, B.C.) – The Firehall Arts Centre is pleased to open its 42^nd season with the world premiere of The Biting School’s Empty-Handed from Wednesday, October 2 to Saturday, October 5.

Empty-Handed is a contemporary dance piece that explores the journeys of five cosmic characters through themes of darkness, deception, and greed.

Audience members are invited to leave behind something from their past, which becomes part of the show. Through expressive movement, choreography and storytelling, the dancers create a world that transcends time and culture. Each character guides the viewer through an emotional arc that honours the essence of their personal revolution.

The vibrant colour palette, transformational costumes, provocative props, and theatrical lighting reinforce the characters’ metamorphosis. Multi-layered original music composition and imaginative projection design amplify our satirical commentary on the haunting subject matter.

“We are sitting in the madness of the human experience”, says co-artistic director and choreographer Arash Khakpour. “Forgetting we are the guests that the daffodils invited in a long time ago. We are sitting in stillness and finding the trails. The trails that will eventually take us home.”

Firehall Arts Centre’s Artistic Producer Donna Spencer adds, “It is exciting to open our 2024-2025 season with this newest work from The Biting School. This piece reflects our ongoing commitment to bring up-and-coming dance artists to the stage while ensuring thematic content addresses current societal issues.”

Credits for Empty-Handed:

Co-Artistic Director/Choreographer:  Arash Khakpour
Performers:  Juolin Lee, Marisa Gold, Hayley Gawthrop, Antonio Somera Jr., and Arash Khakpour
Creative Consultant:  Heather Lamoureux
Dramaturg:  Raïna von Waldenburg
Props & Set Designer:  Hamidreza Jadid
Costume Designer:  Elika Mojtabaei
Projection Designer:  Candelario Andrade Gutierrez
Composer:  Alex Mah
Lighting/Tech Designer:  Dan O’Shea
Photographer/Videographer:  Luciana Freire D’Anunciação 
Outside Eye:  Anne Cooper
Co-Producer:  Aryo Khakpour

For more information on The Firehall, please visit the following platforms:

Website:         www.firehallartscentre.ca
Facebook:        www.facebook.com/firehallarts 
Instagram:       www.instagram.com/firehall.arts/ 
Twitter (X):      twitter.com/firehallarts