We are off to enjoy the holidays for the next couple of weeks – back on January 7! Happy Holidays to all, and here’s to a great 2022!

You still have until December 19 to see the DigiDance online presentation of Babel 7.16, and if you have not seen it yet, do not miss it! In 2010, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet joined forces with visual artist Antony Gormley to create Babel(words), a dance performance that explores language and its relationship with nationhood, identity and religion. Taking the tale of ‘The Tower of Babel’ as its starting point, Gormley’s five huge three-dimensional frames hint at a nameless intersection in a faceless city near the borders that define a no man’s land. We watch as the action flows from private to public, intimacy to extroversion, and the individual to the collective – while choices of faith, space and community are made and we are reminded that to some the tale of Babel represents the gates to enlightenment, to others – chaos, confusion and conflict. The piece was performed nearly 150 times in cities all over the world for nearly seven years. Tix

For the 70th edition of the Festival d’Avignon in 2016, choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet created a new version of their Olivier award-winning piece, and transposed it to the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais des Papes under the title of Babel 7.16. Ten new performers were added to the show, ten new characters making the story even more rich and complex. Check out a teaser here and then go online to buy your Tix

Tonight and tomorrow night, December 17 and 18, MascallDance’s BLOOM will kick off its first night of dance and delight! ⁠⁠Audiences will get to experience the dancings of five remarkable and thoughtful artists who have choreographed five-minute dances. The performance will be interpreted by comedian Jenn Griffin at the end of the night. ⁠The five artists are Erica Mitsuhashi, Alexa Mardon, Eowyn Enquist, Ralph Escamillan and Marissa Gold. At Left of Main, 211 Keefer St. The event is by donation, and you can register and donate here.

If you are looking for something to get you into the spirit of winter, on December 17 and 18, Davi Rodrigues, Artistic Director of Lamondance (LMD), is excited to share his new contemporary work inspired by the classic romance Romeo and Juliet. Follow the journey of the characters in A Winter’s Twist and be captivated in their adventures in an enchanting winter wonderland as you follow the star-crossed lovers through a mysterious portal into a magical winter forest. At the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts, North Vancouver, 7:30 pm. Tix

On Friday and Saturday, December 17 and 18 experience the explosive talents of two of BC’s brightest young female artists, Livona Ellis and Rebecca Margolick, showcasing an evening of solos and the world premiere of their first collaboration, a duet titled Fortress. Ellis performs her pensive solo Unmoved, a deeply felt response to the idea of overcoming the limitations we place on ourselves. Margolick’s solo Bunker hums with energy, drawing on themes of memory and the shared history of previous generations of women. The program also includes two solos revived last season specially for them: Peter Bingham’s 1997 Woman Walking (away), danced by Ellis with exquisite simplicity and focus; and Allen Kaeja’s Trace Elements (2000) performed by Margolick, a passionate call to learn from the mistakes of our past. Check out this Stir Vancouver article about their work. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8 pm both nights, and a 1 pm matinee on Saturday. Tix