Is it possible – can spring be almost here?! Happy week!
Vancouver cannot get enough of Brazilian company Grupo Corpo, and on February 28 and 29, DanceHouse brings this extraordinarily exciting company to the stages of the Vancouver Playhouse – for the third time, no less! Grupo Corpo channels the metaphysical with their new work Gira, in which Choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras has infused his style with movement idioms inspired by Afro-Brazilian rituals. The company’s deep research into the cosmology and rites of Umbanda (the most widespread Brazilian-born religion) creates a new kind of performance aesthetic, possessed by a ripe sensuality and cathartic power.With music from São Paulo band Méta Méta, the dancers invoke a state of near-transcendental ecstasy, opening up a pathway from one plane of existence to the next. The corporeal world melds with the divine in a transformative journey of rare exaltation. A second work Dança Sinfônica will also be performed. In this first symphony created specially for the dance company, Marco Antônio Guimarães, the author of anthological works such as 21 (1992) and Bach (1996), combines a sophisticated plot with original pieces and evocative musical passages from ballets recently produced by Grupo Corpo.
“Inspired by Afro-Brazilian religious rituals, Gira is carnal, raw and more than a little dangerous.” –Arts File
“To watch the piece felt a bit like being privileged to observe secret, sacred rituals and ancient rites anonymously, as if through a peephole… irreverent, electrifying, sometimes aggressive, otherworldly and, when done right, something that can transport you (even if only emotionally or sensually) to a place of purity and transcendence…” – Broadway World
Grupo Corpo will perform at the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Pre-show talk at 7:30 pm in the upstairs lobby of the Playhouse. Tix
Thursday, February 27, 2020; 9:30am – 11:00am
Masterclass with SFU/SCA-School for Contemporary Arts students (Dance Major)
SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 West Hastings Street). The workshop will be facilitated by three dancers from Grupo Corpo.
Tonight and tomorrow night, February 21 and 22, Matriarchs Uprising / Talking Stick Festival present two evenings of works that bring together Indigenous women who are nurturing the art of contemporary dance so that it may be appreciated by audiences from all backgrounds – check out the website for some interviews with the artists. On Friday, in an evening titled Same But Different, DubaiKungkaMiyalk brings together a double bill of solo works by Mariaa Randall and Henrietta Baird, two contemporary choreographers who tell stories through dance. Each woman has created a work that draws on their individual dance practice. While both artists’ style of moving may be different, the women are unified by their common desire to move. Baird’s Protocols is a solo investigating cultural protocols; questioning when to follow cultural law and when to break it in order to keep culture alive. Randall’s I’Dentity dissects the boundaries of identity and questions who gets to draw the line. Same but Different places the women and their work side by side to challenge any notion that all Indigenous dance is the same.
On Saturday, KIRI is an interdisciplinary performance combining dance, sculpture and video by choreographer and video artist, Louise Potiki Bryant, and clay artist Paerau Corneal with a hypnotic sound score by composer, Paddy Free. KIRI explores the integrity of clay in a pre-ceramic state and acknowledges the creation of Hine-ahu-one, the first woman created from earth in our Māori creation traditions. KIRI means ‘skin’ and clay is activated in contact with the dancer’s skin which in turn animates the dancer. KIRI is a conversation between a dancer and a sculptor redefining our mutual knowledge of skin and clay, movement and form and concepts of geology/ whakapapa (genealogy), the sacred and the mundane.The second work of the evening, Link is a warrior dance, choreographed by Aria Evans, about the blockades we come across in life, focusing on the idea of forging ahead and asking the question; “What is my generation fighting for or against?” At the Cultch, 7:30 pm. Tix
On Saturday February 22, Lamondance presents LMD & Friends Dance Gala. A show to celebrate Vancouver’s extraordinary dance community: a dance-filled showcase of passion, love and creativity, this exciting performance will showcase talented local dancers and performing artists from within the Dance community, bonding, connecting and creating opportunities to show that dance is a powerful way to communicate. BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University, Silent Auction 6pm | Showtime 7pm. Tix
On Wednesday February 26, Raven Spirit Dance will have a sharing of their work in progress, Confluence and time for conversation afterward. Confluence is the gathering of Indigenous women in the rehearsal room and through the creative process we find meaningful connections to build scaffolding in which to hang our thoughts, desires and impulses as Indigenous dance artists. We explore water as the heart of being human. Being the source of life, it shapes and carves through our landscape, creating our rhythms and stories. At the Scotia Bank Dance Centre, 6 pm.
Opening next Friday, February 28 to Sunday March 1, the Coastal Dance Festival provides an opportunity for Indigenous artists to share and support one another in a celebration of lived traditions, bringing recognition to their unique cultures. It is only when stories, songs and dances are performed in regalia that one gains a complete understanding of the purpose and meaning of Northwest Coast art. By witnessing these traditions our audiences will see that First Nations culture and arts are alive and vibrant. Presented by Dancers of Damelahamid in partnership with the Anvil Centre and The Museum of Anthropology. For more program info and tickets. At the Anvil Centre, New Westminster.
The Friday Round Up is here for you, a place to share anything that is happening in the dance world in Vancouver – performances, workshops, conferences, festivals…all of it! If you have something you would like to announce on The Friday Round Up, please send it to debora@dancehouse.ca We look forward to hearing from you!
