Fresh Blood - Presented by The Chimera Project
Quick post. Today held the evening of Fresh Blood, a program of short modern dance pieces by new choreographers selected by The Chimera Project's Artistic Director Malgorzata Nowacka. I left for it a bit late, so didn't make the trip to the post office I'd hoped to (but likely will do that tomorrow), but was in time for the shows.
I had a great time. Enwave Theatre was practically full, there was a good range of ages, and the atmosphere was open and warm. The acts were picked based on Malgorzata's taste for originality and individuality, so there was quite a diverse range of styles, subjects, approaches and outcomes. So there was media deconstruction, meditation on getting a handle on place, exploration of the human body, camptastic re-imaginings of social rituals, and more.
I especially appreciated one of the perennial things that draws me to dance. Communication - means, media, techniques, conventions, etc... - occupies my thought much of the time. One of the things that I like about certain kinds of modern dance is that it's a bit like, in a piece they're teaching you a new language rooted in human forms in motion, specifically for that work of choreography, that you're only going to use for the next two minutes, or hour, or whatever. It's like an extremely concentrated burst of demand for pattern matching/analysis that, in a sense, happens completely privately and with lots of room for failure without consequence. There is some relief about getting to exercise some mental faculties and being able to enjoy doing so.
On a related note, just a reminder for those in Toronto, that at the Young Centre for the Arts in The Distillery District, the Canwest Cabaret Festival is on until this Sunday. Last year was fantastic. I expect no less this time.
I should look for a dance and theatre icon.
I had a great time. Enwave Theatre was practically full, there was a good range of ages, and the atmosphere was open and warm. The acts were picked based on Malgorzata's taste for originality and individuality, so there was quite a diverse range of styles, subjects, approaches and outcomes. So there was media deconstruction, meditation on getting a handle on place, exploration of the human body, camptastic re-imaginings of social rituals, and more.
I especially appreciated one of the perennial things that draws me to dance. Communication - means, media, techniques, conventions, etc... - occupies my thought much of the time. One of the things that I like about certain kinds of modern dance is that it's a bit like, in a piece they're teaching you a new language rooted in human forms in motion, specifically for that work of choreography, that you're only going to use for the next two minutes, or hour, or whatever. It's like an extremely concentrated burst of demand for pattern matching/analysis that, in a sense, happens completely privately and with lots of room for failure without consequence. There is some relief about getting to exercise some mental faculties and being able to enjoy doing so.
On a related note, just a reminder for those in Toronto, that at the Young Centre for the Arts in The Distillery District, the Canwest Cabaret Festival is on until this Sunday. Last year was fantastic. I expect no less this time.
I should look for a dance and theatre icon.