Unforgettable dance performances coming with Dancing On the Edge fest!

Frédérick Gravel and Étienne Lepage THUS SPOKE_Stéphane Najman_avec Anne Thériault

Frédérick Gravel and Étienne Lepage’s THUS SPOKE is among the works presented at this year’s Dancing On the Edge festival.

Frederick Gravel created a buzz in Vancouver in 2014, with his show Usually Beauty Fails at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. In July, the Montreal choreographer brings a new piece to town as part of the 28th Annual Dancing on the Edge festival (July 7-16 at various venues).

Gravel’s Thus Spoke…, which premiered in 2013, blends monologues with movement, concert-style lighting and the acid-rock stylings of Jim Hendrix (watch a preview here). Described by the choreographer as “philosophical, with a rock ‘n’ roll vibe,” Thus Spoke… is among the highlights of the festival, which presents both full-scale productions and works-in-progress that push the boundary between performance and contemporary dance. Here are a few more.

Isaac y Diola (excerpt) – This piece from Belgium’s German Jauregui and Antia Diaz is described on the Dancing On the Edge website thusly: “Taking the body as an epicentre we ask ourselves about its presence. How the relation between the internal (individual) and the external (universal) leave their traces and affects every gesture, every action.” Part of the Edge One program.

Douce tourmente – Choreographer Sylvie Desrosiers’ Douce tourmente “reflects on the authentic moments and physical manifestations of a relationship’s evolution. Within an immersive environment of sound a video created by Jeremy Mimnagh, interpreters Heidi Strauss and Marc Boivin create a powerful private world. Dramatic purpose is revealed, relations are built, and through a fragmented exploration of spatial expansion and fragmentation that is reflective and provocative, the couple’s altering strength renders a moving fragility.” Performed by Ottawa’s DORSALE Dance.

the edge of now – A solo piece by Heidi Strauss, “the edge of now delves into (choreographer Ginette) Laurin’s preoccupations with ‘the double’. Through distortion of the body, of images, sound, and time, Strauss (Artistic Director of Toronto’s Adelheid Dance Projects) plays between this physical reality and a suspended place where memory lives.” Part of the Edge Seven program.

The Outliner: an evening of solos – Isadora Award-winning choreographer Jennifer Mascall invites contemporary dance enthusiasts to the MascallDance studio, where the company presents solo works “at the ignition point of dance and design” in “a suspended and magical white kingdom inhabited by fantastical beings and unexpected events. Think Borges meets Bauhaus.”

MascallDance The Outliner__Renee Segouin, cred Michael Slobodian143 Vertical

MascallDance presents The Outliner (Renee Segouin pictured). Michael Slobodian photo.

The lineup also features pieces from many more of Vancouver’s premiere choreographers and companies, including Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg (Tara Cheyenne Performance), Ziyian Kwan (dumb instrument Dance), Alexis Fletcher (Ballet BC dancer), Amber Funk Barton (the response.), OURO Collective, Wen Wei Dance, Raven Spirit Dance/Starrwind Dance Projects, Out Innerspace Dance Theatre and more. The festival also presents two different works from Joshua Beamish (MOVE: the company).

Ziyian Kwan dumb Instrument dance cred Chris Randle 2 CAN CROP IF WHOLE BODY IS IN

Ziyian Kwan of dumb Instrument dance. Chris Randle photo.

In addition, the festival continues its tradition of placing dance in unusual settings, with site-specific works Pseudotsuga – Earth to Sky from Julia Taffe’s Aeriosa Dance Society, in Stanley Park, and the All Bodies Dance Project, with choreographer Naomi Brand, at the SFU Woodward’s Inner Courtyard.

Aeriosa_GrandFirs2-9 cred Elisabeth Astwood 2

Julia Taffe’s Aeriosa Dance Society’s Pseudotsuga – Earth to Sky takes place in Stanley Park. Elisabeth Astwood photo.

Visit dancingontheedge.org for full program, show info and tickets.

Venues include Firehall Arts Centre, Stanley Park, Scotiabank Dance Centre, SFU Woodward’s Inner Courtyard, and St Paul’s (MascallDance).

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