Halifax and Guelph Youth = 40 Young Dancers in a Powerful Performance

The In the Park series this year includes a collaborative performance by the Young Company of Halifax Dance and the Guelph Youth Dance Company. We asked Gillian Seaward-Boone, one of the rehearsal directors from Halifax, to tell us more about the piece and the process that brought it together.

In the Park takes place Friday, June 2, 6 pm (Hanlon Creek Park), and Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4, 12 pm (Exhibition Park).

Detailed information: www.guelphdance.ca 

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It's hard not to be excited by the energy of nearly 40 young dancers in a studio throwing themselves into a dynamic and fastpaced choreography, especially when you have three short days to complete the work. On top of that, add the buzz of two groups from different provinces finally meeting face-to-face after weeks of texting and emailing, suddenly living together for 5 whole days. The first chapter of the exchange between the Guelph Youth Dance Ensemble and Halifax Dance's Young Company was exhilarating, exhausting and wonderful.

Our two performance groups were brought together through an exchange with Experiences Canada, an initiative of Canadian Heritage that looks to provide Canadian youth with exchange programs that will broaden their understanding of their community, local and national heritage and culture. Our goal was to build a work that they could perform together at the Guelph Dance Festival this spring. Serendipitously, Mocean Dance (a professional dance company based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia) had just celebrated its 15th anniversary season in September with a piece entitled 15 for 15 that featured fifteen choreographers creating one minute mini choreographies for fifteen dancers at a time. The end result was a huge success. So my co-director, Sara, and I wondered what would happen if we transformed the vignettes and placed them on 40 bodies moving at once? What resulted was Together We Rise.

Through a magical residency weekend at Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in Canning, Nova Scotia, we began to build a colossal body of work in a very short amount of time. Since the original Mocean piece involved fifteen different choreographers, most of whom are Canadian, we were able to educate the group on the Canadian dance community around them and teach them about some key players in the landscape. We adapted sections to make room for such a large group and we expanded sections to fill the outdoor space they would eventually perform in. Janet, Sara and I watched as our students worked together tirelessly to create something so exciting and so fun that it gave us

goosebumps. Imagine the power of forty dancers vocalizing as loud as possible. Imagine the actual wind they generate when they run through the space together. Imagine the level of concentration it takes to stay focused with forty people in a studio! To say we were proud of them would be a gigantic understatement. The end result is a piece that somehow showcases each dancer's individuality while moving as a cohesive team all at once. It's extremely accessible, playful and poetic.

We have missed our Guelph friends over the past few months, but the anticipation of finally having our groups together again grows every rehearsal. It's going to be a memorable weekend and we can't wait to share this journey with you!

Throwdown Collective: 'Where ideas bounce around easily and spark new ones'

As Throwdown Collective prepares to take the In the Studio stage this week at the 19^th Annual Guelph Dance Festival, we took a few minutes of their time to find out more about what it’s like to be part of their Collective.

Founded in 2008, the Toronto-based trio is a contemporary dance company that supports the collaborative creative pursuits of founders Zhenya Cerneacov, Mairéad Filgate and Brodie Stevenson. Creating both site-specific and stage work, the collective have created three site-specific commissions for Dusk Dances: One Couch (2009), Boxset (2011),  and 1981FM (2013), all of which went on to tour with the festival and beyond, throughout Ontario, to Trois-Rivières, Quebec; & Vancouver, British Columbia.

The group performs Wednesday, May 31, 7:00 pm; Thursday, June 1, 8:00 pm; and Friday, June 2, 8:00 pm at 42 Quebec Street, Guelph. A talkback follows the Thursday performance. A reception follows the Friday performance.

Scroll to the end to catch some video of the group in action!

Ticket information: www.guelphdance.ca  

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What is the Throwdown process like?

Mairéad: For the most part it is really a lot of fun! From the beginning we have had great chemistry as a group. We share a sense of humor and similar values around how to work and what kind of work we are interested in. We talk a lot about the work of other artists and what we connect to and don’t. When we’re working we have found a great flow together where ideas bounce around easily and spark new ones. When we’re in work mode we’re all very engaged and excited about the work. The process of making together also feels like a huge relief from working as a solo choreographer. Because we are all invested equally the process feels very supportive, and when it comes down the nitty-gritty of getting things done we divvy up the work and use each other as sounding boards when we need it. We always make decisions together which takes a little longer but feels good in terms of us all being equally invested. And when there is a crisis (we’ve had a few) its so much better not to have to go it alone. What I might cry over if I were solely responsible, we end up laughing about together most of the time. We have our challenges as in any collaborative working situation but three seems to be a good number in terms of neutralizing things and for the most part things roll off our backs and we get back as quickly as possible to the task of doing the work.

How do you pull a piece together?

Brodie: In general, we propose movement ideas and then improvise with these ideas to mine them for anything that we might consider physically exciting or dramatically compelling.  Once we have identified phrases, images or ideas that we would like to go back to we begin to experiment with how best to reconstruct them, either through creating and learning a phrase of movement or by refining an improvised score that is specific enough to get us back to the original image or movements we first liked.  From there, we begin to stitch together our ideas and phrases to begin creating a pathway through our movement ideas and to find an over-arching build or logic to all of the material. This part of the process involves a lot of trial and error and often continues on even after the piece is close to finished. The entire process is collaborative so we are always discussing and evolving what it is we are working towards and what we hope it will read as in front of an audience.

What is the difference between working just the 3 of you vs. working with an outside choreographer?

Zhenya: Working with an outside choreographer is a much simpler process. We only have to worry about our tasks as dancers and following instructions from the choreographer. In a collective structure, we are dancers and co-choreographers at the same time. As co-choreographers in our own work, we have both the perspective of a dancer within the work, as well as the outside perspective through the use of video footage. We use both perspectives to explore, perfect and refine our choreographic material.

Through extensive communication, we voice our individual interests in the various aspects of the material that we're working on. We listen to each other's ideas and interests, then we come up with a common set of notes, tasks and suggestions for ourselves to execute as dancers.

Q&A with Belinda McGuire

Belinda McGuire, whose stunning photo graces our Festival poster this season, took a few minutes to answer some questions about her upcoming performance at On the Stage, Saturday, June 3, 8 pm. We recommend getting your tickets to this show ASAP, as they're selling fast! 

GD: Belinda, why did you make the piece you'll be performing at the Festival?

I commissioned Sharon B. Moore to make Anthem for the Living as a part of “The Heist Project,” which included two other solo works by other choreographers, danced by me. I was driven to immerse myself in work that is meticulously imagined and designed, but ultimately brought to life or achieved through necessary spontaneity in response to the unfolding action. Sharon’s work built a perfect arena for this exploration.

GD: How long did it take to make Anthem for the Living, and what was the studio process like?

We broke ground on Anthem in early 2009 and continued working in 1-3 week-long intensive creation periods every few months until the piece premiered in 2011.  In between the creation periods, I rehearsed on my own whatever material already existed.

GD: How does your piece relate to cultural trends or other works of art or current events or history?

One colleague, upon seeing a run of the work in rehearsal, said something to the effect of “she is every man and every woman and every child.”  It’s also about life and death - two things that, of course, we all face.

GD: What is something you'd like to tell the audience about your piece that they won't be able to find out in the program?

I don’t think there’s anything else they need to know. I’d be happy to talk about it with anyone afterwards, but it doesn’t need any preamble.

GD: Why is dance important to you? Why should it be important to others?

Movement can be an immediate, visceral, complete and efficient form of communication. It’s a powerful and compelling tool to wield and also to behold as the audience.  Not always, of course… like any case of craftsmanship, it needs to be applied in the right way, in the right context with the right intentions, but even still things can go awry.  I’m trying to say that dance has had a huge impact on me (as an audience member), so my artistic mission is to make more opportunities for potentially impactful work to be created and performed for others.

Tickets: www.guelphdance.ca

 above and top: Belinda McGuire; choreography: Sharon B. Moore; photo by Jubal Battisti

Choreographer Kevin A. Ormsby on “FACING Home: Love and Redemption”

 

Kevin A. Ormsby and his company KasheDance (Toronto) will be performing at our three In the Park shows on Friday, June 2, 6 pm at Hanlon Creek Park, and on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4 at 12 pm at Exhibition Park. The piece the company will be performing is “FACING Home: Love and Redemption,” co-choreographed by Kevin and his colleague Christopher Walker. We asked Kevin to tell us more about the piece and about his work with KasheDance. What you’ll read here will shed light on the work you’ll see during the Festival.

Thoughts on Dance in An International and Provincial Context 

The speech was written at an event hosted by KasheDance and the previous Lt. GG of Ontario –Michael Onley at the Lt.GG Suite at Queens Park.

As Artistic Director of KasheDance and Co-Choreographer of “FACING Home: Love and Redemption,” my story is like that of many Ontarians. The stories of immigration fostering change, fuelling industries, lives and the demographics of Ontario; it is for me the movement of Diasporas, the dance and cultural sensibilities that informs my work. I have to understand this relationship as an artist in relationship to indigeneity and the indigenous peoples of this land which we as settlers call Home.

KasheDance creates its works in sensitivity to the international influence indicative of the city, province and country I have come to call home. Dance possesses more than the physical capacities that it has come to be known for. It is a catalyst not only for expression but also for understanding, civic engagement and social activism. In providing a space for expression, dance transcends into the hearts of its practitioners and its viewers to highlight our culture, society and inner being. It can at times, with the aide of other mediums unite form, content and context, which leads to unique perspectives of who we are as a people. The power of the art form in Education, Community and Social enterprise highlights possibilities for engaging stories, empathy, inclusion and diversity; important characteristics I believe, required by our consciousness and humanity. It supports creativity, imagination and ultimately innovation.

Dance is a human expression seen in and through the historical depictions of time and in Ontario, dance is an ever-present reality of our province. Internationally, dance in Canada offers many examples of this country’s lasting impressions to the world. Ontario is a gateway to many artists’ adjustment in Canada. Many cultures live here and the smorgasbord of international cultural expressions makes dance in Ontario filled with untapped riches for further exploration, collaboration and appreciation. KasheDance is passionate without a doubt about the possibilities that lie in the conversations of cultural influence at the crossroad. As we celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, Ontario and Canada are poised for such focused and progressive conversations because dance is one of those catalysts for the engagement of civic societies of the contemporary future. The boundaries then, of cross-cultural engagement steeped in local and international experiences, places the arts in Ontario at the forefront of cultural potential and currency. 

As a creator, I choose not to forget the contributions made by many cultures, ethnicities, races and also persons from international boundaries on the Arts in Ontario.  Such international and local influences have supported the socio-cultural, artistic and economic milieu of Ontario. Dance moves, it ignites, creates potential, insurmountable possibilities for civic and cultural progression. Notwithstanding, civic engagement and community building. Said community-strengthening starts here with the presentation of many artists from diversity backgrounds at the Guelph Dance Festival. 

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We had a few more questions for Kevin.

Why did you make the piece you'll be performing at the Festival?

Three years ago Chris Walker (co-choreographer) and I embarked on separate creative research projects. Kevin was investigating the global impact of Marley’s music, while developing a movement language for his company rooted in Jamaican/Caribbean language of the body. Chris had been doing research on contemporizing Caribbean dance and was invited to work on the project with KASHEDANCE as dramaturge/co-choreographer, with a focus on translating the history, philosophy and cultural information embedded in the movement vocabulary. During this same period, Kevin provided artistic support for Chris’ research project, “A Yard Abroad” which evolved into “Fac­ing Home: a phobia.” This project investigated the potential that dancehall and urban popular movement vocabulary has, as language, to engage in conversations around the stigmas of homosexuality and homophobia in Jamaica and the ability to rise above. We recognized the conversation that both projects were having with each other and decided to combine and collaborate to create Facing Home: Love & Redemption.

Over three years, our process included interviews, community discussions, feed­back sessions, movement development workshops, performance workshops with audience talkback sessions, conference presentations and publications on process and project, and curated performances of excerpts. We wanted to dig deep into the consciousness and value system that informed Marley’s work and explored movement vocabulary steeped in the cultural nuances of dances of the Caribbean. In copying tradition we used synchronicity in the choreography. Traditions of masking and subversive texturing also reflect the realities of living as LGBTQ in the Caribbean and in many cases, where Caribbean cultures migrate. Queer Caribbean bodies morph as they are often forced through machinations to get through the day - these expressions provide a dance language palette suited to our curiosities about having contemporary physical conversations with the past, present and future.

Bob Marley’s music galvanized generations with sentiments like “Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights” —“I wanna love you and treat you right, I wanna love you everyday and every night” — “Eman­cipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds - “you can’t run away from yourself” —“Africa unite” —”No woman no cry” — “I say fly away home to zion “ — “Exodus, all right! Movement of Jah people!” — “One love, one heart.” This contemporary dance concert investigates the global impact of his music and his message—its expression of humanity’s struggle and inspiration toward love, redemption and hope—and the simultaneous, deep-rooted homophobia in Jamaican/West Indian Culture that results in, for many, a forced exodus from their country and the reconstruction of their identi­ties as a means of survival.

“FACING HOME” is meant to impact migrant populations, generate change and ignite the LGBTQ commu­nity, it’s supporters, and service workers everywhere it’s performed and beyond. We hope, with this work, to initiate an ongoing conversation with you and provide spaces for the LGBTQ narratives of displacement from home.

What was the creative process like?

The piece involved a creation / exploration phase, second phase creation process and then a production phase both in Toronto and Madison, WI. Given it was a bi-national work we spent many time over social media and technological platforms discussing, documenting and rehearsing the work. Research also occurred in Jamaica and New York between the choreographers and in Toronto and Wisconsin with the dancers and lighting designers.  The company is steeped in creation, research and presentation and so we demanded that every artist be invested where the research facilitated the creation and then how those elements could and would be shaped in presentation. All our work requires this framework of artistic engagement by our artists. The investment they have made in the processes been the most humbling experience. The process has been long, emotional and transformative. We had to ground and be psychologically conscious of not just our sexually identified but also heterosexual cast members as well.

How does your piece relate to cultural trends or other works of art or current events or history?

I would be curious to hear from audience members, presenters and participants what and how they think this piece is relevant. Our diversity framework as a company has always been reflective of the Jamaica in which both co-choreographers grew up and still practice. It’s about the diversity of not just the techniques from which we create but also the artists with whom we create with. It’s live experience that one-day Canada will come to appreciate and understand fully. We are a contemporary company forged in the interplay of many dance techniques, rooted in the African Diaspora.

What is something you'd like to tell the audience about your piece that they won't be able to find out in the program?

Dear Audience Members, 

The work you will experience is created with the sensibility that you too are experts in what you see and feel! 

You BREATHE, FEEL, and in turn DANCE. (KasheDance’s Philosophy)

Your thoughts, emotions and expressions during the work is equally important to it.

Dance and the Arts can change society…it starts with you.

Every nuance, look, smile, is rich with the celebration that you are here with us. 

Our last piece “ONE" was written as a speech by Haile Selassie's address to the United Nations, 1963.

Then made popular by Bob Marley, the version you hear is by a Caucasian Jamaican. 

If indeed as Alvin Ailey say "dance came from the people and it should be given back to the people” If so,

Then “ this is my message to you oo oo” - Bob Marley

Hoot, Holler, Let us know that you are moved by what you experience; it’s a small portion of what we want to give back to you 

You mean the world to us because we are the world right here, right now…

Why is dance important to you? Why should it be important to others?

   

I feel the speech at the beginning speaks to this and now we have gone the full circle of life…

Festival Artistic Director Tells You What She's Excited About this Season!

We asked Catrina von Radecki, Festival Artistic Director, to tell us what excites her in this season's Festival. Here's what she told us.

As Artistic Director of the Guelph Dance Festival, I am so excited to tell you about the upcoming 19^th annual festival, May 31-June 4! This year, we are celebrating Canada’s incredibly diverse culture with dance from Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Guelph. Contemporary, urban, Indigenous, and Chinese dance will all be represented in our events that include On the Stage, In the Park, In theStudio, and Youth Moves. This year’s festival highlights the life cycle of birth, growth, death, and renewal. You will see in this year’s festival that we are nurturing dance artists from various generations and doing our part to keep the Canadian dance ecology healthy and vibrant.

An important aspect of putting on a dance festival is getting to know dancers from across the country. This year, I traveled to the New Dance Festival in St. John’s and to the Coastal First Nations Dance Festival in Vancouver. Among the passionate discussions between dance presenters from across the country was one about the presentation of Indigenous Dance at our various events. At both Festivals that I attended, I made new relationships that are already bearing fruit. In Vancouver, I participated in a hoop dance workshop led by Jessica McMann, a Cree native from Cowessess First Nation. I realized right away that her incredible teaching skills would be a perfect complement to the In the Park performances that will be done by two-time world champion hoop dancer Lisa Odjig (Toronto). Jessica will be in Guelph in mid-May to teach five full day workshops at five elementary schools! We are thrilled to offer this and are hopeful that the youth will then make plans to attend the Park performances by Lisa (who will be giving a hoop workshop for the general public following her Sunday performance).

And speaking of cultural diversity, I am also delighted that KasheDance (Toronto) will be performing In the Parks! Led by Jamaican-born Kevin Ormsby,the company will perform “Facing Home: Love & Redemption,” a piece that draws on Jamaican reggae and dancehall culture, while coming face to face with issues around homophobia. KasheDance works in the idiom of Afro-contemporary dance; its dancers are technical, virtuosic, and deeply committed to the depth of human expression.

Our local focus this year is on Guelph-based dance icon Suzette Sherman, who has worked with David Earle for over 30 years as dancer and Associate Director, and is beloved by many local dancers here. After meeting with a broad range of dancers in the community, it became clear that they are interested in ongoing professional support in the form of residencies and performing opportunities. To that end, Suzette is our Artist in Residence this year. She has taught a group of dedicated teen dancers in a masterclass, will be doing talks and demonstrations at two area senior centres, will be teaching 3 masterclasses for the public during the festival, and is working with a group of local professional dancers including her longtime friend and colleague Michele Green (whose journal will be posted on our blog soon) in the creation of new choreography that will premiere On the Stage on Saturday, June 3. We recommend getting your tickets soon – today even – as the show is more than half sold!

I am also looking forward to OURO Collective’s unique blend of contemporary and urban dance that will be performed In the Parks, Throwdown Collective’s tight and intricate performance In the Studio’s three performances, Belinda McGuire’s virtuosic and athletic solo On the Stage, the exquisite and eloquent Andrea Nann of Dreamwalker Dance Company, also On the Stage, and the numerous youth who will descend upon Guelph for the always invigorating Youth Moves performance as well as the performance by the 40 dancers of the Young Company of Halifax Dance and the Guelph Youth Dance Company, performing in the beautiful outdoor spaces of Hanlon Creek Park and Exhibition Park.

There’s more: workshops, talkbacks, and receptions! Get all the details at our website. Guelph Dance kicks off the Summer festival season – so make sure to attend as many events as you can! I look forward to seeing you at the theatre, studio, and parks!

Photos top to bottom: Lisa Odjig (courtesy of artist); KasheDance (photo by Stuart Reeves); Suzette Sherman (photo by John Lauener); Throwdown Collective (photo by Jeremy Mimnaugh)

The Power of Thanks

Gratitude is a big buzz word these days. And for good reason. We have much to be thankful for, even amidst some truly terrible things that happen on a daily basis. Saying "Thank You" is a big deal. It means you've been recognized, that your efforts have been noticed, that you're not being taken for granted, and that your contributions have made a difference.

Running a dance festival can get a little chaotic at times...staff and volunteers are truly in the present moment as they run to post a sign about a rain location, or make sure a youth dancer hasn't been left behind, or ensure that artists have water to drink after their performances, or chat with a patron about a particular performance. So, as we emerge from our Festival weekend, we want very much to thank each and every person, funder, sponsor, neighbourhood group, and volunteer, who contributed towards the creation of a very successful Festival. We absolutely could not pull any of this off without your support!

Big thanks to our Platinum Sponsors: 1460 CJOY, Magic 106.1, CFRU, and Intrigue Media.

Big thanks to all of our other sponsors noted in the sponsor board below.

Big thanks to our Funders: Department of Canadian Heritage, Canada Council,Ontario Arts Council,City of Guelph, Guelph Community Foundation, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Good Foundation, Rotary Club of Guelph Trillium.

Big thanks to the Guelph Dance Board of Directors: Richard Gorrie, Michelle Miller, Heather Finn, Marie Zimmerman, Jillian Cockburn, Kim Bolton, Lynda Walters, and Lindsay Morris.

Big thanks to our Fab 5 partners: Hillside Festival, Guelph Jazz Festival, Guelph Film Festival, and Eden Mills Writer's Festival, and to our Fab 5 social media coordinator Marshall Bell.

Big thanks to Hanlon Creek Neighbourhood Group, Exhibition Park Neighbourhood Group, and 2 Rivers Festival for creating partnerships beneficial to so many.

Big thanks to our numerous volunteers at our camps and festival, helping with kids, collecting donations, handing out programs, setting up tables, etc.

Big thanks to the folks who joined our team for the Festival: Taras Cymbalisty, Dorothy Fisher, Leslie Fisher, Amber Sherwood-Robinson, Solana Del Bel Belluz, Davian Hart, Daniel Poulin, Kelly Steadman.

Big thanks to all of the individuals who donated money to our organization all year long. You hold us accountable!

Embrace Adventure with Julia Aplin: BLiP

In the weeks leading up to Guelph Dance Festival 2014, some of the Festival artists will share their vision with us here on the blog. These intimate, behind-the-scenes looks will bring us closer to the artistry, process, and experience of dance. We encourage you to not just read these amazing stories, but to ask questions and engage in conversation about dance in our comments section below. Embrace adventure with us in 2014!

Julia Aplin has choreographed a collaborative piece between Perpetual Motion Youth Company, Swansea School of Dance, and YMI Dancing. She shares with us some journal entries about the piece, which will be performed at Youth Moves, Sunday June 1 at 4pm. Tickets are available through the River Run Centre Box Office.

Julia: BLiP is an interconnected dance work that brings together three dance companies in an exciting new collaboration. BLiP is about creating connections, appreciating differences and understanding how all living things need each other. The work is choreographed to allow each company to shine and to create moments of unity between the groups.

"Blip" is "something that is small that does not last a long time". In the big picture our Universe, life as we know it has not been around for very long and individual lives are a mere blip. Yet, we each are a beautiful, essential part of the whole picture. This piece celebrates the profound importance of each blip of life in our world.

Some early sketches from Julia's BLiP workbook.

Entry 2: Went into an amazing fabric store today. I had to focus myself to get only the black, 4-way stretch. Enough to make 25 balaclavas. 25 BALACLAVAS! Now, to me that seems like an unusual request but the sales lady didn’t bat an eye when I showed her the hooded sample and I asked how many thousands of yards I would need.

Entry 3: Here’s my main problem right now…keeping track of exits and entrances! If you leave stage right and your next entrance is stage left it is a problem. I have to make sure every dancer’s exit is in the correct direction, so that she can enter from the right place for the next section. Sounds simple, right? but with 25 dancers from 3 different companies, it’s a mind bender.

Entry 4: My house is full of tiny bits of coloured foam. Why? I’ve been cutting up kitchen sponges. Why? To make mushrooms. Why? Because mushrooms are an important part of the ecological system.

Entry 5: Had a big rehearsal day for BLiP today! Started at Pia Bouman’s YMI Youth Company at 9 a.m. Then, dashed to Cambridge to rehearse with Dianne Long’s Perpetual Motion dance company. On Wednesday, I’ll be rehearsing with Michelle de Browers’ Swansea dancers. All of these dancers are impressing me with their commitment and energy. Wahoooo! Can’t wait for them to meet each other and share in their awesomeness.

Entry 6: Had a great rehearsal with the Swansea dancers today. I came to the studio with, what I thought, was a big question; Do we want a propeller or a leaf? In the end, there really was no question as the leaf won hands down. In fact, the dancers’ excitement over the leaf made the propeller seem kind of sad by comparison.

Entry 7: We had our first full run-through of the YMI Dancing sections today. The dancers are really going for it, settling into their roles and bringing lots of creative energy to the movement. Our morning costume making session was also very rewarding. The dancers came up with fabulous ideas of what species to put on their heads. For example…the BUTTERFLISH!

YMI Dancers designing their costumes. Emilie Claus, Amelia Brown, Ella Corkum, Sarah Andrew-Gee, Cate Billinton, Alexia Christie.

Dhara Sheldrick, Stella Horvath and Jenny Aplin modeling some of the designs at Swansea.

Entry 8: I am trying to get the opening section straight in my head. All three companies are in this section, and I am still having fear of traffic jams. That is why I am up at midnight going over the sketches and doing imaginary, preventative traffic control. Here’s some of the thoughts in my head; If the Spikey ball enters upstage right, then the connected animals can enter downstage left, ok… then the tumble weed crosses from upstage left, yes…! Repeat at least one hundred times until you either A) lose your mind or B) feel confident that it will work.

Some diagrams from Julia's BLiP workbook.

Entry 9: The daxophone! The first time I heard it I wasn’t sure I heard it right. Hans Reichel was a genius. Did you ever put your wooden ruler on the edge of a desk to make that bwangy sound? Hans Reichel made a collection of odd looking wooden sticks to make that sound even better!!! Hans Reichel made an artform out of that sound! He used his daxophones to make the album “Lower Lurum” to which my boyfriend (also a musical genius, I must say) introduced me and right away I knew it had to be used for BLiP. When I played it for the dancers they looked puzzled, like maybe they thought I might be joking. Maybe a little crazy. Hans Reichel and the daxophone! 

Hans Reichel's Lower Lurum.

Julia Aplin is a Toronto based artist. Her choreography has been presented across Canada and in Europe. She has created work for Dancemakers, Toco Loca, Urban Vessel, and princess productions, among others. Julia’s career has taken her across artistic boundaries. Julia was a performer with Dancermakers under Artistic Director Serge Bennathan for 15 seasons. Julia teaches dance and movement to a wide range of communities.