For 27 years, Dancing on the Edge has presented both up-and-coming and established choreographers showcasing current contemporary dance, as well as allowing artists the perfect platform to present their work. This year was full of inspiring, daring, and original works representing a wide range of dance styles and influences. They all had one thing in common, though: edgy dance that breaks boundaries.
Misfit Blues — Fortier Dance-Création
Paul-André Fortier is very well respected in the world of contemporary dance, and this opening night work made it clear that his reputation is justified.
Along with Robin Poitras, Fortier created a humorous world for a couple that was very comfortable with one another but also not afraid to let loose and express their anger. The duo was also very comfortable on stage as they did a couple of on-stage costume changes, and looked completely at ease throughout. Their experience was evident in their confident performance.
I really enjoyed the scenes that had the two of them unabashedly yelling at each other — it was quite cathartic. The most humorous scene involved the two of them laying over a bench upside down and looking back at the audience with funny expressions while speaking gibberish and pointing as if trying to figure something out.
Another highlight was them sitting on the bench beside a fan and competing to get a tissue to travel in the fan’s air stream. Their unique facial expressions and gibberish transcended language, just as dance does as a form of expression.
The piece began very slow, deliberate, and silent, with them moving as one intertwined unit. They moved over, under, and through each other with ease, and the piece ended with them sitting comfortable on a bench laughing. The stark contrast of very light humorous moments and very heavy, intense moments of anger and frustration made this work stand out.
Joshua Beamish/MOVE: The Company — 10th Anniversary Celebration
Beamish’s company has toured extensively and collaborated with the likes of The New York City Ballet and The Royal Ballet, but it all started here in Vancouver. The show opened with a powerfully moving solo by Beamish himself, showing exactly where the company’s aesthetic stems from. He came on stage after the solo to explain the show being entirely duets: his favourite thing to choreograph is relationships. He also spoke about how grateful he is to have made it to 10 years and to have worked with so many talented dancers in his time.
The show was a mix of dancers who were with the company from the beginning returning for the show, others who are current members, and guest artists from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Royal Ballet (London). All of the works presented were remounts except for the world premiere of The Other People in Your Party.
Jo-ann Sundermeier and Joshua Reynolds of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet performed Pierced, a stunning display of strength and precision that was absolutely beautiful. Their technical grace coupled with pure emotion is what every dancer strives for. Matthew Ball and Nicol Edmonds of The Royal Ballet performed Burrow, an untamed, aggressive piece that was also captivating.
Stay was a quixotic pas de deux with less polish than Pierced, but it suited the piece and Jedidiah Duifhuis and Cristina Graziano performed it with the right amount of unbridled passion. The Other People in Your Party, while it was the only new work, seemed the weakest. I didn’t find it technically sound or emotionally present as the other pieces, although the choreography was lovely.
With his beautiful long lines and intricate choreography, Beamish’s company will surely be around for at least another 10 years.
Cuckoo — Theon Glover
At Edge Up, Theonn Glover presented a beautiful solo about identity and the control of outside forces. Portrayed through the disparate personalities of three characters, Cuckoo explores the unconscious parts of the human psyche that steer the direction of our lives. It was fascinating to watch Glover interpret this concept as the three characters of her subconscious fought for control.
This hallow space has a corridor — Katie DeVries, Nathan Todd, Antonio Somera, Lindsey White, Michael Kong, Meredith Kalaman
This group of young BFA grads presented a solid composition with a cohesive tone and multiple scenes. The movement vocabulary seemed a bit derivative of the 605 Collective’s style, and I had the feeling that I had seen many of the sequences before, but I still enjoyed the piece. They splendidly evoked the dark, eerie tone of long dark hallways and spooky corridors.
Re:Play — Naomi Brand
This duo began with Hilary Maxwell and Walter Kubanek standing on a small black cube, dancing around each other, careful to stay on the cube. Once they came down from there, they transitioned into very fluid, broad work with intricate contact work that kept my attention throughout. I loved their smooth transitions and ability to feed off each other’s momentum. The duet explored the tensions that lie in the space between two bodies, and took advantage of the heightened state of responsiveness that being in close proximity to another dancer allowed. They ended the piece inside the upturned cube, their legs squished together while sitting on the edge.
NINEEIGHT — Hong Kong exile
This bold work from choreographer Natalie Tin Yin Gan is inspired by the phenomenon of absurdist comedy that dominated 1990’s Hong Kong cinema, known as 無厘頭 (mo lei tau) or by the idiom “nine doesn’t follow eight.” The work reflects on personal fractures, disorientation, and the significance of a “motherland” at times of social, political, geographical transition.
Michelle Lui, Alex Tam, and Milton Lim got plenty of laughs from the crowd as they seemed to sarcastically impersonate anime characters and repeat some things until they physically couldn’t anymore. Featured at the back of the stage were projections of words flashing in quick succession along with pulsing music. I enjoyed the dry, absurd sense of humour, political message, and unique composition of this work.
Nobody Likes a Pixelated Squid — Tentacle Tribe
Along with Kuebler’s piece, Tentacle Tribe performed their work for Edge 5. Emmanuelle Lê Phan and Elon Höglund presented a stunning display of fluid movement inspired by hip-hop, breakdance, and other forms of street and contemporary dance.
They explained after the shoe that their creation was about the possibility of alternate realities, and it was beautifully constructed to end the same way it began. Extremely smooth, flexible, and musical, this was one of the coolest pieces of choreography I’ve seen. Their intricate partner work, quick stops and starts, and ability to incorporate so many styles into a beautiful mosaic of movement was very impressive.
This Canadian-Swedish creative alliance between LêPhan and Höglund is based in Montreal. The two have worked together since 2005, but Tentacle Tribe was founded in 2012 while they were performing with Cirque Du Soleil.
Feasting on Famine — Shay Kuebler
This preview of a Kuebler’s full length work in development is a study of the physical and emotional effects of bodybuilding. The work is all about extremes, and hilariously parodies the world of bodybuilding. Kuebler explained that he views bodybuilders as a metaphor for a corporation — imbalanced and always striving for constant growth.
He began the piece with a grandiose shaving sequence set to opera music before moving into an extreme aerobics workout and posing for the audience. All this was done in a speedo, making it that much more hilarious — particularly for the family and friends watching. There was plenty of spontaneous laughter throughout, especially when Kuebler stared directly at audience members in the front row while posing for them.
Representing the extreme amounts of food that bodybuilders consume, Kuebler set to work on a barbequed chicken, stuffing his face so much it looked like he might choke. He washed it down with a large bottle of water, pouring it over his head before continuing with some jumping jacks.
The full length solo will premiere in 2016 at the Firehall Arts Centre, and I look forward to seeing to what other extremes Kuebler will go.
