Captivating the Cathartic

by Doug Hoyer

On Duplex by Mile Zero Dance

Last night I went to see “Duplex” and “Thank You, You’re Not Welcome” at the Realtors Expanse Movement Arts Festival.

I wasn’t sure of what to expect with either performance, but was intrigued by the simple, minimal set that Duplex had; two armchairs, two lamps and a slide projector.

On Duplex by Mile Zero Dance

The themes of duality were ripe, as my focus was constantly shifting from Gerry Morita to Lin Snelling.  With the drone-based soundtrack supplied by Shawn Pinchbeck and the augmented visual projections of Patrick Ares-Pilon constantly moving in and out of focus, a definite creepy feeling of entrapment and repetition saturated the performance.  Quite intense!

Then came “Thank You, You’re Not Welcome,” featuring Noam Gagnon.

On Thank you, you're not Welcome by Noam Gagnon of Compagnie Vision Selective

From the focus on his physical body, to a narrative that was heartbreakingly contrasted with the tale of “the Happy Prince,” Noam’s performance was extremely captivating and cathartic.  As the dance ended, my partner and I had to wait a few more moments before leaving; letting the whole piece sink in.  Noam and his work demonstrated that through the pain and darkness of many lives, the dark places is often where beauty emerges from.

The Art of Communication

by festival blogger Tessa Stamp

It is such an important part of the Expanse Festival and always a fresh treat to experience the performances in the local program.  The two selections this year display an essence to the performance of dance and a commitment to our goal as movement performers to communicate.  Communication is always the goal…to say something without words, to be heard in a movement and to feel the message.

m.a.w. left me with an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia, fragmented memories and the struggle to communicate them and for the two onstage to struggle to remember them together.

This Displace and its exploration of the behavior of animals and the personification of their movement left me inevitably examining how we relate to stimulus in our environment.  The simple and beautiful lighting, and clearly pointed movement helped to communicate the basic action/reaction and repetitive cycles that clearly functioned as the motivations of animal behavior.

Thank you dancers for such beautiful offerings to interpret.

Scenes from the FreshWorks Cabaret

We kicked off this year’s fest by throwing a classic cabaret with a twist: some of Edmonton’s leading artists were invited to physically interpret a classic work of their choosing. From the Bible to The Ugly Duckling to Back to the Future, it was a night of surprising performance fun! Big thanks to our artists, production team and most of all our audience for making it a great night. All photos care of our talented festival photog Marc J. Chalifoux.

Movement artist Kate Stashko | Photo by Marc J. Chalifoux.

The Clown Bible | Photo by Marc J. Chalifoux

Krisi Hansen as The Ugly Duckling | Photo by Marc J. Chalifoux

Artist Todd Janes | Photo by Marc J. Chalifoux

Artist Kristine Nutting | Photo by Marc J. Chalifoux

Your 2012 Expanse Production Team | Photo by Marc J. Chalifoux

The 2012 Realtors Expanse Movement Arts Festival

An electric four-day celebration of art-in-motion, The 2012 Realtors Expanse Movement Arts Festival invites you to be moved by the power of high-velocity body made art. This action packed festival brings you an assortment of performances, workshops, installations and parties. Move and be moved.

Passes are available through Arts at the Barns:
Single: $15
Day pass [Wed., Thu. or Fri.]: $25
Day pass [Saturday]: $35
Festival pass: $70

Featuring performances by:

Noam Gagnon of Compangnie Vision Selective in “Thank you, You’re not Welcome”
Dean Bareham of Green Fools Theatre in “Teddy and the Black Dog”
Mile Zero Dance in “Duplex”

and

Kelsie Acton, David Van Belle, Amber Bissonnette, Catch the Keys Productions, Jamie Cavanagh, Mariel Day, Vincent Forcier, Ainsley Hillyard, Cole Humeny, Todd Janes, Wally Kubanek, Richard Lee, Ariane Mahryke Lemire, Anastasia Maywood, Jonathan Maywood, Kristine Nutting, Joëlle Préfontaine, Andrew Ritchie, Trevor Schmidt , Alida Nyquist-Schultz, Kate Stashko, Jon Lachlan Stewart, Monica Strehlke, Surreal SoReal Theatre, Jeannie Vanderkerkoff, Raena Waddell, Nikolai Witschl & Laryssa Yanchak

Including Good Women Dance Society Masterclasses with David Van Belle, Dean Bareham, Sylvain Emard, Noam Gagnon.

Including Good Women Dance Society Masterclasses with David Van Belle, Dean Bareham, Sylvain Emard, Noam Gagnon.

Masterclasses:
$20 for general public/festival pass holders
$60 if they register for all four
$10 for festival artists
$30 if festival artists register for all four

Please contact Good Women Dance Society at goodwomen@live.ca or visit Arts at the Barns to register.

Expanse at a Glance

Time	Event	Location
Wednesday, March 7
9:00pm	FreshWorks Cabaret (Various Artists)	Westbury Lobby
Thursday, March 8
10:00am	Masterclass: David Van Belle	Studio A
7:30pm	Local Program (Wally Kubanek & Ainsley Hillyard)	Westbury Theatre
9:00pm	Teddy and the Black Dog (Dean Bareham of Green Fools Theatre)	Westbury Theatre
10:00pm	Meet the Artist*	Westbury Lobby
Friday, March 9
10:00am	Clowning Masterclass: Dean Bareham	Studio A
2:00pm	Family Friendly Matinee* (Wally Kubanek & Ainsley Hillyard)	PCL
8:00pm	Local Program (Wally Kubanek & Ainsley Hillyard)	Westbury Theatre
9:30pm	Duplex (Mile Zero Dance) Thank you, you’re not welcome (Noam Gagnon of Compagnie Selective)	Westbury Theatre
Saturday, March 10
10:00am	Masterclass: Sylvain Emard	Westbury Theatre
12:00pm	Masterclass: Noam Gagnon	Westbury Theatre
7:00pm	Studio Showing (Catch the Keys Productions, Anastasia Maywood & Surreal SoReal Theatre)	Westbury Theatre
8:30pm	Teddy and The Black Dog (Dean Bareham of Green Fools Theatre)	Westbury Theatre
10:00pm	Duplex (Mile Zero Dance) Thank you, you’re not welcome (Noam Gagnon of Compagnie Selective)	Westbury Theatre
11:00pm	Meet the Artists & Closing Party featuring Glove Box*	Westbury Lobby & Theatre

*Free Events!