| April 5 & 6. Agrimony and Soft. The program features two contemporary works from Canadian choreographers: the inquisitive and gentle exploration of authenticity in Agrimony from Canadian Métis dancer and choreographer Sophie Dow and an athletically-charged contemplation of the futility of modern-day life in Soft from Chimera Artistic Director Malgorzata Nowacka-May. Agrimony is a multidisciplinary collaboration between Dow and songwriter Laura Reznek, who will perform an original indie pop musical score live on stage. The work is an exploration of the masks we wear in life to shield us from life’s challenges and traumas, and features four dancers in intricately carved masks. Named after the natural healing properties of the small yellow flower, agrimony, Dow’s choreography speaks to her own experiences overcoming personal challenges, including a series of traumatic brain injuries in 2016 that took many years to recover from, deeply impacting her sense of self and connection to loved ones. Nowacka-May’s Soft is a visionary work featuring eight dancers that explores the dissonance of life’s mundane, daily tasks and the raw, instinctual fear that holds us back from realizing our greatest potential. Nowacka-May can speak to the many influences of this highly kinetic work: her fascination with the horror genre and its commentary on societal values, her exasperation with the mundanity of online life – filling out forms, changing passwords, neverending email inboxes – and the intense limits to which she pushes her dancers in preparation for her athletic dance works. www.harbourfrontcentre.com April 18-20 Three of the World’s Best Choreographers On Stage |
| Harbourfront Centre, with the support of the Goethe-Institut Toronto and the German Federal Foreign Office, presents the work of three masters of choreography in a Canadian premiere of a striking mixed program of contemporary dance. Swan Lakes and Minus 16 mark the final show of our phenomenal contemporary dance series Torque. Choreographer and artistic director of Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Eric Gauthier, brings Hofesh Shechter and Marie Chouinard’s daring interpretations of the iconic ballet Swan Lake. This will be followed by a presentation of the theatrical cult classic Minus 16 from legendary choreographer Ohad Naharin. April 18–20. |