Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
WCD goes guerilla, gets slot at high-profile fest
DAVID HOU PHOTO Enlarge Image
Toronto Dance Theatre will present Pteros Tactics in March as part of the 46th season of Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers.
Crashing a festival to which they weren't invited has paid off in a prestigious engagement for Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers.
The five-dancer company will appear at Ottawa's National Arts Centre (NAC) in late April (the exact date is still to be confirmed) as part of Prairie Scene, the high-profile festival of art from Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
"It's very exciting," says WCD artistic director Brent Lott. "There will be presenters from across Canada and internationally there. It's also really important for us to have a relationship with the National Arts Centre, in order for them to consider us for their regular programming."
Prairie Scene had shown some preliminary interest in WCD, but a firm invitation was secured thanks to a stunt pulled by Lott this summer.
In June, he and WCD's general manager made a spur-of-the-moment decision to fly four dancers to the curated Canada Dance Festival at the NAC.
"We just showed up," Lott says. They used a small portable stage to give "guerrilla-style" outdoor performances near the official shows.
Lott's main objective was to have a 20-minute version of his work Between the Sycamore witnessed by Prairie Scene producer Heather Moore. He succeeded in getting Moore to one of the outdoor afternoon performances.
"Following the show, she said, 'Absolutely! You're coming!'" says Lott. "It was well worth our time and money to be seen."
The company is to dance the 20-minute Between the Sycamore as part of the gala opening of Prairie Scene, in addition to giving its own mixed-repertoire show.
Lott says building relationships in Ottawa is also important because WCD is collaborating with British artists on a dance/theatre/spoken-word production called 97 Positions of the Heart, exploring the writings and relationship of Ottawa-born writer Elizabeth Smart and British poet George Barker.
The couple's 40-year love affair was made famous in Smart's prose poem By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept.
The multi-disciplinary 97 Positions is to have its world première in Winnipeg next season, then tour the U.K. and Canada. "We have five English theatres that already want it," Lott says.
As for the 2010-11 season -- the company's 46th -- it features two WCD programs and two guest companies.
The season opens Oct. 15-16 with a show by prairie choreographers called Prairie Dance Circuit. WCD's contribution is a new duet by Winnipeg's Andrew Milne. Edmonton's Raena Waddell, Calgary's Jason Stroh and Regina's Robert Regala and Joelle Arnusch will also contribute.
Nov. 25-28, WCD performs a mixed-repertoire show called Shuffled. It will include a new work by company founder Rachel Browne, a revised work by Lott and a piece by former Manitoban Lesandra Dodson. Some pieces from this show may go to Prairie Scene.
Feb. 4-6, WCD is presenting Cabane by Quebec's Fortier Danse-Création, a major hit at the Canada Dance Festival in which "ordinary objects lose their conventional designation in a surrealist world." It's performed by dancer/choreographer Paul-André Fortier and visual artist/writer/musician Rober Racine.
March 3-6, WCD closes the season with the long-awaited return to Winnipeg of one of Canada's top companies, Toronto Dance Theatre. Ten dancers will perform Pteros Tactics by TDT artistic director Christopher House, described as "a vibrant and playful work that examines the space of desire between the lover and beloved."
All performances are at the Rachel Browne Theatre in the Crocus Building. Single tickets and subscriptions go on sale Sept. 7 at the WCD box office, 452-0229.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 24, 2010 C3
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to The Arts
Poll
Most Popular
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Search is on for man seen leaving the scene where two Alberta Mounties were shot
- City family donates $1 million for endowed research chair in cardiology
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife dead
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Should infants be allowed in the House of Commons?
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman sexually assaulted during noon-hour in Exchange District
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Task force to review 2011 flood
- Winnipeg software company ranked top employer
- Pardon application fee to quadruple later this month despite complaints
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- OMG! Candy kings back at it
- Flood reviews launched
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Local shooting spoofed on SNL
- The cost of calories: It's expensive to eat healthily
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.