reviewed by Paula Citron
__________________________
Fresh Blood
Chimera Project
Choreographed by 15 emerging dance artists
At the Enwave Theatre
__________________________
Malgorzata Nowacka, artistic director of Chimera Project, set aside one night of the run of her work Blood at the Enwave Theatre, as a showcase for emerging choreographers. The evening titled Fresh Blood featured 15 dancesmiths who had been choreographing for less than five years, in pieces less than five minutes.
From these 15, I chose the winner of the Paula Citron Fresh Blood Award who receives a cash encouragement of $300. The 2009 winner is Erin Cowan.
Cowan’s solo, A portrait of a socially awkward party girl, demonstrated that she is a very inventive choreographer. It was a solo that slowly travelled to stage front, never losing its reluctance, with the dancer as the unwilling medium. The most impressive aspect was the infinite variety of movement Cowan created to depict this girl. Clearly she can command physicality and make choreography speak for her.
Honourable mentions (in alphabetical order) are Nicole Barber, Alanna Kraaijeveld, Eroca Nicols, Jacob Niedzwiecki, Kevin Ormsby, and Niki Wozniak,