dance: made in canada, fait au canada: Kanan-Kiri & La Vie

Reviewed by Paula Citron
August 15, 2011

Keiko Ninomiya’s Kanan-Kiri
Sylvie Bouchard’s La Vie
dance: made in canada; fait au canada
Princess Productions
Curated by Peggy Baker, James Kudelka and Yvonne Ng
Betty Oliphant Theatre
Aug. 11 to 14, 2011

There were two standouts at the mini-festival, dance: made in canada, fait au canada.

Keiko Ninomiya is of Japanese heritage, but in her solo, Kanan-Kiri, she explored Balinese dance. The exquisite beauty of this choreography was the homage she paid to another dance tradition, while adding in elements of darkness.

Amid the lyrical signatures of Balinese dance, Ninomiya evoked images of a black widow spider in search of a kill. This seductive piece was gorgeous from both a choreographic and theatrical perspective.

Sylvie Bouchard’s solo La Vie for dancer Mairéad Filgate contained her usual mix of the whimsical and the serious. Set to the soulful voice of Llasa de Sela, the dance was about letting go in order to move forward.

The metaphor was the dress, festooned with balloons attached by strings. As Filgate pulled them off, the balloons rose gently to the rafters. Bouchard’s staccato choreography was masterful.

Thank you to producer Yvonne Ng for this mini-fest, and long may you continue.