A new trend has caught on in London that throws you back in time: a pop-up fitness rave on classic dance tracks from the 90s where lycra and glow-sticks are obviously welcome. Would shaking your thing on ‘What is love?’, ‘Pease don’t go’, and ‘Finally’ be just the thing for you to get back in shape?
Author Archives: Artmistice Dance
Sonia Clarke At l’École Supérieure Teaching Jazz
Founder of Artmistice Sonia Clarke is back teaching a jazz class at the École Supérieure de ballet du Québec. She’s happy to be back at this ballet institution and even more excited at the idea that they’re broadening their dance repertoire by adding jazz, pilates and flamenco to the class list.
Plunge Into Dance!
Many great companies are coming to present new pieces this season at Danse Danse . Contemporary companies from all over the world are coming through Montreal, from the rising star on the New York scene Kyle Abraham to British choreographer Wayne McGregor. If you want to discover dance in all its forms, this season should be at the top of your list.
What’s Happening in May?
Stratford Festival – April 27 to October 20 @ Various locations, Stratford, ON
The annual celebration of Shakespeare’s works is back for its 60th year. A program of 12 plays performed in 4 theatres in the picturesque town of Stratford runs all the way up to October, making it a great destination for the summer holidays.
Rent: The Musical – April 28 to June 2 @ The Lower Ossington Theatre, Toronto, ON
The rock musical about a group of struggling young artists living in New York, dealing with the presence of AIDS is based on Puccini’s opera, La Boheme. The award-winning musical has now been extended at The Lower Ossington Theatre.
Dream Away by Stephan Thoss – May 16 to 25 @ Place des Arts, Montreal, QC
As suggested by its title, Dream Away is a surrealist contemporary ballet, blurring the boundaries between real and imaginary. Known for his inventive interpretations of classics, as well as more surrealist works, award-winning German choreographer Stephan Thoss also designs his own sets and costumes.
Festival TransAmériques Dance + Théâtre – May 22 to June 8 @ Various locations, Montreal, QC
This international festival celebrates new works in dance and theatre, cohesively combining disciplines and artistic trends of choreographers, writers, and directors.
Bust a Move This Weekend!
Get ready for the 10th annual Bust a Move street dance festival, happening this weekend on May 3rd & 4th at various locations in Montreal. The festival features one of the most anticipated street dance battles of the year, as well as workshops, theatre productions, panel discussions, and opening & closing parties for professionals and amateurs alike. Check out Bust a Move’s website for more information.
What to See in Montreal in March
T.R.A.S.H. – March 5 to 9 @ Place des Arts
A first in Montreal, this Dutch dance company will be performing a double bill with Enchanted Room and T†Bernadette, as part of the Danse Danse lineup.
Danz and Toot – March 14 to 23 @ Place des Arts
Performed by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin and Dutch choreographer Didy Veldman share the stage and dancers, each with a piece for this double bill. Both choreographers have worked with the company throughout the years, offering some truly memorable work.
International Festival of Films on Art – March 15 to 24 @ Various locations
Using cinema as a vehicle of exploration for all art forms, the 10-day festival features 250 films from 20 different countries, as well as special events, round table discussions, conferences, exhibits, installations, and performances.
Fondation de Danse Margie Gillis – March 27 to 30 @ Place des Arts
Part of the Danse Danse program, famed Canadian modern dancer and recent recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, Margie Gillis will perform The Light Between; a new piece depicting the culmination of a lifetime of art, set designed by internationally renowned painter and sculptor, Randal Newman.
Fondation Québec Jeunes raises $535,000 for At-Risk Youth
For the second year in a row, Artmistice dancers had the honour to perform at the Fondation Québec Jeunes’ 10th annual Valentine’s Day Ball. The Fondation Québec Jeunes’ mission is to help struggling and at-risk youth through the funding of community programs. Artmistice’s dancers rocked the Parisian Cabaret theme with style and sass, contributing to what has been deemed the most successful Valentine’s Day Ball yet.
Sonia Clarke and Andrea Este to Perform at the Vancouver International Dance Festival
Artmistice’s own Sonia and Andrea will be performing with Muriva Dance at the Vancouver International Dance Festival. The three-week annual festival features dance companies from New Zealand, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada. Muriva Danse will be performing March 7-9 at The Roundhouse at 7:00 pm.
Passion Portrait: Sandy Silva
SANDY SILVA-
DANCER & CHOREOGRAPHER-
I thought I was going to be a healthcare practitioner. I was on my way to college and stopped off at a festival and saw dancers and musicians playing together. I was completely blown away by their conversations. The way they talked to each other and listened with their instruments and bodies was all so rhythmic. Eventually I was living in a house with musicians. Between classes and studies, I would listen to them practice with a metronome and play tunes through the night. I couldn’t get enough of it and I wanted a piece of it. I knew that to fully immerse myself, I would need to travel, discover new cultures, embody their percussive dance language, listen and embrace their music. Everything I do now comes from my travels and life experiences. I don’t feel that it was conscious choice. I was simply obsessed.
The work became an unending process. When you repeat something a thousands times, you get it in your body and it becomes you. I think I found what I loved and just rode the wave. It wasn’t “should I” or “can I”, I just had to do it!
I never auditioned, because I never had to. I know this might sound slightly cocky, but I was one of the few people doing it! When I travelled for work, study or to festivals, I would listen to musicians and if I liked what I heard, I would ask if I could go in the corner and dance a little. They would reply: “Get out of the corner!”. Sometimes I would get a gig with them or even a small tour months or even years later.
There’s still more to learn and thankfully, there’s also more I want to do. As I get older and listen to my body, I have to adapt to where I am physically and spiritually while exploring what is true to me. That is where the work comes from. Naturally, I am not the same as I was in my 30’s or even early 40’s. I want to continue to explore and refine ways to speak with my body and share it with other people.
Website: http://www.sandysilvadance.com/
Passion Portrait: Janet McNulty
JANET McNULTY-
COSTUME DESIGNER-
My involvement with costume design probably started with my first Halloween costume at the age of eight. I cut up a blue bed sheet and hand stitched an elf costume; boots, a tunic and a cape. No one showed me how, I just did it. In my adolescent days, I set trends with how I was dressing. I’d scavenge second hand stores and my friend’s attic trunks, always insisting on wearing old dresses and accessorising my look with modern day flair. At my boyfriend’s graduation, (I was a year younger) he wore the classic black top hat and tails with white spats on his shoes, and a golden headed walking stick. I wore a long black chiffon gown, white satin gloves and my hair in ringlets hanging to my shoulders. Everyone went crazy; black was not the norm for the occasion. The following year, many couples copied our style. I knew then that I had a sense of style that influenced others.
Later on, I became a dancer first and a costume designer second. Sometimes, I danced in the pieces that I had created the costumes for, and at other times, I watched my designs dance on stage without me. It was such a thrill! This was a passionate, prolific, and creative period in my life. In these years, I attempted to capture the meaning of the dance in the costumes.
Today, returning to costume design gives me a fresh attempt to capture dance; collecting ideas and putting them into some collage of inspiration, mixing and matching to find the final design that will accompany a choreographer’s work to the stage.
Website: http://fousdemiseenforme.weebly.com/styliste-et-couturiegravere.html
