Last week I braved the perils of Occupy Bay Street to head over to Cabbagetown to meet Brodie Stevenson, a dancer with the Toronto Dance Theatre. The company is about to launch their 2011/12 season, and I wanted to chat with Brodie about the upcoming production of Pteros Tactics, (pronounced terrose) the world of contemporary dance, pop culture and life as a dancer.
Toronto Dance Theatre was founded as a dance company in 1968 and later added a professional school. Current Artistic Director Christopher House, developed Pteros Tactics with the company in the 2009/2010. Pteros, features ten dancers, nine residents and one guest artist. Of the cast, eight are returning dancers and two are new to the piece, (Mairi Greig and guest dancer Matt Waldie.) Brodie was part of the original cast and is excited to be back for this re-worked production. Pteros was originally performed in Toronto at the Fleck Theatre, down at the Harbourfront, and later toured Western Canada.
The piece has evolved since the original production and Brodie spoke to me about how it has changed in the two seasons since its creation. At its core the piece is still about, “the instant of desire,” as Brodie put it. “... [A]s a metaphor of that desire we use these golden balls. Which is a direct inspiration from a poem by Anne Carson, Eros the Bittersweet, in which she mentions Eros as a ballplayer. Thus desire becomes something you want to catch and you desire to have it thrown to you.”
But for him it went beyond the metaphor. The piece is, “very difficult,” Brodie said, “ and the movement was built out of structured improvisations. It is quite idiosyncratic to our bodies, and specific. I don’t think it looks particularly difficult, but it is an incredibly physical piece. Especially because we are working with a prop, the ball, you feel an added pressure. So there is additional tension and awareness.”
Brodie is a five year veteran of the Toronto Dance Theatre, who’s seasons typically run from September to May. This year, after Pteros Tactics the company will tour southern Ontario and present Severe Clear, one of the most well known productions in the TDT repertoire. We spoke about touring and its impact on dancers and the community.
“Touring is like a bubble. You can just focus on dancing, and the other things in your life don’t take precedence... But eventually you get worn down and want to return to your real life.” Dance, particularly contemporary modern dance, tends to be more difficult. Its abstract and, “doesn’t offer a lot of bells and whistles, like a Cirque du Soleil show,” Brodie said, so it can be tough to reach an audience, especially without financial support. “In a world where there is incredible work being done, but a lack of support, people don’t know about it.”
Take a recent Beyonce music video, which bears a striking resemblance to the piece Rosas danst Rosas by legendary choreographer, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. I had never heard of Ms. de Keersmaeker, until watching the videos side by side. But Brodie schooled me, since, “she is a household name in the world of dance. Just not in North America, unless you’re a dancer. It kills me that people aren’t talking about her, until her work is commercialized and put behind a Beyonce pop song.” And there in lies the struggle for contemporary dancers, companies like TDT, and other artists.
So be sure to come out and support Toronto Dance Theatre this weekend. Pteros Tactics runs October 28-29th, November 2nd-5th, (8pm), and October 30th (2pm.) In February, TDT returns from their tour, to 80 Winchester street, in Cabbagetown to take part in a development series with four Quebec based choreographers and present, Four at The Winch: Quebec. Followed by the spring production of Rivers in April.
Toronto Dance Theatre was founded as a dance company in 1968 and later added a professional school. Current Artistic Director Christopher House, developed Pteros Tactics with the company in the 2009/2010. Pteros, features ten dancers, nine residents and one guest artist. Of the cast, eight are returning dancers and two are new to the piece, (Mairi Greig and guest dancer Matt Waldie.) Brodie was part of the original cast and is excited to be back for this re-worked production. Pteros was originally performed in Toronto at the Fleck Theatre, down at the Harbourfront, and later toured Western Canada.
The piece has evolved since the original production and Brodie spoke to me about how it has changed in the two seasons since its creation. At its core the piece is still about, “the instant of desire,” as Brodie put it. “... [A]s a metaphor of that desire we use these golden balls. Which is a direct inspiration from a poem by Anne Carson, Eros the Bittersweet, in which she mentions Eros as a ballplayer. Thus desire becomes something you want to catch and you desire to have it thrown to you.”
But for him it went beyond the metaphor. The piece is, “very difficult,” Brodie said, “ and the movement was built out of structured improvisations. It is quite idiosyncratic to our bodies, and specific. I don’t think it looks particularly difficult, but it is an incredibly physical piece. Especially because we are working with a prop, the ball, you feel an added pressure. So there is additional tension and awareness.”
Brodie is a five year veteran of the Toronto Dance Theatre, who’s seasons typically run from September to May. This year, after Pteros Tactics the company will tour southern Ontario and present Severe Clear, one of the most well known productions in the TDT repertoire. We spoke about touring and its impact on dancers and the community.
“Touring is like a bubble. You can just focus on dancing, and the other things in your life don’t take precedence... But eventually you get worn down and want to return to your real life.” Dance, particularly contemporary modern dance, tends to be more difficult. Its abstract and, “doesn’t offer a lot of bells and whistles, like a Cirque du Soleil show,” Brodie said, so it can be tough to reach an audience, especially without financial support. “In a world where there is incredible work being done, but a lack of support, people don’t know about it.”
Take a recent Beyonce music video, which bears a striking resemblance to the piece Rosas danst Rosas by legendary choreographer, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. I had never heard of Ms. de Keersmaeker, until watching the videos side by side. But Brodie schooled me, since, “she is a household name in the world of dance. Just not in North America, unless you’re a dancer. It kills me that people aren’t talking about her, until her work is commercialized and put behind a Beyonce pop song.” And there in lies the struggle for contemporary dancers, companies like TDT, and other artists.
So be sure to come out and support Toronto Dance Theatre this weekend. Pteros Tactics runs October 28-29th, November 2nd-5th, (8pm), and October 30th (2pm.) In February, TDT returns from their tour, to 80 Winchester street, in Cabbagetown to take part in a development series with four Quebec based choreographers and present, Four at The Winch: Quebec. Followed by the spring production of Rivers in April.
Check out this preview video for Pteros Tactics
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