Bharati is here!

Bharati: The Wonder of India, lands in Toronto tonight at the Sony Centre. This dazzling spectacle, features over 100 dancers, singers, acrobats and musicians, in a modern Indian epic.


Tonight's presentation is made even more special, because it coincides with this year's Diwali festival, or festival of lights. One of Indian's most important national holidays.

Bharati tells the story of Indian born, American raised Siddhartha, who travels to the holy city of Varanasi to work with an environmental team trying to clean up the holy Ganges river. Siddhartha meets Bharati, who's foster father Domraja, is the king of Varanasi's cremation grounds.

Siddhartha is instantly drawn to Bharati, but first he must come to understand her, and India as well. Their differences and Domraja conspire to keep them apart.

Through Bharati, Siddhartha is transformed. He feels a deeper connection to roots and longs to cleanse himself as well as the holy river, that serves as the backdrop for this epic love story.

Bharati: runs at the Sony Centre until October 30th. Click the header for more ticket information.

Interview: Toronto Dance Theatre's Brodie Stevenson

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.

Check out this preview video for Pteros Tactics

Pteros Tactics Trailer from Toronto Dance Theatre on Vimeo.

Ghosts - Production Trailer

We cannot wait to see this!

Nancy Palk is so fierce. Check out the production trailer below and please click the header for more details and to purchase tickets!

Preview: GHOSTS

GHOSTS has recently opened at Soulpepper and it is receiving absolutely wonderful reviews and praise from both critics and audiences. The piece stars our favourite actors and actresses in Toronto!!! Featuring Diego Matamoros, Michelle Monteith, Nancy Palk, Gregory Prest & Joseph Ziegler. Honestly, can you say a 'power-broking' cast much?!

For tickets and for more info please click the header!

Show Description:

With its frank discussion of relationships, morality, and family values, Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece caused a sensation on its debut. In Morris Panych's vital new translation, the ghosts that haunt the lives of a family's shattered glory are as haunting and provocative as ever.

GHOSTS
Henrik Ibsen
Adapted and Directed Morris Panych

Young Centre for the Performing Arts
55 Mill Street,
Building 49
Toronto, ON
The Distillery District

The Test from The Company Theatre

A wonderful company in the city is back this year with a very intriguing piece. The Company theatre brought us Through the Leaves last year and we are excited to see what they deliver on stage this year with The Test.

This is the first video in their four-part mini-documentary series by director Mike Schultz, which captures a behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsal process for the upcoming production of The Test." The piece will be starring Eric Peterson, Sonja Smits, Gord Rand, Liisa Repo-Martell and Philip Riccio.

For more info or to purchase tickets please click the header.

The Company Theatre (Part One) from The Company Theatre on Vimeo

Les Miz is coming to Toronto July 2012!

An all-Canadian cast will star in the forthcoming Toronto run.

Les Misérables debuted in Canada on March 15, 1989, eventually running for 63 weeks at the Royal Alexander Theatre. The show returned for Toronto engagements in 1991, 1992, 1998 and 2005.

Check out Colm Wilkinson in the above piece to witness theatrical brilliance.

Preview: Name in Vain

André Alexis' world premiere production Name in Vain opens tomorrow night at Tarragon Theatre. After several weeks of preview performances the show is set to open in the upstairs studio. Name in Vain is part of the Decalogue series being presented at Tarragon. This is the second production in the series. The Decalogue series is an exploration of morality as set down by the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue.)

Set in a monastery, Name in Vain is the story of an enraged monk who breaks his vow of silence to defy the second commandment. His outburst shocks the rest of the monks and throws the monastery into turmoil. Much of the play is silent placing a heavy reliance on physical expressions of emotion. Alexis' approach was to explore the force of words by limiting how the play would use them. It is a powerful look at the effect of words and the meaning behind them.

Name in Vain is part of Tarragon's ExtrExtra Space Series

Written by André Alexis

Directed by Richard Rose

Starring Eric Goulem, Walter Borden, Sergio Di Zio, Dean Gilmour, and Richard MacMillan.

October 19th - 30th 2011

Click the header for dates, times and ticket information.