Ottawa Tonite.com : Section Title
Posts Tagged ‘NAC Arts Centre’
OTTAWA TONITE DANCE REVIEW: “i think i can”, Fancy footwork and more…
Review By: Carole Anne Piccinin
In i think i can the feet do the talking. That’s why Ottawa Tonite’s first ever dance review is a play. It is a hip and distinctive tap dance show as much as it is an outstanding piece of theatre.
i think i can is an acclaimed production produced by the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, and is a kicker of a closer to the National Art Centre’s 2010-11 English Theatre season.
Playwright Florence Gibson weaves a story of eight relatable school kids who face the mayhem of schoolyard politics. Tip, a disabled boy, and his classroom friends struggle with a bully and the ambitions of their science-obsessed teacher. With the science fair grand prize on the line, friends and enemies vie for dominance, and eventually come together to perform clever choreography that illustrates Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Gibson has, for the most part, abandoned words to tell her story. She has replaced them with the expression of percussive tap dance. Thanks to her co-creater, Toronto dancer and choreographer Shawn Byfield, feet convey emotions and become voices, and nothing gets lost in translation. Sounds audacious – but it works.
Byfield has composed a hot tap dance score filled with elements from the art form’s musically rich history. Shades of Vaudeville and Broadway, urban tap rhythms and modern virtuosic movements are performed by some of Canada’s best tap dancers. Byfield succeeds in promoting the strengths of his seasoned professional cast by developing unique movements and rhythms for each character. He brings their personal tap styles and tones to the forefront to benefit the story line and audience’s ears.
Tap aficionados will certainly see the brilliance of the clear, tricky footwork and time signature play, but the performance is accessible even to those who have never slipped on a pair of tap shoes. In fact, this show should be seen simply because tap-centric shows are so rare. It is even more rare to see this level of tap artistry entwined with a good story, and to witness such high-calibre tap performers in Ottawa. This play truly heightens the awareness, appreciation and celebration of Canadian tap dance excellence.
Every tapper/actor had scene-stealing moments, each with impeccable musicality, comedic timing and explosive, youthful energy. Each performer portrayed well-developed characters, and together they were a cohesively magical troupe.
Standout performances were given by tap star David Cox (Biow), who plays a convincing schoolyard bully with fervent footwork, and Tosh Sutherland (Tip) who delivers an impressive performance as the story’s endearing underdog and hero. As the youngest cast member he keeps up handily to Cox with his unshakably solid tapping.
Melody Johnson, who gives a stellar performance as the comic book-like science teacher, has the only non-dancing role. Her eccentric and scintillating movement quality, coupled with her poetic dialogue and tight delivery of juvenile jokes, make her a crowd-pleaser. One small production flaw was perhaps the absence of a microphone on this Second City veteran.
Notable performances as well came from Tangara Jones (Frufie) whose free-spiritedness shines through every move she made, and Ottawa’s own Tammy Nera who delivered a first-rate dance and acting performance as the likeable crybaby Faraday.
The sound, lightening and detailed costumes (right down to the characters’ personalized shoelaces) added intrigue and warmth to the sparse set. Although a few props seemed borderline campy, they did not takeaway from the solid production and entertainment value.
Like all good stories, i think i can has the right blend of tragic, heroic, comedic and heart-warming moments. The show is well directed, superbly staged, and keeps audiences of all ages engaged.
Parents and teachers can use this production to not only get kids excited about theater and dance, but also teach kids life lessons of acceptance and the importance of friendship.
The play continues until May 28. Tickets: NAC Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, 1-888-991-2787
Rating:
Should’ve stayed home. Mild applause. Applause Applause! Bravo and Standing ‘O’!
Saburo Teshigawara: Miroku; the Futuristic Buddha
photo by Guerilla Magazine - creative commons
I was lucky enough to be invited to the National Art Centre’s Blogger’s Night – a night that offered a handful of local bloggers the opportunity to witness the magic behind the curtains and modern dance.
Jennifer Covert and Renée Marquis, our backstage coordinators, led us into the NAC’s Theatre auditorium, where we saw the crescent-shaped orchestra embrace Saburo Teshigwara’s pre-show stage.
We followed our noses through the catering exit to the Green Room, NAC’s environmentally-conscious cafeteria, which boasted reusable dishware, cutlery and glassware. Upon learning this, I began channeling my inner Green Monster – an alter ego of mine which I acquired as a curious science undergraduate and which currently owns my life at Environment Canada. As I started to grill Renée on the NAC’s environmental outlook, I recognized that my inner beast had been unleashed and quickly stuffed back in; where it belonged; and regrouped.
Right, the Green Room.
We learned that the color green is traditionally regarded as the most unlucky color for actors.
“hmmmm…”, I thought. “Isn’t it customary for actors to sit in the Green Room prior to a performance? Why the contradiction”?
Well of course, it’s believed to ward off the evil powers of the color green. I liked it. No fear – that’s acting.
As we made our way down the hall, countless photographs of artists that once graced the NAC’s stage, lined the walls in an endless array of talent. I straggled behind looking for a group photo of the cast of Stomp!, but no luck. Needle in a haystack.
The Vomitory, one of the highlights of my night – or of many nights rather – we learned originated from the Roman Era, when theater actors would celebrate in group debauchery after a successful show. Sorry Darwin, not much evolution here…
I can’t say the same for costume design and preparation though. Have you ever wondered how to get perfectly ironed sleeves?
Before I go ahead and reveal the answer to this very important question, there is something about me that you should know.
Over the past couple of years, I have developed a love for all things miniature. This influence began one night when an old friend of mine envisioned what it would be like to live in what she called, “The Miniature World”. If you think that’s weird, she deemed it absolutely essential to experience this miniaturized concept through the perspective of an ant, at which point she lowered herself to the floor and proceeded to crawl. In any case, this influence has since then led me to name my cat, Miniature a.k.a The Mini. So you can imagine the surprise in my eyes when the “Costume Mistress” introduced us to…The Miniature Ironing Board – crisp, clean, flawless sleeves. A fellow blogger was also speechless. I think she may have batted for my team too, that is the Miniature Team of course.
Slightly down the hall, we checked out a typical dressing room. This facility boasted amenities such as personal vanities, with full-on mirrors and proper lighting; a separate bathroom with complete shower and lovely bouquets of flowers, enticing actors to really “smell the roses”. A nice touch, I thought.
The backstage journey all led to this moment – The Stage. Here we met, Markus Both, the stage manager. Markus gave us a behind-the-scenes tour just 30 minutes before opening the curtains. He shared tricks of the trade, captured glimpses into the soundtrack and explained the life behind illumination. Although we couldn’t stand directly on stage, we were still able to channel the artist’s perspective from where we were standing.
At this exact moment I thought, “This is as close as it gets to the pre-show jitters for me”, at which point I stepped back and recalled my last acting gig.
I was cast as Priest #3 in my elementary school’s rendition of “Jesus Christ Super Star”. I experienced what felt like Montezuma’s revenge minutes before one of my closing lines, “It is consummated”. At age 9 I took a vow that that would be the last time that I ever took the stage. I have since then broken the vow, but have restricted my sinning to the Vomitory. I’m by no means classically trained, but I still manage to entertain a crowd.
We were cutting it close to show time, but the journey wasn’t nearly over. Up next on the menu, a twenty minute group interview with the NAC’s Dance Producer, Cathy Levy.
I had prepared for this moment; wrote down questions, memorized them and even practiced saying them in front of the mirror.
As the ever-so sophisticated dance-producing guru entered the room, speaking of Montreal’s Thursday night epic win over Pittsburgh, I suddenly became nostalgic and felt the nerves flutter away. I liked her instantly.
During our group interview, we covered the night’s event, the NAC’s newly announced season, dance production, the history and evolution of dance and reality TV. We also went away with an exclusive Dancer’s Bag which included posters, copies of the new season, pens and a voucher to attend a National Arts Centre Orchestra performance.
Our time with Cathy Levy came to an end just as the advisory bell signaled us to the stage.
I had just enough time to meet up with my date, have a beer and freshen up before the show.
The anticipation was killing me.
There was that familiar voice again, Cathy Levy reminding us to turn off our mobile lives and inviting us to enjoy Saburo Teshigara’s solo performance, Miroku.
It’s show time baby.
______________________________________________________
Pitch Black.
“Tick”. “Tock”. (The sound of jet blasting displaced air). Enter train yard audio.
« Fade in lights ».
Black Pants; orange shirt, tall, lean and stands alone in a blue futuristic cube that captures space and time in a three dimensional matrix of creative depth.
« Fade out lights ».
Now he faces south; using the momentary curtain of darkness to mask his movement.
Cue mattress spring audio.
«Fade in lights ».
Facing north; west; east; south. Repeat.
« Fade out lights ».
A powerful tunnel of waving sound complimented by the ringing of bells, haunting flutes and water glass echoes send a sudden shock of life onto the stage, revealing the beginning of Saburo Teshigawara’s spiritual journey through the depth of time into the arms of his futuristic Buddha, Miroku.
Tight twitches, flailing arms, sharp stances and sporadic disconnections transmuted into slow waves of bodily energy, like nothing I have ever seen before. The top and bottom portions of his body seemed to take on lives of their own, but how he managed to connect the two, pays tribute to his unique artistry.
The 45 minute journey to the enlightened world, navigated through the elements of space, time, music, color and an unbelievable use of light. At one point, a slightly paranoid Saburo seized moments in time with a flickering light bulb, casting monster-like shadows on opposing walls. At another point, I felt as if I were in a Triad mafia movie, cruising in a ’67 convertible Camaro, blaring grungy metal beats. Saburo trekked through this portion of his existence on what looked like body overload – sweat, grime and absolute rigor.
Sudden pauses in which the artist lay in a plank position or stood erect like a building, opened the audience up to a realm of space within the blue stage cube. It was unreal – one dancer, one stage, endless time, endless space.
Saburo Teshigara received a well-deserved standing ovation, nothing less than what we’d expect from a truly experience master of modern dance. Miroku has recently toured Columbus, Minnesota receiving rave reviews and has now brought “The World of Dance” to Ottawa’s National Arts Centre. Be sure to check the NAC’s newly announced season for 2010/11 at http://www.nac-cna.ca/en/ .
Tickets have been WON to Mysterioso: “Music and Magic” the fifth CTV Pops Concert!
The tickets to Mysterioso have been given away! Thanks for your messages and participation everyone… and for your interest in the NAC!
Big ‘thanks’ goes to Jen Covert at the NAC for providing us with these tickets, and a chance to include you in this unique event!
For additional information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca
Tickets to GIVE AWAY to see STOMP on March 2nd! WINNER has been chosen!
Thanks to everyone who replied to our contest for FREE TICKETS to see STOMP at the NAC on Tuesday, March 2nd!
The draw has been completed and the WINNER has been contacted. Enjoy the show!
Many thanks to Shana Levin and Broadway Across America for the tickets!
STOMP is explosive, provocative, sophisticated, sexy, utterly unique and appeals to audiences of all ages. The international percussion sensation has garnered an armful of awards and rave reviews, and has appeared on numerous national television shows. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms.
The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans.
As USA Today says, “STOMP finds beautiful noises in the strangest places.”
STOMP. See what all the noise is about.
Check out STOMP here! (official show site)
