Brazil meets Tkaronto. This is one way to describe the next installment of the Discover Dance! series at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. On Thursday (April 20), the noon-time double bill begins with the world premiere of One’s Own. Toronto-born Métis dance artist Jera Wolfe choreographed this work. Lamondance artistic director Davi Rodrigues, who hails from Brasilia, choreographed the follow-up piece, How it ends, which is a remount,
Professional dancers with the North Vancouver-based Lamondance will perform One’s Own. They include Lazaro Silva, Madizon Araiza, Nancy Li, and Rosalie Caron, along with apprentices Dania Grant, Elena Himbeault, and Grace Willock.
According to Rodrigues, Wolfe explores in One’s Own how the same event affects people in different ways.
Rodrigues tells Pancouver by phone that Wolfe’s work inspired him in the past.
“I wanted him to choreograph for the company, so then I invited him,” Rodrigues says. “I gave him a white canvas.”
In the beginning, dancers in One’s Own feel a sense of unity. However, Rodriques reveals, they break off and reflect on what they’ve experienced via solos.
In addition, Wolfe has incorporated music into the piece by Gian Marco Castro, Christopher Dennis Coleman, and A Winged Victory for the Sullen.
Prior to the pandemic, Wolfe won the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Original Choreography. This came for Red Sky Performance’s trailblazing Trace, inspired by Anishinaabe sky and star stories.
Lamondance show revolves around addiction
Meanwhile, Rodrigues created How it ends in 2018 after seeing a Brazilian telenovela on addiction. Verdades Secretas (Hidden Truths), by Walcyr Carasco, showed a beautiful model’s trajectory from being at the top of her field into increasingly heavy drug use. Mauro Mendonca Filho and Amora Mautner directed Verdades Secretas, which was produced and broadcast by TV Globo.
Rodrigues explains that Lamondance’s How it ends shows possibilities of what might happen rather than being overly prescriptive.
“I hope that whoever is watching that creation could be inspired to learn more about addiction in many ways to help support someone who is struggling,” Rodrigues says. “Because ignorance is something that doesn’t allow communities and society to move forward.”
Rodrigues choreographed this piece with 13 performers in the Lamondance Training Program. They are: Arianna Savady, Benedict Quedenbaum, Brianna Lannard-Ghini, Claire Viitaniemi, Dania Grant, Daryk Richards, Elena Himbeault, Francesca Vergara, Melodie Lienhard, Nali Richards, Paris L., Payton Kenedy, and Sydney Poulton).
In addition, How it ends includes two recomposed Vivaldi pieces. “Summer Pt. 3” (The Four Seasons Recomposed) is by German composer Max Richter. And “Recomposed Vivaldi. Summer 2” was created by Brazilians Victor Pozas, Daniel Musy, and Rafael Langone.
As part of the Discover Dance! series, the Dance Centre presents Lamondance at noon on Thursday (April 20) at the Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie Street, Vancouver). For more information and tickets, visit the Dance Centre website. Follow Pancouver on Twitter @PancouverMedia.
