Parsons Dance presents World Premiere collaboration with EVOC - Jan 6-18

PARSONS DANCE

presents a World Premiere collaboration with

The Lead Vocalists of

EAST VILLAGE OPERA COMPANY

The Joyce Theater, January 6 – 18, 2009

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

Parsons Dance presents the World Premiere of an all-new, as-yet-untitled collaboration with the lead vocalists of East Village Opera Company (EVOC), featuring the music of the acclaimed rock opera band. Program A premieres the new evening-length work with EVOC’s two lead vocalists live onstage with Parsons Dance. Program B will feature Parsons Dance favorites, including Caught and Nascimento.

“Nearly two years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the members of East Village Opera Company. We realized that a great deal of artistic synchronicity existed between our companies and we began to discuss the possibility of creating a work together. Peter Kiesewalter’s brilliant arrangements have proven to be incredibly inspirational. Now we are about to present this World Premiere in January,” said David Parsons, artistic director of Parsons Dance.

“David Parsons’ choreography marries tradition and renewal in a way that physically represents what we try to evoke as a band. It’s exciting to see our music take a three dimensional kinesthetic shape in his hands,” said Tyley Ross, lead male vocalist and co-founder of EVOC.

David Parsons, Tyley Ross and AnnMarie Milazzo (lead female vocalist) have created a storyline that connects EVOC’s signature operatic arias with David Parsons’ original choreography.

EVOC’s signature works re-imagine opera arias as popular songs, including pieces by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Schubert. These classics collide with electric sounds from the golden era of rock and roll, pop, R&B, and soul, exploding into a mosaic of sound in a triumphant musical celebration. They have received commissions to pen new works from both the New York Public Theatre and New York City Opera, with whom they have also performed at Lincoln Center. EVOC alternately headlines in prestigious classical concert halls and rock clubs, and records exclusively for Decca/Universal records. They have released three CD’s, and are currently on tour supporting their newest release Olde School.

Parsons Dance creates American works of extraordinary artistry that are engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world. It is the goal of Parsons Dance to make contemporary dance accessible to the widest possible audiences. In addition to choreography and performance, Parsons Dance positively impacts children, students, and communities through student performances, lecture-demonstrations, master classes, post-show discussions and more. Parsons Dance has a company of eleven full-time dancers and maintains a repertory of more than 70 works choreographed by David Parsons, twenty of which feature originally commissioned scores by leading composers and musicians, including Dave Matthews, Michael Gordon and Milton Nascimento. Parsons Dance has collaborated with many other leading artists, including Julie Taymor, William Ivey Long, Annie Leibovitz, Donna Karan and Alex Katz (to name a few). The New York Times called David Parsons “one of the great movers of modern dance.” New York Magazine referred to him as “one of modern dance’s great living dance-makers.”

Parsons Dance dancers are Julie Blume, Eric Bourne, Sarah Braverman, John Corsa, Kevin Fitzgerald Ferguson, Patty Foster, Zac Hammer, Natalie Lomonte, Miguel Quinones, Abby Silva, Billy Smith, and apprentice Steven Vaughn.

The two programs follow:

Program A:

Thu 1/ 8, Fri 1/9 and Sat 1/10 at 8pm; Sun 1/11 at 2pm and 7:30pm; Wed 1/14 at 7:30pm;

Thu 1/15, Fri 1/16 and Sat 1/17 at 8pm; Sun 1/18 at 7:30pm

as-yet-untitled World Premiere

Program B:

Tue 1/6 and Wed 1/7 at 7:30pm; Tue 1/13 at 7:30pm; Sat 1/17 and Sun 1/18 at 2pm

Fill the Woods with Light, Slow Dance, Swing Shift, an excerpt from the as-yet-untitled World Premiere collaboration with East Village Opera Company, Caught, and Nascimento

Parsons Dance will perform January 6 – 18, 2009 at The Joyce Theater, with performances Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday at 7:30pm; Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm; and Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. There is a Family matinee performance on Saturday, January 10 at 2pm. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19^th Street), NYC. Tickets are $59, $35, and $19 (Joyce Members $44, $26) and are available by phone at 212-242-0800 or joyce.org.

Parsons Dance is committed to building new audiences for contemporary dance by creating American works of extraordinary artistry that are engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world. The company tours regionally, nationally and internationally. Since 1985, Parsons Dance has toured an average of 32 weeks per year, to a total more than 235 cities, 30 countries, six continents and millions of audience members. Many others have seen Parsons Dance on PBS, Bravo, A&E Network, and the Discovery Channel. Millions watched Parsons Dance perform live in Times Square as part of the internationally broadcast, 24-hour Millennium New Year’s Eve celebration. In New York City, Parsons Dance has been featured at The Joyce Theater, City Center, New Victory Theater, Central Park Summerstage, Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art and The World Trade Center.

David Parsons (Artistic Director/Founder) has enjoyed a remarkable career as a performer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer of dance. Mr. Parsons was born in Chicago and raised in Kansas City. He was a leading dancer with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, where Mr. Taylor created many roles for him in works such as Arden Court, Last Look and Roses. He is a recipient of the 2000 Dance Magazine Award, as well as the 2001 American Choreography Award, for his work as a co-producer of AEROS, a production featuring the Romanian Gymnastic Federation that was featured on Bravo. Mr. Parsons has created more than 70 works for Parsons Dance. He has received commissions over the years from The American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, the Spoleto Festival and Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, to name a few. His work has been performed by Paris Opera Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Nederlands Danse Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, Hubbard Street Dance and BatSheva Dance Company of Israel, among many others. In June 2007, Mr. Parsons was honored to be the very first contemporary choreographer ever to stage work at the centuries-old Arena di Verona, in Verona Italy, where he choreographed Verdi’s Aida. The Arena is one of Italy’s most respected operatic venues. In September 2007, he directed and choreographed Gotham Chamber Opera’s production of María de Buenos Aires, which made its world premiere at a sold-out engagement in New York, at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Arts.

East Village Opera Company was formed in New York City’s East Village in 2004 by Canadians Peter Kiesewalter and Tyley Ross. The East Village Opera Company turned the heads of New York’s music community with a series of electric genre defying shows at Joe’s Pub, the intimate venue housed by the Public Theatre. Initially meant as a one-off project, they were quickly signed to Decca/Universal records and met with universal praise from both classical and rock critics and fans. The Washington Post proclaimed that “Opera crossover acts are becoming a veritable cottage industry, but the East Village Opera Co. is markedly different.” They have toured the world with a unique live show, combining a seemingly incongruous classical string section with a powerhouse rock band. Time Out New York stated that the group “electrifies the classics for a new generation.” The Associated Press mused the band was “dramatic” and “mesmerizing” while the Wall Street Journal agreed, noting “The band rocks hard, and deranges the opera stuff with savvy skill.” In a rare feat not many artists can claim, EVOC headlines around the world in both eclectic rock clubs as well as some of the most prestigious classical concert halls. The band’s appeal is evident in both cases. The Chicago Tribune raved “Nobody puts a fresher, friskier contemporary spin on opera’s greatest hits than the East Village Opera Company.” The band has also performed at esteemed events such as the Sundance Film Festival, the Miss USA pageant (nationally televised on NBC), and the world-premiere of “The Da Vinci Code” in Hong Kong. EVOC has also been celebrated at the 2006 Emmy Awards with an award for their PBS Special “EVOC LIVE.”

Tyley Ross (Male Vocalist / EVOC co-founder) A native of Ottawa Canada, Tyley started performing professionally in his early teens while still a student at Canterbury’s school of the Arts. In the years since then, has been a street busker, a cartoon and voice artist, acted for the small and large screen, written and recorded two solo albums (his composition You Take My Breath Away was featured in the film Woman Wanted directed by Kiefer Sutherland and starring Holly Hunter), and he has performed as a guest soloist with orchestras across Canada and in the USA. After being discovered by Pete Townshend of The Who in 1994, Tyley was cast in the title role of the Canadian premiere of the Who’s Tommy. For his work in that show, he was honored with the Dora Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical. He spent the next ten years on musical stages across North America, including starring roles at the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, and on Broadway. In 2001, Tyley was introduced to Peter Kiesewalter and they began experimenting with recording opera arias in a variety of modern contexts. This project led to the release of the CD La Donna and the unveiling of the East Village Opera Company in 2004 with a series of acclaimed performances at New York’s Joe’s Pub. Within a year the band had signed a multi-record deal with Decca/Universal, and has since released two CD’s: East Village Opera Company (2005) and Olde School (2008). Tyley has his master’s degree in voice studies from London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.

AnnMarie Milazzo (Female Vocalist) is a singer, arranger, composer and lyricist living in NYC. She has done the vocal arrangements for Spring Awakening, the Broadway musical at the Eugene O’Neill Theater; Next To Normal, which premiered Off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre; Bright Lights, Big City at New York Theatre Workshop; and the Paramount feature film “The Marc Pease Experience” starring Ben Stiller. Some of her most recent work includes a new musical Pretty Dead Girl, which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival and is now being produced by the Araca Group in New York City, book by David Henry Wang. Also currently in progress is the musical Sea Change based on the Lois Gould novel, book by Karen Hartman. AnnMarie is the lyricist for Franco Dragone’s Carmen, which premiered at The Jolla Playhouse and will open in Madrid, 2009. She is currently writing lyrics for Cirque du Soleil’s, Le Reve, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. AnnMarie’s singing credits include working with artists such as Angelique Kidjo on her Black Ivory Soul Tour also singing with Carlos Santana. She also toured with Jonatha Brooke and performed on her DVD Back In The Circus, shot live in NYC.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences since 1982. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther’s clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to establish the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant New York home for more than 290 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce’s Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through pre-engagement Dance Talks and post-performance Humanities discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000. Additionally, for the last five years The Joyce has co-produced Evening Stars as part of the River To River Festival in Battery Park.

The World Premiere production is made possible by lead commissioning support from The Ellsworth Kelly Foundation; and Dr. and Mrs. Edward Prostic, in honor and memory of their daughter Elizabeth Anne Prostic.

For more information, visit parsonsdance.org and eastvillageoperacompany.com.

PARSONS DANCE

The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19^th Street), NYC

January 6-18, 2009

Tue, Wed and Sun at 7:30pm; Thu, Fri and Sat at 8pm; and Sat and Sun at 2pm

Family matinee performance on Saturday, January 10 at 2pm.

Tickets: $59, $35, $19 (Joyce Members $44, $26)

JoyceCharge: 212-242-0800

joyce.org

The Victoria Symphony presents Viva el Flamenco! November 6,7 & 8

An unprecedented performance takes place when Halifax based El Viento Flamenco

makes its Westcoast debut with over 50 musicians from the Victoria Symphony!

Victoria, BC – On November 6, 7 and 8, the Halifax based El Viento Flamenco makes their first symphony appearance west of Quebec. In a performance with the Victoria Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor Brian Jackson, they bring their award winning and unique style of flamenco to the Royal Theatre in a passionate performance of song, dance and music titled Viva El Flamenco!

El Viento Flamenco brings its own, very distinct voice to the art of Flamenco. With a singer and guitarist who hail from rock and roll, a percussionist who is involved in everything from Newfoundland folk to African drumming and Punk rock, and dancers who have lived all over the world, the group stands subtly but resolutely outside of flamenco tradition. Having performed to rave reviews with Symphony Nova Scotia and Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Victoria Symphony is bring El Viento Flamenco to Victoria.

Dancer Evelyne Benais first encountered flamenco in 1993 at the Don Quixote, a flamenco tavern in Toronto, where she would later start her career under the direction of Carmen Romero. She then moved to Newfoundland where she convinced St. John's rock guitarist Bob Sutherby to plunge into the genre, and in 1996, El Viento Flamenco was born on the wind-swept shores of the Avalon Peninsula. The entire troupe, including singer Sean Harris and percussionist Tony Tucker, moved to Halifax in 2001, where they added dancers/singers Maral Perk and Megan Matheson. They have all pursued flamenco with a passion --traveling repeatedly to Seville to study with masters and steeping themselves in this rich cultural tradition.

In the last five years El Viento Flamenco has toured extensively throughout Atlantic Canada, including all the Atlantic Presenters and Arts and Culture Centres. They have performed at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa; made several regional and national appearances on CBC radio and television as well at Government House for the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. They have had their music arranged for orchestra for two concerts with Symphony Nova Scotia, and they have been featured in a half-hour documentary on Bravo Television.

Following a performance with Orchestre symphonique de Québec who reengaged El Viento Flamenco a second time after receiving audience accolades and rave reviews, Richard Boisvert for Le Soleil wrote:

"Carried by a somehow severe grace that is softened by stunning curves, Evelyne Benais, founder of the ensemble with guitarist Bob Sutherby, has developed a technique of dance that is absolutely astounding. Given the precision and quality of the sound of her feet, one can literally speak of music. Some of the pieces accompanied by the Orchestre symphonique de Québec were like veritable concertos for heels and points.”

Flamenco is the traditional music and dance of the Roma gypsies of Southern Spain. It has developed over the last 250 years, with influences from various cultures, including Latin American and the Middle-East. Today, the vast spectrum of Flamenco styles is kept alive and vibrant in Spain as well as by artists of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds around the world.

Maestro Brian Jackson is the Principal Pops conductor of the Victoria Symphony, the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony and Orchestra London Canada. At the age of 25 Jackson was the youngest Music Director in Canada (Peterborough Symphony) and since that time he has conducted all the major Canadian orchestras. He has also led orchestras in the UK, Europe, the United States and South America. Jackson has performed all major symphony and choral literature as well as being recognized as a champion of Canadian composers.

The Victoria Symphony is Vancouver Island’s largest and most active arts organization offering its audiences 68 years of tradition, a commitment to fostering new music and a dedication to community involvement through music education. Showcasing the outstanding talents of its musicians and guest artists the Victoria Symphony’s 2008-2009 season offers a diverse and exciting line-up of over 50 concerts led by its vibrant Music Director Tania Miller.

Viva El Flamenco! featuring El Viento Flamenco, Maestro Brian Jackson and the Victoria Symphony takes place at the Royal Theatre on Thursday, November 6 at 2:00pm and again on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8 at 8:00pm. Come early on Friday November 7^th and join in on a Flamenco dance lesson with members of Alma de Espana dance studio beginning at 7:15pm. Tickets from $26.50 to $68.50. Students save 50%. Call 250.385.6515 or 250.386.6121 or online at www.victoriasymphony.ca

The Victoria Symphony wishes to acknowledge the generous support of Beltone Better Hearing Centre for these performances.

For complete programming details of the 2008-2009 season please visit www.victoriasymphony.ca.

Harbourfront Centre: GEEK OUT!

Amazing performances and interactive activities at Harbourfront Centre's family celebration of GEEKS this Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, October 12 & 13. Admission is free.

TORONTO, Friday, September 19, 2008 — Harbourfront Centre is excited to present its free family celebration of GEEKS with two jam-packed days of creativity and plenty of fun on Sunday and Thanksgiving Holiday Monday, October 12 & 13. HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! includes Beakman Live!, a live stage spectacle, based on the Emmy-winning show, Beakman's World, featuring large-scale, wacky science demos with lots of audience participation; Darwin, a brilliant show where electroluminescent creatures light up the stage; incredible theatre and music performances; Lego Invention Connection; the Laurentien Clubhouse; the Natrel Robot Reboot Station; a spelling bee; plus awesome interactive activities.



The BiG idEA for October's edition of HarbourKIDS (Harbourfront Centre's new family programme) is the celebration of GEEKS with a weekend of non-stop fun. GEEKS are those that march to the beat of their own drum, and can be artists or designers or architects or astronauts or anyone else with a passion for doing what they do. In other words, GEEKS are cool and amazing people! HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! is a chance for kids to do the things they love to do. Maybe they are ace spelling champs. Or master builders. Maybe they are amazing illustrators or video game whizzes.



HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! takes place on Sunday & Thanksgiving Holiday Monday, October 12 & 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. Admission is free. For information, the public can call

416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/harbourkids.



HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! Highlights

Beakman Live!

Paul Zaloom (USA)

Sunday, October 12, 2:15 & 4:15 p.m.

Monday, October 13, 11:45 a.m. & 4:15 p.m.

Based on the Emmy Award-winning children's science TV show Beakman's World, Beakman Live! features Paul Zaloom as the eccentric, wacky scientist Beakman, who amazes his fellow humans with a series of death-defying and unbelievable demonstrations of intriguing scientific principles. See Beakman lie on a bed of needle-sharp nails! Watch Beakman make a flying bat materialize from thin air!



Marvel as Beakman breaks the sound barrier in front of everyone's eyes! Ponder the impossibility as Beakman makes a roll of toilet paper fly! Witness Beakman fearlessly stand in the path of a speeding bowling ball as the audience wonders in suspense if it will smash his really big head! Called "one of the most original and talented political satirists working in the theater" by The New York Times, Paul Zaloom is an award-winning performance artist, puppeteer and political satirist, who has written, designed and performed over 10 solo shows. Recommended for ages 5 and up. (For additional details on Beakman Live!, visit www.washingtonsquarearts.com/theatrical-beakman-live.asp.)



Darwin

CORBIAN Visual Arts and Dance (USA)

Sunday, October 12, 11:45 a.m.

Monday, October 13, 2 p.m.

Darwin, a Canadian premiere, is an amazing show where electroluminescent creatures light up the stage. Darwin takes audiences on a journey with Darwin, a dinosaur built by the hands of a great artist, Henslow. Kids follow Darwin from his origination as he stumbles over joy, creativity, fear, danger, victory and most importantly love—and like kids, in the process of growing up, learns life lessons and begins to make decisions for himself. CORBIAN brings together dance with the visual arts to present dinosaurs in an innovative and visually striking way—making this performance accessible to younger audiences, while also giving a creative spin on dinosaurs, which many kids are already geeks for!



CORBIAN is dedicated to entertaining and educating using new, interesting and often-simple theatrical methods and materials. Much of CORBIAN's content includes sculptures of wire and/or epoxy rods lit over black space bringing forth living crayon-like creatures and characters. In addition to the story, this production has a Q&A that gives audiences the opportunity to learn about the company's use of electroluminescent wire to bring the characters to 'life.' Recommended for ages 7 and up. (For a video clip of CORBIAN Visual Arts and Dance, visit

http://www.iancarney.com/images/PROMO_G_web300.mov.)



O is for Ogre

Waterwood Theatre Projects (Canada)

Sunday, October 12, 11:15 a.m.

Monday, October 13, 11:15 a.m. & 1:45 p.m.

Waterwood Theatre Projects presents O is for Ogre, a performance about the joy of reading! It's a tale about a young boy, Owen Osborne and his love of books. A stubborn Ogre begins to take Os out of some of Owen's favourite books. Kids are invited to follow along as Owen figures out how to get them back. Beautiful table top, hand, rod and shadow puppets, along with music make this fun-filled and enchanting show come to life. Waterwood Theatre Projects has been presenting original shows for children and family audiences for over 20 years. Recommended for ages 5-9.



Annabelle Canto (Canada)

Sunday, October 12, 1 p.m.

Bilingual performance in English/French

From Montreal, soprano Christina Tannous becomes Annabelle Canto, the young opera singer who loses both her voice and memory on the morning of an important concert. Annabelle and her pianist, played by Dominic Boulianne, set out on a quest for this magical voice. Annabelle Canto, part of the Music with Bite ongoing family concert series, is a co-production with Jeunesses Musicales Ontario. The performance is also part of Québec Now!, a Toronto-wide celebration of contemporary Québec arts and culture. Recommended for ages 5 and up.



A is for Awesome Spelling Bee with musical guest Bob Wiseman

Sunday, October 12, 3:45 p.m.

Calling all amazing spellers! It's kids vs. adults. Participants receive ribbons and trophies designed by local artists. Participates must be 7 years of age or older. All ages are welcome as audience members.



Laurentien Clubhouse

Kids make artist cards that they can trade with other kids, and their own geek button at the Get your Button On station.



Lego Invention Connection

Geeks are great inventors. Kids are invited to get inspired by LEGO experts' models of famous inventions and then build their own.



Natrel Robot Reboot Station

Kids create their own robot costume out of Natrel milk cartons, crafts and their imagination. Afterwards, they are invited to join a huge robot dance party.



Electricity Lab with InterAccess

Adding electricity to one's favourite things isn't only easy—it's fun! InterAccess is an artist-run centre that invites people to explore art and technology. For additional details on InterAccess, visit interaccess.org.



Other not-to-be-missed activities: HyperStory with author Emily Pohl-Weary who enlists the help of participants to create a huge choose-your-own adventure story; cool comic book workshops with Zach Wartan; Impossible Project Institute by Swintak; Dungeons and Dragons; and video games.



HarbourKIDS: GEEK OUT! is supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, Enwave, Sirius Satellite Radio, Pawsway, Queens Quay Terminal, Natrel, Aquafina, Laurentien and LEGO.



FOCUS: Pause

Harbourfront Centre wants you. to. slow. down. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information and images, what happens when someone really takes the time to reflect? From September to May, Harbourfront Centre wants you to pause and make a connection to art, technology, the world. Find time for yourself by taking one of our Courses and Workshops; reflect while you wait for the World Stage curtain to rise; indulge in a great book during Authors at Harbourfront Centre. Harbourfront Centre–time well spent.

Dancemakers Announces 2008/2009 Season

“[Michael] Trent is blessed…. His dancers are strong individuals, and display…dominant traits that add to the mystique of their interactions.” Paula Citron, Globe and Mail

Other (brutal) responses:

Dancemakers announces its 2008/2009 season

September 8, 2008 … Dancemakers and The Centre for Creation’s 2008/2009 season -- under the leadership of artistic director Michael Trent -- focuses on brutality in the world and our responses to it. The season includes the indispensable series Dancemakers Presents, the Home Season with guest choreographer Tony Chong and the annual Choreographic Lab with choreographer Valerie Calam. Dancemakers’ main-stage presentation, 60 dances in 60 minutes (working title) by Michael Trent, is part of Harbourfront’s NextSteps Series. The coming season also reunites the 2007/2008 dance ensemble of: Kate Hilliard, Kate Holden, Benjamin Kamino and Steeve Paquet and introduces new ensemble member Robert Abubo to form the 2008/2009 Dancemakers company. Also, Alanna Kraaijeveld will be joining the company as guest artist on several projects. The season also includes master classes with the iconic Peggy Baker and renowned Toronto dance artist Susie Burpee.

Subscription packages are available for the season; visit dancemakers.org for more information.

2008/2009 marks Michael Trent’s third year as Artistic Director of Dancemakers. Trent says, “I insist on surrounding myself with people who inspire me because simply, it makes the work better.” In thinking about the season’s programming, he adds, “Chong will challenge the collaborative team to go as deeply as possible in the creation of bold new work. The Dancemakers Presents artists are inspired and inspiring and I am proud to present them to our public.”

Resident Dramaturge and Animateur Jacob Zimmer adds, “The world can be a brutal place. And so too our responses. Even in the privilege of a wealthy city in a wealthy and reportedly polite country, the daily grinding and banal cruelty wears its way into our bodies. Emotionally and physically we feel the impact, even when the source is almost too subtle to name.”

How then might we respond? Road rage, trips “out of the city”, anonymous online rants, good food and good wine could be included in list of responses to such everyday brutality. And we would also add “dance” to any such list.

In the 2008/09 season, Dancemakers brings five other (brutal) responses from five Canadian choreographers to the Toronto public. All five reply explicitly and with great force to the world around them. Personal and particular, these five works offer a reflection and a re-imagining of how we might respond.

The 2008/2009 season will include two world premieres created with the Dancemakers’ company: The Home Season: Bloodletting and Other Pleasant Things (October 22, 23, 24, 25, October 28, 29, 30, 31, November 1, 2008 at 8 p.m., October 26 and November 2 at 4 p.m.) choreographed by Tony Chong and with a soundscape by Kevin Young. Invited to create a new work for the coveted Dancemakers’ Home Season -- a rare opportunity for contemporary dance to deepen over an extended two-week run -- Ottawa choreographer and Artistic Director of Le Groupe Dance Lab, Chong returns with his unique physical and imagistic language. Inspired by powerful images of anger and violence, so readily seen in our popular culture, Chong was initially struck by the malicious and often decisively negative intent of online forums and postings.

The second world premiere will be 60 dances in 60 minutes (working title) (February 11, 12, 13, 14, 2009 at 8 p.m. and February 14 at 3 p.m.). This new work from Michael Trent continues the drive towards bold contemporary, collaborative and cross-disciplinary work. Following the success of 2007-2008's things in between and Double Bill #1, Artistic Director Michael Trent and five extraordinary performers unveil a world premiere specifically created for the Enwave Theatre at Harbourfront Centre.

Trent wonders, “If time is neither slow nor fast – just slower or faster, how long is a minute? What makes it go by in a flash or last forever?” Building from 60 things lasting precisely one minute, Trent is curious about how they overlap, interrelate and run-up against each other. About how we respect or defy our limitations.

Go to dancemakers.org to follow the work's development.

In September, Artistic Director Michael Trent participates in one of two residencies through Rural Retreats. He is one of seven aspiring leaders of dance from around the world who have been selected for international placements with Rural Retreats, a think tank for current and future leaders of the dance world.

The successful candidates were identified, selected and funded by DanceEast (danceeast.co.uk) Each participant will spend up to three months shadowing a leading dance director with unprecedented access to meetings and rehearsals, learning about all aspects of running a top international dance organization and experiencing the work of various departments such as sponsorship, marketing, public relations, production, programming and touring.

The Centre for Creation’s Dancemakers Presents series has become one of Toronto’s most important platforms for revealing contemporary Canadian choreography. The series is aimed at providing opportunities for Canadian choreographers with little or no access to the Toronto public.

Dancemakers Presents Series opens with Montreal choreographer George Stamos’ reservoir-pneumatic (September 25, 26, 27, 2008 at 8 p.m.). The Dancemakers’ Presents series continues to build its tradition of bringing in contemporary choreographers, including George Stamos, an artist known for creating bold, sophisticated dances developed around ideas of sexuality, gender and class politics. Exploring the importance of connections in the face of brutal circumstances, reservoir-pneumatic stars some of Montreal’s finest performances.

Next in the series will be Toronto artist Sasha Ivanochko’s world premiere of her new solo (December 11, 12, 13, 2008 at 8 p.m.) with her long time composer Katherine Thompson. An intense and intuitive performer, she has charmed audiences and critics with her explosive physicality and dramatic presence. "Sasha Ivanochko is so damned expressive; you could sell tickets to watch her cross the street." NOW Magazine - June, 2005.

The series concludes with Antonija Livingstone (February 26, 27, 28, 2009 at 8 p.m.). In The Part choreographer and performer Livingstone examines social roles and performative ‘roles’ and the many similar traits they share and fascinations they hold. There are ways you behave at work and ways you behave at a party, just as there are ways you behave in ballet and ways you behave in conceptual dance. After success in Vancouver, Montreal and Europe, this marks the first Toronto presentation of this important and iconoclastic artist.

Each performance series will once again be accompanied by Dancemakers pre-show conversation series, Thinking Out Loud: a conversation about art and ideas. Resident Dramaturge/Animateur Jacob Zimmer and Artistic Director Michael Trent invite the public to join them in an open discussion about an idea or curiosity the choreographer of the work has identified as integral to their work or processes. These conversations are less about the particular work and more about issues that surround, or come through, their practice.

The 2009 Choreographic Lab (public showings: March 21, 22, 2009) welcomes one choreographer to spend three luxurious weeks with the company dancers on research devoted to curiosities and new ideas in art making.

Applauded across Canada and Europe for her phenomenally articulate and witty performances with Toronto Dance Theatre, Valerie Calam is bursting onto the choreographic scene with a potent mix of extreme physical daring and irrefutable relevance. Her 2007 work Parliament was recognized with a Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography.

And in the final preparation for the world premiere of Accidents for Every Occasion, Toronto choreographer Jenn Goodwin takes over the Centre for Creation as artist-in-residence. This project provides her with 24/7 access to our fully equipped and state of the art theatre as she finesses all the creative elements before DanceWorks premieres the work from April 30 to May 2, 2009 as part of Harbourfront Centre’s NextSteps series.

And in its continued commitment to bringing contemporary dance to young people, Dancemakers will undertake two youth initiatives. The Company will deliver a series of workshops with students from performing arts high schools (Cawthra, Etobicoke, Unionville and Rosedale High Schools) that provide insights into Dancemakers’ creative process. The day starts with a class with the Company performers. Following the performance, students are led through a workshop to deepen their experience of the form and content of the show they have just witnessed.

Dancemakers 2008/2009 season in chronological order:

Unless otherwise noted, all performances take place at Dancemakers Centre for

Creation, The Distillery Historic District, 55 Mill Street, The Cannery, Bldg. 58, Suite 313.

Call/Click: 416.367.1800 or info@dancemakers.org; dancemakers.org

A limited number of tickets for students with valid ID will be made available through hipTIX throughout the season. Visit totix.ca for updates. Save from 10% to ­­15% with subscription packages ranging from $48 to $61 for all performances at the Centre for Creation.

Sept. 8-19 Michael Trent in residency in France, with choreographer Maguy Marin at the Centre chorégraphique national in Lyon

Sept 8 - 12 Skinner Release Technique with Toronto-based artist and former Assistant Artistic Director of Dancemakers Julia Sasso Sold-out!

Sept. 25 - 27, 8 p.m. Dancemakers Presents: George Stamos

reservoir-pneumatic (please note: intended to be in lower case)

Sept. 26, 7 p.m. Thinking Out Loud: a conversation about art and ideas

Tickets: Regular $22; Students/Seniors/CADA $18

Oct. 22-25, The Home Season: Bloodletting and Other Pleasant Things

Oct. 28 – Nov. 1, 8 p.m. by Tony Chong

Oct. 26 & Nov. 2, 4 p.m. Tickets: Regular $22; Students/Seniors/CADA $18

Nov. 10 - 14, 1-5 p.m. Improvisation with Toronto-based teacher Misha Glouberman

Dec. 11 - 13, 8 p.m. Dancemakers Presents: Sasha Ivanochko

untitled (a world premiere)

Dec. 12, 7 p.m. Thinking Out Loud: a conversation about art and ideas

Tickets: Regular $22; Students/Seniors/CADA $18

Dec. 1 - 5 Master Teacher Series with Peggy Baker

Pre-registration required. Please contact Dancemakers for more information about the Master Teacher Series.

Feb. 11 - 14, 8 p.m. Dancemakers @ Harbourfront: 60 dances in 60 minutes (working title)

Feb. 14, 3 p.m. NextSteps Series

All performances at the Enwave Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, 207 Queens Quay West Tickets: Regular: $22-$38; Students/Seniors/CADA:$20-$33

Call/Click: 416.973.4000 or www.harbourfrontcentre.com

Feb. 26 - 28, 8 p.m. Dancemakers Presents: Antonija Livingstone

The Part

Feb. 27, 7 p.m. Thinking out Loud: a conversation about art and ideas

Mar. 9 - 13 Master Teacher Series with Susie Burpee

Please contact Dancemakers for more information about the Master Teacher Series.

Mar 21 & 22 at 8 p.m. Choreographic Lab Public Presentation

Invited Choreographer: Valerie Calam,

Lab monitor: Michael Trent

Tickets: Regular $10; Students/Seniors/CADA $8

Spring 2009 Michael Trent in residency in France with Mathilde Monnier at the Centre chorégraphique national in Montpellier

April 20 - 26 Centre for Creation Production Residency

Choreographer: Jenn Goodwin

April 24, 7 p.m. Thinking Out Loud: a conversation about art and ideas

Harbourfront Centre: Toronto Music Garden

Free concerts and dance performances with three world premieres at the Toronto Music Garden, June 29 to September 14

TORONTO, Tuesday, June 3, 2008—The popular Summer Music in the Garden series returns to the Toronto Music Garden with a new season of free classical music and dance all summer long! Summer Music in the Garden showcases an eclectic array of music and dance performances that complement the beauty and calm of the Toronto Music Garden, and the music of composer Johann Sebastian Bach that inspired it. From June 29 to September 14, Summer Music in the Garden presents 20 free outdoor concerts and dance performances with over 90 performers over the course of the summer, taking place on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. and on most Sundays at 4 p.m. The popular free guided garden tours led by volunteers from the Toronto Botanical Garden return for another season, taking place on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. from June 4 to September 24, and on Thursdays before every concert at 5:30 p.m. from July 3 to September 11. Self-guided audio tours are also available for a nominal fee. Admission to the park and all its programming is free.

The programmes that takes place in the Toronto Music Garden are produced by Harbourfront Centre in partnership with City of Toronto Department of Parks, Forestry and Recreation. Summer Music in the Garden is curated for Harbourfront Centre by Artistic Director, Tamara Bernstein, and made possible through the generosity of Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Toronto Culture, and Margaret and Jim Fleck.

The Toronto Music Garden is a City of Toronto park, located on the city’s picturesque waterfront at 475 Queens Quay West (on the water’s edge side), between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue. It is wheelchair-accessible and open year-round. For information on the Toronto Music Garden and its current programmes, the public can call Harbourfront Centre, 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com. For information on other City of Toronto parks and gardens, the public can call 416-338-0338 or visit www.toronto.ca/parks.

Summer Music in the Garden 2008 Highlights

The 2008 season of Summer Music in the Garden opens on Sunday, June 29 with music for cello ensemble—a tribute to the venue, which interprets Bach’s First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello into garden design. This year, Paul Widner (director), Garrett Knecht, Peter Cosbey and Alastair Eng present an eclectic program to launch the concert series.

Three exciting world premieres takes place this year at the Toronto Music Garden. There are two music-dance works: one from Hari Krishnan, the artistic director of inDANCE (Five Gods, Two Kings and the Frog Princess on August 17) and one by Keiko Kitano/Aki Takahashi (Yanagi: Spirit of the Willow Tree on September 11), both commissioned by Harbourfront Centre specifically for presentation in the Toronto Music Garden. Both pieces take their inspiration, in part, from mythology and legend: inDANCE from South Asian mythology; Kitano/Takahasi from Japanese tales about female spirits that appear under willow trees. The world premiere of a string quartet written by U.S. composer Liam Wade for the Cecilia Quartet takes place on August 14.

There are many performers making their debut this year at the Toronto Music Garden: SamulNori Canada (Korean drumming), July 6; dancer-choreographer Keiko Kitano, August 28 and September 11; inDANCE (August 17); The Queen’s (Quay) Trumpeters (July 3); baroque cornettist Kiri Tollaksen (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and dulcian player Dominic Teresi with Folia (July 27); Rosetta String Trio: violinist Abigail Karr, violist Sarah Darling and cellist Kate Bennett Haynes, September 14; soprano Meredith Hall and guitarist Bernard Farley (July 13); pipa player Wen Zhao (August 24); and soprano Brooke Dufton, pianist Rachad Feizoullaev, and woodwind player Colin Maier (August 10).

From June to September 2008, Borders is part of an ongoing focus on ideas in programming at Harbourfront Centre. (See page 6 for additional information). Tamara Bernstein, artistic director of Summer Music in the Garden comments, “Borders: such a homey, straightforward concept for a garden! But the Toronto Music Garden is not just any garden. Nestled between city and lake, it dissolves the borders between music and landscape, transforming Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major for unaccompanied cello into a magical space. The borders theme resonates through many of this summer’s concerts too. The Kirby String Quartet (July 31) performs classics that pushed the aesthetic boundaries of their day; Lucas Harris and Wen Zhao (August 24) cross musical borders to bring together two instruments (European lute and Chinese pipa) with a common ancestor; Aruna Narayan (August 21) keeps venerable South Asian musical traditions alive even while breaking down barriers as a female sarangi virtuoso. And Orfea (August 10) retells the pan-cultural myth of the hero/heroine who breaches the ultimate border in order to bring a loved one back from the realm of the dead—a theme echoed by those ancient symbols of departed souls: the monarch butterflies who grace the Garden in late summer on their great, mysterious migration.”

SUMMER MUSIC IN THE GARDEN SCHEDULE

All concerts are approximately one hour long and take place weather permitting. Concerts are cancelled inclement or rainy weather.

Sunday, June 29 at 4 p.m.
CelloFest
In a Toronto Music Garden tradition, four of Toronto’s finest cellists perform music from Bach to Zappa. Ensemble director Paul Widner is joined by Peter Cosbey, Alastair Eng and Garrett Knecht.

Thursday, July 3 at 7 p.m.
Fanfares by the Lake
You may know them from Tafelmusik, but tonight they are The Queen’s (Quay) Trumpeters: John Thiessen, Norman Engel and Andras Molnar and baroque timpanist Edward Reifel. Performing on an array of period instruments, they take us on a glittering tour, from the renaissance courts of England to the great cathedrals of Venice and onwards to the present.

Sunday July 6 at 4 p.m.
Dancing Drums of Korea
Samulnori Canada celebrates nature’s rhythms with high-energy, traditional Korean drumming. With guests Han-Soo Jung, p’iri (bamboo reed flute) and So-Sun Suh, hae-geum (Korean fiddle).

Thursday, July 10 at 7 p.m.
The Secret of the Good Life: The Chaconne’s Dance to Fame
Violinist Geneviève Gilardeau, Lucas Harris (lute, theorbo, baroque guitar) and cellist Kate Bennett Haynes take us on a toe-tapping journey, on period instruments, through the evolution of the chaconne: from its origins as an illicit dance in 16^th century Mexico through to its apotheosis as a virtuoso variation form in the High Baroque. Find out why Miguel de Cervantes claimed “The secret of the good life is hidden in the dance of the chaconne.”

Sunday. July 13 at 4 p.m.
Down by the Sally Gardens: Songs of Summer, Nature, Love and Loss
Visit a sidewalk café in Paris, climb a mountain with a Japanese Empress, fish for squid off the coast of Newfoundland. Soprano Meredith Hall and guitarist Bernard Farley present an eclectic and beguiling program of folk, classical and popular songs. With works by Schubert, Ned Rorem, Jayme Ovalle, Robert Burns, Yoshinao Nakada, Kozaburo Hirai, and Bernard Farley.

Thursday July 17 at 7 p.m.
The Sunniest of All Keys
The Windermere String Quartet presents two takes on the key of C Major: Haydn’s Quartet Op. 20 No. 2 (the “Sun” Quartets) and Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet, K. 465. Performed on period instruments by Rona Goldensher and Geneviève Gilardeau (violins), Anthony Rapoport (viola), and Laura Jones (cello).

Sunday July 20 at 4 p.m.
Strong Winds and Occasional Thunder
NOT a weather forecast! The superb brass and percussion sections of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada present a delightful, varied program that showcases Canada’s outstanding young artists.

Thursday July 24 at 7 p.m.
Percussion in a Suitcase
Find out what happens when a percussionist—the spectacular Aiyun Huang of Montreal—creates a program for which all the instruments fit into her suitcase. Music by Matthew Burtner, Alvin Lucier, Javier Alvarez, Roberto Sierra, Georges Aperghis, and John Adams.

Sunday, July 27 at 4 p.m.
Blowing/Bowing in the Wind
Folia returns with a concert featuring two of the most unusual and beloved instruments of the 17^th century—the cornetto, once considered the instrument closest to the human voice, and the dulcian, ancestor of the bassoon. Kiri Tollaksen (Ann Arbor, Michigan), North America’s foremost cornettist, joins Toronto’s own dulcian virtuoso, Dominic Teresi. Baroque violinist Linda Melsted and harpsichordist Borys Medicky complete the dream team for this programme of glorious music from 17^th century Italy and Germany. Presented with the generous support of the Toronto Early Music Centre.

Thursday July 31 at 7 p.m.
Radical Masters: Unconventional Works by Mozart, Bartok and Beethoven
The charismatic Kirby String Quartet performs works that push the boundaries of their day: Bartok’s Quartet No. 3, Beethoven’s Quartet Op.135, and selections from Mozart’s sublime Quartet in E flat Major, K.428. Performed by Aisslinn Nosky and Julia Wedman (violins), Max Mandel (viola), and Carina Reeves (cello).

Thursday, August 7 at 7 p.m.
Persian Music for a Summer Night
Pirouz Yousefian and Farzad Yousefian return with more spellbinding traditional and original music on the santur—a Persian hammer dulcimer of ancient origin—and Middle Eastern percussion.

Sunday August 10 at 4 p.m.
Orfea
In this touching adaptation for the whole family of the ancient Orfeo myth, a little girl shoulders her golden harp and journeys to the Underworld to bring her beloved grandfather back to life. Along the way we hear music from 400 years of opera, including Monteverdi, Mozart and Offenbach. Written by Greg Robic and baritone Lawrence Cotton. Performed by Cotton, Brooke Dufton (soprano), Rachad Feizoullaev (keyboard), and Colin Maier (woodwinds).

Thursday, August 14 at 7 p.m.
Cecilia String Quartet
The globe-trotting Cecilias, now based in San Diego, return to perform Schumann's passionate yet intimate Quartet No. 3, and give the world premiere of a quartet written for them by Liam Wade. Violinists Sarah Nematallah and Min-Jeong Koh, violist Caitlin Boyle, and cellist Rebecca Wenham.

Sunday August 17 at 4 p.m.
Five Gods, Two Kings and the Frog Princess
inDANCE, under artistic director Hari Krishnan, presents the world premiere of an exciting work for 10 dancers and six musicians that fuses traditional and contemporary approaches to Bharatanatyam dance. Commissioned by Harbourfront Centre for the Toronto Music Garden.

Thursday, August 21 at 7 p.m.
Evening Ragas in the Garden
Aruna Narayan returns with her eloquent and virtuosic interpretations of North India ragas, performed on the 40-string sarangi with Vineet Vyas, tabla, and Akshay Kalle, tanpura.

Sunday, August 24 at 4 p.m.
A Tale of Two Lutes
Two musical cousins—the European lute and the Chinese pipa—meet and converse as the renowned baroque lutenist Lucas Harris and pipa virtuosa Wen Zhao bring their respective traditions together.

Thursday, August 28 at 7 p.m.
Mizu to Ki no Uta (Voices of Wood and Water)
Nagata Shachu taiko ensemble (formerly known as Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble) drum in the change of season with exuberant music rooted in ancient spiritual practices, revitalized with a contemporary vision. With special guest dancer-choreographer Keiko Kitano.

Thursday, September 4 at 7 p.m.
Bach at Dusk
Winona Zelenka performs the piece that inspired the Toronto Music Garden: Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major for unaccompanied cello. Note: Half-hour concert due to early sunset.

Thursday, September 11 at 7 p.m.
Soul/Saule-Mates: Reflections under the willow tree
On a date that invites reflection, cellist Shauna Rolston performs Soulmate for solo cello, by Chan Ka Nin; choreographer-dancer Keiko Kitano and composer-musician Aki Takahashi present the world premiere of Yanagi: Spirit of the Willow Tree—a piece inspired by Japanese tales of ghosts and willow trees (saule, in French). Yanagi is commissioned by Harbourfront Centre for performance beneath the Toronto Music Garden’s weeping willow. Note: Half-hour concert due to early sunset.

Sunday, September 14 at 4 p.m.
Your Eyes Have Their Silence
The acclaimed Rosetta String Trio bring the season to a magnificent close with Schubert and Mozart, music from the Renaissance, and Your Eyes Have Their Silence, a piece written for them by contemporary U.S. composer Christopher Hossfeld. Performed by Abigail Karr (violin), Sarah Darling (viola), and Kate Bennett Haynes (cello).

TORONTO MUSIC GARDEN TOURS
Guided tours begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays: June 4, 11, 18, 25; July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; August 6, 13, 20, 27; September 3, 10, 17, 24.
Pre-concert guided tours begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays: July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; August 7, 14, 21, 28; September 4, 11.

The popular garden tours return for another season! Discover the spectacular parade of seasonal blooms while learning about the garden’s unique design and history. The two-acre Toronto Music Garden contains a spectacular array of flowering trees, shrubs and perennials. Visitors are invited to take a free 45-minute walking tour led by Toronto Botanical Garden volunteer guides. Tours start in the west end of the garden in the Prelude section. Self-guided 70-minute audio tours (English only) hosted by Yo-Yo Ma and Julie Moir Messervy are also available for a rental fee of $5 at the Marina Quay West office, 539 Queens Quay West (daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.).

TORONTO MUSIC GARDEN BACKGROUND
The Toronto Music Garden is considered by many to be the jewel of the City of Toronto’s park system. A unique and magical venue, the Toronto Music Garden is the only garden/park in the world known to be directly inspired by a specific piece of music—Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major for unaccompanied cello.

The Toronto Music Garden was conceived by internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and designed by Boston-based Garden Designer Julie Moir Messervy. It consists of six contiguous sections, each of which corresponds to one of the six movements of the Bach Suite (Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuett and Gigue), where each movement is poetically reflected through landscape and flora.