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Allies and Friends (March)

March 24 - 25, 2023
8:00 PM @ The Citadel
LIVESTREAM ON MARCH 25

ABOUT THE SHOW

Citadel + Compagnie is thrilled to have our presenter-in-residence back for their three-part performance series Allies and Friends. This mixed bill fuses poetry and movement for an evening of intimate and insightful performances.

 

whispers 

The collective’s artists will perform whispers, a work originally choreographed by Kevin A. Ormsby and Lilia Leon and with music composed by Judith Manger, now reimagined by Claire Whitaker and Bakari Lindsay. whispers presents a journey to self-discovery through the veils of Blackness.

 

Salat Hawwaa’ [Eve’s Prayer]

Meryem is performing a new solo inspired by devotional dance, incantations and breathing practices of various Sufi devotee groups in Morocco and women-led popular dance and singing traditions from Morocco. The solo is a reinterpretation of these practices through the lens of her Western contemporary dance and performance training. 

 

vagabon, vakabon, et al 

A character study. They switch and chip, slither and flaunt; simply and fervently. A provocateur restrained, a fixture moults, spills out of bondage…..good evening, good evening, good evening, good evening, good evening, good evening…  

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Meet the Artists

Photo of Meryem Alaoui 

Meryem Alaoui 

Choreographer/Performer

Artistic Director of Jasad Dance Projects, Meryem Alaoui is a dancer-choreographer from Morocco, living in Toronto. Her work is often an invitation towards a softer and sensorial experience of dance.

A graduate of the School of TDT, she has danced for multiple choreographers, including Amanda Acorn. Her choreographic works have been shown in Ontario and Quebec. In 2019, she created a solo for Sonia Rodriguez, principal dancer at the NBoC. Meryem has received residency support nationally and internationally, and funding from the CCA, the OAC and the TAC. She also enjoys being involved in arts-education and community arts projects. 

Photo of Rodney Diverlus Photo by Maxim Kopanygin

Rodney Diverlus

Choreographer/Performer

Rodney Diverlus (they/them) is a Haitian-Canadian multi-hyphenate art-maker whose practice straddles modalities, and they create works in dance, theatre, film, opera, multidisciplinary performance, and public arts-based political interventions.

Described by the Toronto Star as “one of Toronto’s fastest rising dance talents,” Rodney recently debuted Dora-nominated ‘welcome, we’ve been waiting’ for Toronto Dance Theatre and has created choreographic works for Tapestry Opera, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, Tapestry Opera, Toronto Metropolitan University, Tableau d’Hôte Theatre, Art Gallery of Ontario, SummerWorks Festival, Irie Music Festival, and has interpreted works by Stratford Festival, Holla Jazz, Canadian Stage, Luminato Festival, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, KasheDance, the Wind in the Leaves Collective, to name a few. Beyond their artistic practice, they moonlight as a community activator and writer. They are a co-founder of Black Lives Matter—Canada and the Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism. 

 

Photo of Daniel Hamin Go

Daniel Hamin Go

Musician/Performer

Described as “authoritative, poised, and dripping with élan” (Jonathan Freeman-Atwood), 27 year-old Korean cellist Daniel Hamin Go is recognised as a special emerging talent. Daniel believes in the power of music and its ability to evoke truth; his mission lies in preserving the legacy of great music from the past, reimagining its utilization in present times, and inspiring the future generation of artists and audience members.  

As a passionate recitalist and chamber musician, Daniel has performed throughout North America and Europe collaborating with renowned musicians including Jonathan Biss, Miriam Fried, Ida Kavafian, Daniel Philips, Rachel Podger, Wolfgang Redik, and Fazil Say; appearing in concert halls such as Berliner Philharmonie, Cadogan, Carnegie, Flagey Studios, and Konzerthaus Berlin. Daniel finds inspiration in working with artists as Steven Isserlis, Ferenc Rados, and Rita Wagner, with invitations to festivals such as Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, Krzyzowa Music, Mendelssohn on Mull, Music Academy of the West, Ravinia’s Steans Institute of Music, Tsinandali Festival, and Yellow Barn.  

Season highlights include an Ontario-wide tour with Fall for Dance North, being named Artist-in-Residence at Symphony in the Barn, recording at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio, and a concerto performance with the Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra in Ottawa.  

Daniel pursued his Bachelor of Music at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Julia Lichten and David Geber, Master of Music at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ Berlin in the class of Nicolas Altstaedt, and as a recipient of the prestigious Bicentenary Award and the Drake Calleja Trust Award, Daniel completed an Advanced Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music. During the 2021-22 season, Daniel was an artist-in-residence at the coveted Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel working closely with Gary Homan. During the 2022-23 season, Daniel holds a fellowship position at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Residency Program.  

Daniel plays on a Cremonese cello made in 1690 by Francesco Rugeri, generously on loan from a private collection.  

 

Photo of BaKari Ifasegun Lindsay Photo by Michael Chambers

BaKari Ifasegun Lindsay

Choreographer/Performer

BaKari Ifasegun Lindsay has been perfecting his crafts for the past 35 years. He is a dancer, choreographer, singer, musician, costume designer/ maker and researcher. Bakari holds a craftsman diploma in Style and Design, Masters Degree in Dance Ethnology and Bachelors in Education, from York University, Canada. In completion of his masters thesis BaKari researched and developed “A-Feeree – The Physical Language,” an innovative training method for dance practitioners working in an Africanist movement aesthetic. 

He co-founded COBA Collective Of Black Artists in 1993, and danced for the Danny Grossman Dance Company (Canada), Jubilation Dance Co (USA), Toronto Dance Theatre (Canada), Artcho Danse Repertoire (Haiti) and several independent choreographers in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. BaKari also appeared as an original cast member of Disney’s The Lion King from 2000 to 2002. BaKari was nominated for Dora Mavor Award in Best Male Dance Performance in 2017. 

Photo of Walter McClean 

Walter McClean 

Performer/Musician

Walter Maclean was born in Germany to a Ghanaian father and a German Mother. He grew up in Germany and Ghana, and started to play percussion as a child when his family lived in Ghana in the 70’s. 

He has been a professional musician since the age of 17. Over the years he has studied with many masters of rhythm such as Adja Addy, NippyNoya and Rick Gratton. 

Walter has been living in Toronto, Canada since 1996 and is known to be a versatile and consummate musician. He has played traditional African music for the likes of Ballet Creole, COBA, Lua Shayenne, Newton Moreas, Alpha Rhythm Roots, Amadou Kienou etc.; and has worked extensively
with contemporary styles as well, from jazz and blues to calypso, R&B, and much more; collaborating with Kobot-Town, Donne Roberts, African Guitar Summit, Laura Hubert, Kingsley Etienne Trio, Dave West Group, Thriller Canada Tribute Band, Madagascar Slim, to name just a few. 

Since 2014, Walter has also worked and collaborated with The wind in the leaves collective on numerous performances and recordings. 

Photo of charles c. smith

charles c. smith

Poet

charles c. smith is a poet, playwright and essayist who has written and edited fourteen books. He studied poetry and drama with William Packard at New York University and Herbert Berghof Studios, drama at the Frank Silvera’s Writers’ Workshop in Harlem. 

He won second prize for his play Last Days for the Desperate from Black Theatre Canada, edited three collections of poetry and his poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including Poetry Canada Review, the Quille and Quire, Descant, Dandelion, Fiddlehead and others. He has received grants for writing from the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts. charles is the Executive Director of Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario and Artistic Director of the wind in the leaves collective.  His recent books include: travelogue of the bereaved, The Dirty War: The Making of the Myth of Black Dangerousnesswhispers and destination out.  His most recent book of poems, Searching for Eastman, was released in September 2021 by Mawanzi House.
Photo of Claire Whitaker Photo by Kendra Epik

Claire Whitaker

Performer/Choreographer

Claire is a freelance dance artist based in Toronto. After graduating from The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, her class did a residency with La Escuela Profesional de Danza de Mazatlán in Mexico. Claire attended the Gaga Intensive at Orsolina 28, TransFormation Danse and online Dance Church classes organized by Kate Wallich.

Claire has worked and performed under Colleen Snell (Fringe, 2018), Citadel + Compagnie (2019-22), and Kylie Thompson (Fringe, 22) and is a member of the Wind In The Leaves collective. Most recently, Claire has been collaborating with two collective artists in curating social events around poetry and dance.

SHOW CREDITS

whispers

Original Choreography by:
Lilia Leon
Kevin A. Ormsby
 

Reimagined by:
Bakari Lindsay
Claire Whitaker
 

Performers:
Daniel Hamin Go
Bakari Lindsay
Walter McClean
charles c. smith
Claire Whitaker
 

Live Music:
Daniel Hamin Go (cello)
Walter Mclean (percussion) 

Set Designers:
the wind in the leaves collective 

Costume Designers:
the wind in the leaves collective

Lighting Designer:
Andrew McCormack 

Stage Manager:
Sharon DiGenova 

 

Salat Hawwaa’ [Eve’s Prayer]

Choreographer and Performer:
Meryem Alaoui 

Music:
Hatim Belyamani of Remix Culture

Lighting Designer:
Andrew McCormack 

Stage Manager:
Sharon DiGenova 

 

vagabon, vakabon, et al 

Choreographer and Performer:
Rodney Diverlus 

Costume Designer:
Diseiye 

Music: 
Hernia by  Kazumoto Endo 
MOB TIES by TeraphoniQue, DNZL444 
Black Focus by Yussef Kamaal 

Projection Design:
Drifnote
 

Dramaturgy/Outside Eye/Collaborator Supreme:
Jaz ‘Fairy J’ Simone

Lighting Designer:
Andrew McCormack 

Stage Manager:
Sharon DiGenova 

 

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