November 26-27, 2021
8PM @ The Citadel
Livestream Nov. 27 Tickets: Not Currently Available
8PM @ The Citadel
Livestream Nov. 27 Tickets: Not Currently Available
World Premiere
Livestream co-produced by Atlantic Ballet Atlantique Canada
wind in the leaves collective presents
allies and friends (November Edition)
The focus of this performance series is to bring together poetry/spoken word and dance. This reflects the collective’s aesthetic practice whose roots trace through the African griot tradition, the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement and the notion of the ‘choreopoem’ defined as “a form of dramatic expression that combines poetry, dance, music, and song…”, first coined by Ntozake Shange for her work, “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf.”
Such an approach to poetry and performance is shared by many cultures and this series seeks to present and explore the commonalities and differences between performers, their heritage and artistic practice, and how these connect to ancestral visions in the contemporary and touch upon the social issues of our times.
Run time is approximately 1 hour 45 minutes with an intermission.
Meet the Artists
wind in the leaves collective
Presenter-in-Residence
The ‘wind in the leaves collective’ has developed a significant body of work over the past decade. Our unique approach to multi-disciplinary performance takes its lead from the artistic director’s poetry which is explored and choreographed by dancers, musicians and video artists.
Read more +This collaboration across disciplines has been successful in engaging audiences and building a profile for this type of performance. The ‘collective’ is now staging performances with other artists that involve similar elements, i.e., connecting poetry with dance and music in creation and performance. The ‘collective’ has been approached by the Citadel to curate performances and is now Presenter in Residence at the Citadel where selected artists will share the stage and advance the notion of poetry and dance as a seamless art form practiced by racialized and Indigenous artists and drawing from historic pre-colonial practices made contemporary.
Program
Study on Truths and Justice (work in progress)
Guest Artist – Guetcha Guaritcha
Poetry Reading
Terry Watanda
Full of Simple Wonderings
Yui Ugai
In the Distance
Claire Whitaker with charles c. smith
-Intermission-
Poetry Reading
Gavin Barrett
Myself When I Am Real
Shannon Litzenberger
Civilization Day (work in progress)
Ana Groppler with Braydon Cairns
The Crossing
Michael Mortley and Atri Lundy
Artist Notes
dear friends, colleagues, fellow artists, the interested and the curious, as artistic director of the wind in the leaves collective, i’m honoured to share with you our first of three programs we’re presenting in collaboration with the Citadel + Compagnie and Atlantic Ballet. for the collective, working in collaboration is core to our being and we’re grateful that this program is co-sponsored as part of The Citadel’s 2021-22 season. i particularly wish to thank Laurence Lemieux for her vision and support of our work, the Citadel team of Marianna Rosato, Taylor Young and Andrew McCormack for their work on coordinating rehearsal space, developing communications materials, promoting this series and arranging the tech requirements. i also want to acknowledge and thank the folks at Atlantic Ballet, Susan Chalmers Gauvin and Shawn Donnelson for their support in promoting and co-presenting.
