
World Premiere
Approximate run time is 60 minutes + 15 minute intermission.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Encounters, featuring works by Sashar Zarif and Tedd Robinson, is part of a solo & duet commissioning project – intimate encounters created by exceptional choreographers with whom Sylvie Bouchard wanted to journey artistically. Each piece is created in an environment that allows time for the artists to delve deep into their creative curiosities, and to explore new ideas and artistic landscapes. Encounters is the third production within this commissioning project.
…but water is like a mirror by Sashar Zarif
…but water is like a mirror is an intimate ritual of body and breath. Blood remembers, mind wanders, while water brings the body to find its centre, through colourful currents.
This ritual was inspired by the connection between wounds and nature, and by how the horse spirit can heal the body through breath. Sylvie’s invested relationship with horses and Sashar’s emotional connection to nomadic life and horse spirit, have brought this collaboration to a wholesome place.
The solo choreography uses the unique creative approach to dance called Living Stories that was developed by Sashar Zarif, along with inspirations drawn from Central Asian shamanic cultures, in collaboration with the artistry of Sylvie Bouchard.
Bob’s Last Request! by Tedd Robinson
Tedd Robinson passed away on August 27th, 2022. Unique, eccentric, beautiful, loved, and a mentor to many, his youthful curiosity and thoughtful wisdom will forever resonate with all those whose lives he touched. Through Bob’s Last Request!, we wanted to humbly share with you the accumulation of our creation process with Tedd, remounted alongside his long-time collaborator Angie Cheng.
For the creation of Bob’s Last Request!, the late Tedd Robinson was interested in working more closely with a narrative, which he described as follows: “The two performers were part of an unsuccessful band from the 60s. Bob, the third member of the trio, died and requested that a song from the band be performed at his funeral. Bob’s Last Request! is about the preparation of the two other band members before the funeral, and the song that is performed at the funeral.”
We are dedicating the Friday, May 12 performance to Tedd Robinson, and will perform the work in his memory every night.
Performer
Sylvie Bouchard is originally from Montréal. She joined Toronto Dance Theatre in 1985 and also performed with Fujiwara Dance Inventions, pounds per square inch, Kaeja d’Dance, Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers and Dancemakers. She has worked with many choreographers including Denise Fujiwara, Gerry Trentham, Susie Burpee, Julie Aplin, Marie-Josée Chartier, Santee Smith, Sashar Zarif, Roger Sinha, Peggy Baker, Yvonne Coutts, Lina Cruz, and the late Tedd Robinson.
Read more +Throughout her artistic career, Bouchard has continued to forge original concepts in both the creation and the presentation of dance. In 1993, she created Dusk Dances, a festival that presents dance in public parks, and in 1997 she formed the Company CORPUS with artistic partner David Danzon. Between 1997 and 2008, she co-created eight works with Danzon that toured internationally in street theatre festivals, on stage and in schools. In 2008, Sylvie forms BoucharDanse, a company that serves as an umbrella for her artistic endeavors.
Choreographer
Tedd Robinson was a Canadian choreographer, performer and educator, best known for his idiosyncratic solo works. As Artistic Director of 10 Gates Dancing, he created repertoire for some wonderful dance artists in Canada. His collaborations include creation with dance artists Louise Lecavalier, Margie Gillis, Ame Henderson and composer/performer Charles Quevillon.
Read more +He led choreographic labs in Ireland, Scotland, Australia and across Canada, and was consulted on the work and work practices of over 50 choreographers. Tedd was a National Arts Centre Associate Dance Artist, he is the 1998 Chalmers National Dance Award winner and the recipient of the 2014 Walter Carson Award. His work Canvas 5 X 5 for Halifax’s Mocean Dance won the 2016 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks award. His work was influenced by his six years of study as a monk living in the Hakukaze soto zen monastery in Ottawa.
Performer
Gerry Trentham’s life-long dedication to the art of performance has created their own cannon of over 40 original works for stage and screen, garnered international performance acclaim, international film awards, numerous Toronto Dora awards/nominations, originated roles in works of some of Canada’s most renowned choreographers, and invited international directing, choreographic, teaching and mentoring opportunities on four continents and within major performance training programs in Canada and the United States.
Read more +Their art and teaching focuses on the transdisciplinary – a voice/body’s range and depth of presence within installed art environments. With a lifetime of inter-arts dance/voice practice, an MFA in theatre, a graduate diploma in Voice and Speech Teaching from York University, 25 years as research faculty of the acclaimed National Voice Intensive (now the Moving Voice Institute) and six years with Denise Fujiwara in their new frontier of training, Butoh/Voice, they have sustained and connected a performance career still fluid into a fifth decade.
Choreographer/Performer
Sashar Zarif is an internationally renowned performing artist, educator, and researcher. For the last three decades, Zarif has toured across forty countries; and has spent his professional life promoting cultural dialogue through intensive fieldwork, residencies, performances, and creative collaborations.
Read more +His award-winning, multi-disciplinary dance projects are steeped in the artistry and history of traditional, ritualistic, and contemporary dance and music of the Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African regions. Sashar Zarif is an external research associate at York University’s Centre for Asian Studies.
SHOW CREDITS
…but water is like a mirror
Choreographer:
Sashar Zarif
Performers:
Sylvie Bouchard
Percussion and Vocal:
Sashar Zarif
Music Composition and Arrangements:
Sashar Zarif
Costume Designer:
Sashar Zarif
Lighting Designer:
Emerson Kafarowski
Stage Manager:
Taylor Young
Outside Eye:
Katherine Duncanson
Bob’s Last Request!
Choreographer:
Tedd Robinson
Performers:
Sylvie Bouchard
Gerry Trentham
With Support and Consultation by:
Angie Cheng
Music:
Charles Quevillon
Costume Designer:
Tedd Robinson
Costume Coordinator:
Valerie Calam
Lighting Designer:
Emerson Kafarowski
Stage Manager:
Taylor Young