
ABOUT THE SHOW
Trilogy of BEing… is a creative collaboration between Canadian and American choreographers — all of whom had worked or danced with Ormsby throughout his career. The production is grounded in Black existence and experiences: environmental, social and cultural.
This production is dedicated to the life and contributions to Jamaican dance by Barbara Requa, the first navigator of my dance career at Jamaica School of Dance Youth Program; giving birth to the career I now celebrate. Both Mr. Walker and myself
Unmasked: Seaweed King
Christopher Walker’s Unmasked: Seaweed King depicts a sort of phoenix rising from the refuse / ashes; addressing human impact on the environment told through a character of ancient wisdom linking Afro-Caribbean mas performance traditions. It is a part of The Kula Ring, A Gifting Economy (2016), a transdisciplinary expedition project merging scientific, environmental, and artistic research around ocean conservation and climate change.
Somebody
Somebody by Denise Fujiwara, was inspired by Ormsby’s call to action in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. “I suggested a collaborative creative process that resulted in the solo for him.” Poetry by Giller Prize-winning Canadian author Ian Williams, Poet Laureate of Jamaica 2021-2024, Olive Senior, and Lambda Literary Award winner, American Rosamund S. King shapes the solo rich in contemporary butoh technique.
Dear Brother
Joel Valentin-Martinez, through visual research of images and music of significant Black historical periods (Harlem Renaissance, 1960s -1970s, and the era of 80s hip-hop), crafts the solo, Dear Brother, commenting on how we see contemporary Black and Brown lives in shaping music, fashion and popular culture – Friday’s performance of the piece includes a special presentation with three other dance artists (Will Brown (NYC), Benjamin Russell (Toronto), and Kevin Shawn (Calgary)
Choreographer
Based in Tkaronto, she choreographs, dances, dramaturgs, teaches, and presents dance. Noppera-bo, a short film created with filmmaker William Yong, won a 2020 One-Reeler Short Film Competition Award of Excellence in Los Angeles.
Read more +EUNOIA, a multimedia work based on Christian Bök’s Griffin Poetry Prize winning book, premiered at World Stage in Toronto and was nominated for three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, named one of NOW’s Top 5 Dance Shows of 2014 and began national touring in 2015. Her six solo dance concerts garnered praise across Canada and toured to festivals in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia. Her mentors include Tokyo-based Butoh master, Natsu Nakajima and Montréal’s Elizabeth Langley. She is the Artistic Director of Fujiwara Dance Inventions, a co-founder of CanAsian Dance and a recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Muriel Sherrin Award for international achievement in dance. www.fujiwaradance.com
Choreographer
Associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts. He was a member of Garth Fagan Dance (Tony Award winner) and his work Pop Refuge (2019) premiered at Links Hall in Chicago.
Read more +Some other works include Sur Grande (2019) for La Compañia de Danza Contemporanea de Acapulco, Mexico; De aquí, de allá (2019) for Mexico City’s Barro Rojo Arte Escénico and #rupturapasaje2/#passagebreak2 (2019) for Andanza Compañia Puertorriqueña de Danza Contemporánea, Puerto Rico.
Choreographer
Professor of dance and founding artistic director of the First Wave program in the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the co-artistic director for the #BARS Workshop at The Public Theatre in NYC.
Read more +Walker is also a senior choreographer with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, and program director for the New Waves Dance & Performance Institute in Trinidad & Tobago.
Performer
Will Brown is a native of Massachusetts. He earned his BFA in dance from The University Of Massachusetts and immediately upon graduation was offered a position working for the renowned Garth Fagan Dance Company.
Read more +Since then he’s danced with various companies and performed works by noted artists such as; Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Garth Fagan, Stefanie Battan Bland, Meredith Rainey, Zane Booker and Abdel Salaam. His teaching experience includes 3 years in the Professional Division at The Alvin Ailey School Of Dance and Adjunct Professorships at Drexel University & Florida International University. Mr.Brown has been a featured performer at the Viva Danca Festival, Bahia, Brazil, Florida Dance Festival and the International Blacks In Dance Festival in St. Louis and Philadelphia. Currently he is Directing a play written by playright Karl O’Brian Williams, entitled “The Black That I am.” NYC.
Choreographer / Performer
Kevin A. Ormsby has been dancing in Jamaica, the United States and Canada for over twenty years. Kevin’s unique dance history has taken its form from blending the influences of Afro-Caribbean culture through modern and classical dance techniques throughout his career. He was a recipient of The Edna Manley School of the Performing Arts Scholarships in Dance and Drama, where he studied from 1989 to 1992. He has worked as the Assistant Artistic Director of Ballet Creole and prior to this position Mr. Ormsby, from 2001 to 2006, was a member of the internationally renowned, Garth Fagan Dance, Rochester, NY. Among its numerous accolades, Garth Fagan is the choreographer of the Broadway Musical, “The Lion King”.
Read more +Mr. Ormsby was featured in more than 17 of the company’s choreographed works many of which toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. He has also presented a paper on Dance in the Diaspora at the 1st Biannual Conference, Visualizing / Performing Africa at Ohio University and has conducted for three years an intensive dance workshop in Grenada as well as a master class in Vancouver, British Columbia and substitute teacher at St. Lawrence College in Brockville, ON and served as a Juror on the Ontario Arts Council in the Dance Section. In addition to producing a production Love ‘n Movement, he has self published a photography book “Dance Through Life” and is the Dance Writer for Expose Entertainment Magazine, written for the Dance Current Magazine and was recently commissioned to write a paper for the Canada Dance Festival 2009. In Toronto, Mr. Ormsby has performed with Ballet Creole and was also the Associate Artistic Director of Caribbean Folk Performers. He has worked with Canboulay Dance Theatre, Up from the Roots Entertainment, Menaka Thakur, Caribbean Dance Theatre and Dance Caribe Performing Company. Kevin has served as choreographer at Scarborough Caribbean Youth Dance Ensemble from 1994-1998 and co-founded the Lester B.Pearson Collegiate Dance Troupe. In April 2008, Mr. Ormsby launched his company, KASHEDANCE.
Performer
Benjamin W. Russell is a Multitalented Performing Artist whose aim is to produce energetic performances for audiences who enjoy watching quality productions from someone who has many facets to show his audience.
Read more +Ben is continuing to experiment and has done work with KasheDance, Wind In The Leaves Collective, Little Pear Garden and teaches dance as a recreational activity to kids. Ben loves variety and enjoys learning about different cultures and languages in his free time. Not only a dancer, Ben is also a singer, enthusiastic entertainer, model and YouTuber.
Performer
A queer Afro-Caribbean interdisciplinary artist currently is based on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and the Treaty 7 region of southern Alberta. Although primarily a movement based artist, their practice also extends into ulterior mediums such as ; theatre, film, photography, fashion, digital media, and writing/text. With a deep interest in exploring the collision and morphing of various artforms.
Read more +They are intrigued by ideologies and research centered in; Transculturalism, Interculturalism, and Ethnography. They explore intersectionality, ( with specificity to BIPOC and LGBTQ2+ communities) and what it means to extend through the vastness of human cultures and conditions, to question notions of allegiance, difference, and existence, and in turn pondering what it means to be cradled in the wonderment of the pieces that make each of us whole and yet forever unfinished. They are forever curious about ways to nuance and transcend rigid ideologies around cultural cross pollination and the kaleidoscope that is identity. Kevin has been a guest lecturer at; The Richmond Art Gallery, and Simon Fraser University. Kevin’s work has been presented and witnessed in Vancouver, and the surrounding area, nationally (Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton), and Internationally ( New York City, Los Angeles, Manila, London (UK), Oaxaca, and Tokyo). They were the 2022 recipient of the Crystal Dance Prize. Also, they are currently pursuing a Masters degree through Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.
Unmasked: Seaweed King
Choreographed by:
Christopher Walker
Performed by:
Kevin A. Ormsby
Understudy:
Benjamin Russell
Music:
Sound design featuring J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations performed on Steel Pan by 4Stickman, Smove by James Gavins, Rouky by Ali Farka Toure – The Source
Costume Design by:
Laura Barbata
Mas Concept by:
Laura Anderson Barbata and Chris Walker
Mas Character Design by:
Laura Anderson Barbata
Original Lighting Design by:
Claude Heinz
Adapted Lighting by:
Sharon DiGenova
Production Concept Dramaturg:
Allison Cummings
Rehearsal Assistant:
Cheryl Chan
Stage Manager:
Jillia Cato
Somebody
Choreographed by:
Denise Fujiwara
Performed by:
Kevin A. Ormsby
Poetry:
And lo I am With You Always Even Unto The End of the World by Ian Williams, used with permission from the poet; B for Breathe by Olive Senior used with permission from the poet; Breathe /. As in… by Rosamond S. King, used with permission from All the Rage (Nightboat Books © 2021)
Music:
Sleeping Giant by Ian Kamau; Reggae Instrumental by Morgan Morgan & Stans on the Beat; Heat Leak by Biosphere from their album Shenzhou
Costume Design by:
Diane Sobers
Lighting Design by:
Sharon DiGenova
Production Concept Dramaturg:
Allison Cummings
Rehearsal Assistant:
Cheryl Chan
Stage Manager:
Jillia Cato
Special thank you to Micheal Mortley who was involved in the creative process for previous iterations of Somebody.
Dear Brother
Choreographed by:
Joel Valentin-Martinez
Performed by:
Will Brown
Kevin A. Ormsby
Benjamin Russell
Kevin Shawn
Music:
Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang; Interlude (Stillness) by Carlos Simon; Run The Voodoo Down by Miles Davis; Elegy (A Cry from the Grave) By Carlos Simon; Diamonds by Rihanna
Costume Design by:
Diane Sobers
Lighting Design by:
Sharon DiGenova
Production Concept Dramaturg:
Allison Cummings
Rehearsal Assistant:
Cheryl Chan
Stage Manager:
Jillia Cato