The Dance Debrief

Dance reviews from Toronto and beyond.

Dance Review •

Review: Human Measure (Canadian Stage / Cassils)

Human Measure, presented by Canadian Stage, brings together internationally acclaimed performance artist Cassils, with contemporary choreographer Jasmine Albuquerque, to create a work that immerses audiences into a live photographic darkroom inhabited by dancing bodies wearing nothing but knee pads. Washed over by a dim red light, six trans and non-binary performers develop what is called a cyanotype throughout the forty-five-minute performance in response to Yves Klein's paintings titled Anthropometries (1960). Through the performance, they question current narratives surrounding trans bodies and personal expressions of sensuality and empowerment in a time marred by anti-trans legislation and discrimination.
Dance Review •

Review: 8 Count - Delightful Moments of Dance Cinema (Fall for Dance North)

New to the Fall for Dance North festival this year is a short dance film series titled 8 Count: Delightful moments of dance cinema. 8 Count is one of the many events in the Fall for Dance North robust 2022 lineup, now in its eighth year, which includes performances, podcasts, and social gatherings - and it is a unique addition at that. The programme of seven short films provides a great mix of pieces meant to entertain, educate, evoke and inspire.
Annoucement •

Announcement feat. The Dora Mavor Moore Awards

Although I am just at the beginning of my new venture with The Dance Debrief, a small but exciting roadblock has come my way. For the 2022/2023 season, I will be on the dance jury for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards and will be unable to review anything that is nominated within the dance division. Although I am sad about this pause, I am excited about this role and the responsibility that comes with it. I have always loved the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and I am proud that we have our own Tony-like awards for the incredible Canadian & Toronto arts scene.
Photo of Ana, Dree, and Abena in Ara Shushit or "Flower Bodies" by Nickeshia Garrick and Irma Villafuerte.
Dance Review •

Review: Porch View Dances (Kaeja d'Dance)

What is more of a Toronto community event than being led around the city by a quippy drag queen to see contemporary dance works performed by diverse families and friends? Porch View Dances, presented by Kaeja d'Dance, is an annual community dance event in its eleventh year. It engages everyday people to tell stories, create movement and perform on porches, lawns and parks in Toronto's Seaton Village. Still transitioning back to its live format, this year’s event is hybrid in nature, with one live performance, four dance films, an AR experience and a final participatory movement exercise.
Photo by Michael Mortley
Dance Review •

Review: Legacy Tap Dance Concert (dance Immersion and Canadian Stage)

Full of feeling, soul, personality and creativity, the Legacy Tap Dance Concert brings together two Canadian tap dance legends, Travis Knights and Lisa La Touche, in performance and choreography. Together, they perform with a group of tappers, movers and a full band under the musical direction of on-stage drummer Danny Milwalkee. This moving and grooving outdoor show takes place in the beautiful High Park Amphitheatre, and is presented by dance Immersion in association with Canadian Stage.
Virtual Review •

Virtual Review: Let The Elephants Dance (Annual Fundraising Gala 2022)

Let The Elephants Dance is an annual fundraiser presented by Michelle Crossman and dedicated to the importance of mental health awareness. The gala is in its sixth year and this is the second showcase that is virtual. To date, they have donated over $28,000.00 to mental health initiatives in Toronto and have been partnered with The Canadian Mental Health Association and Kids Help Phone since 2016.
Photo by Tiu Makkonen
Virtual Review •

Review: Grin / Minors, Movement, and the Gathering of Data (The Theatre Centre and Battersea Arts Centre)

Grin is a dance film directed and choreographed by Mele Broomes and features two dancers/collaborators, Kemono L.Riot and Divine Tasinda. It focuses on black love and subverting the hyper-sexualized gaze on African and Caribbean dance. The piece slowly builds over forty-five minutes from slight body pulses, tableaus and gestures to grooves, full-body swings and synchronized dance sequences by the duo. There is even some krump and hip hop vocabulary from Kemono L.Riot.

Review: Radical Vitality, Solos and Duets (Compagnie Marie Chouinard / Canadian Stage / TO Live) | Mooney on Theatre

Absolutely absurd yet strangely serene, Radical Vitality is a reimagined collection of Canadian choreographic legend Marie Chouinard‘s work. Presented in part by Canadian Stage and TO Live at the Bluma Appel Theatre, the performance showcases over forty years of short solos and duets from the daring choreographer. I’ve been talking about Marie Chouinard’s infamous work, Petite danse sans nom, for over a decade. Although I had never seen it till tonight, it may be one of the best examples of t

Review: 8 minutes 17 seconds (Blue Ceiling dance) | Mooney on Theatre

What would you do if you only had 8 minutes 17 seconds? Blue Ceiling dance poses this question in its science-infused dance work presented in the Franco Boni Theatre in The Theatre Centre. It is the exact amount of time it takes for light to travel from the sun to the earth. It is how much time we would have if the sun were to die. Conceived and co-choreographed by Lucy Rupert, the evening consists of twelve performers using dance to explore a range of emotions and responses to this time constr
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