Selected to participate in the Visiting Dance Artist Program, a joint initiative of the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Arts Centre, contemporary dance artists Naishi Wang and Jean Abreu had to resign themselves to collaborating virtually when the pandemic struck. It wasn’t until 2021 that the stars aligned, and the two artists were finally able to meet at the NAC for a four-week artistic residency. But despite the passage of time, their creative flame never waned. Deciphers is the result of their collaboration, a transposition into movement of the poems, letters and images they exchanged during the lock down. Based on a deeply personal interpretation, this honest and dynamic new work is in constant evolution, and testifies to the exceptional synergy that developed between the co-creators over the many months they spent apart.    

On stage, Naishi and Jean transfix the audience as it witnesses a work where cultures collide, and where a powerful physical performance journey demonstrates the extraordinary use of the body as a tool of linguistic expression.