≈ 80 minutes · No intermission
Artistic Note
NAC Dance had the pleasure of presenting Shay Kuebler’s Telemetry in 2018, and his incredible Feasting on Famine in 2020 as part of our DanceForth Series. A Vancouver-based choreographer with a strong and distinctive voice, Shay brings his life-long passion for martial arts, movement, and storytelling to each of his creations, immersing himself in a panoply of ideas and styles he has absorbed through his extensive travels. With MOI – Momentum of Isolation, he and his dynamic ensemble of seven dancers have created a poignant work centered around themes of loneliness and social isolation; pertinent and profound subjects for today’s world.
Enjoy!
Notes from Choreographer Shay Kuebler
I need to first start off by giving my love and appreciation to the many artists who created and supported this project, both this performance and the many iterations before it. I’m grateful for your generosity, artistry and talent. You are the DNA and lifeblood of this project. Thank you!
Thank you to Brent Belsher and The BAM family for their continued support of the company and the artists. Without your support, we would not be where we are today.
To The Chutzpah! Festival, The JCC Staff and, especially, The NRT staff and Victoria Bell, you have been invaluable to the creation of this project and the life that it will have. Your openness and overwhelming generosity came at a time of such uncertainty. We are indebted to you for your support, and for the invaluable time and space.
To the donors and private supporters of RSA, you will likely never fully understand how much your support has meant. Through a precarious and challenging time for the arts, you reassured us that people wanted to see art and genuinely cared for the artists making this art.
I need to thank my family and my wife for their continued support. They give me, and the company, endless confidence and the faith to keep creating. I would not be the artist I am today without you.
Lastly, MOI - Momentum of Isolation would not be possible without the generous support of The Canada Council for The Arts, The BC Arts Council and The BC Gaming Community Grant program. Thank you for your continued support of the artists and the arts in Canada.
- Shay Kuebler
Program
Last updated: November 4, 2022
80 minutes – No intermission
Quote
“Radical System Art choreographer Shay Kuebler’s new full-length piece is moving and fiercely funky” – Gail Johnson, Stir Arts & Culture
Synopsis
A strong and iconic voice from Vancouver, the dynamic Shay Kuebler returns with a poignant and virtuosic piece that delves into the pain of solitude.
In today’s world, isolation—a theme that has inspired Kuebler since 2018, when he learned that the UK had appointed a Minister for Loneliness—has taken on a whole new meaning and even greater resonance. Through inventive and powerful choreographic language, Momentum of Isolation beautifully translates this universal emotion. Kuebler’s signature style—highly physical dance rooted in his background in martial arts, urban dance and theatre—is on full display here.
Interested in the subject of loneliness for several years, the pandemic has only further amplified this outbreak of isolation. Interactive video, sound design, everything is put in place to support the idea that ubiquitous and hyperstimulating technology can propel us as much as become toxic in the same way as alcohol or cigarettes.
Playing the part of a man who works alone, speaking only occasionally to his single green plant, Kuebler is surrounded by a chorus of performers as energetic as they are versatile. Playing with illusions, appearances and disappearances, the work conjures moments of fascination. Through complex choreography of groups and duets, Kuebler succeeds in poeticizing and giving meaning to the feeling of isolation that can overwhelm us all. Out of the darkness comes the light.
Arguably the most formidably compelling piece in his repertoire to date, Momentum of Isolation reveals all the humanity of Kuebler’s kinetic work.
Co-Producers and Acknowledgements
“MOI” was supported through The Creation Fund of The Candance Network. We are grateful to Candance and the supporting presentation organizations: The Brian Webb Dance Company (Edmonton, AB), The National Arts Centre of Canada (Ottawa, ONT), Live Art Dance Productions (Halifax, NS), Danse Danse (Montréal, QC) and The Yukon Arts Centre (Whitehorse, YK). Their support directly enabled a greater life for this work.
RSA would also like to thank Danse Danse, La Rotonde (Québec City), Brian Webb Dance Co. and The Push Peforming Arts Festival (Vancouver, BC) for their co-production support of this project through 2020/21. We are grateful for your confidence and support through such a challenging time for the performing arts.
We would especially like to recognize the immense co-production and presentation support given to “MOI” by The International Chutzpah! Festival and Artistic Director Jessica Gutteridge. The world premiere of “MOI” was supported by an artist-in-residency program, and the life of this work will always be connected to the festival and their support.
Shay Kuebler
Shay began his artistic development at the age of 5 with dramatic arts and martial arts in Shito-Ryu Karate. His early artistic growth would lead to dance and a versatile background in Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary and Ballet. He continues to develop and further his artistic practice through travel and intensive study, which has included study in music, theatre, dance and martial arts in the USA, Brazil, Japan and China. As a performer, he has worked in the fields of Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary Dance, Circus Arts, Film and Theatre. He has performed for numerous companies across Canada, USA and The UK, including Kidd Pivot, Holy Body Tattoo, Pachimama Theatre, Line 1 and Company 605. He has choreographed and directed works for The American Dance Festival, CitieBallet, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, Moment Factory and Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. In Vancouver, he was co-founder of The 605 Collective, and as the founder and Artistic Director of Shay Kuebler Radical System Art, he has produced and directed four full-evening dance works that have toured nationally and internationally: Karoshi, Glory, Telemetry, Feasting on Famine and Epilogos. In 2010, he received the Holy Body Tattoo emerging artist award and in 2014 received The Mayor’s Arts Award for emerging dance artist from the City of Vancouver.
Performers
- Keiran Bohay
- Aiden Cass
- Jade Chong
- Sarah Hutton
- Shay Kuebler
- Tia Kushniruk
- Nicole Pavia
- Calder White
Credits
- CHOREOGRAPHY
Shay Kuebler & Performers - PRODUCTION
- Artistic Director
Shay Kuebler - Sound Composition
Shay Kuebler & Paul Paroczai - Sound Design
Paul Paroczai - Video Design
Daniel O’shea - Light Design
Rob Sondergaard & Electric Aura Design - Stage management
Angela Nguyen - Prop & Set Design
Chris White - Dramaturge & Rehearsal Director
Abbey Dutton - Production Coordination Assistance
Ace Martens & Arts Club Scene Shop - Technical Direction
Debbie Courchene - PRE-PRODUCTION
- Video Design
Eric Chad & Dan O’Shea - Sound Design
Kate De Lorme, Shay Kuebler & Paul Paroczai - Performance & Choreography
Katie Lowen, Odile-Amélie Peters & Kennedy Knopf - Company Manager
Brent Belsher & Belsher Arts Management - Radical System Art – Board of Directors
- President
Rob McDowell - Vice President
Troy Hansen - Secretary
Valerie Jerome - Director
Reid MacDonald - Director
Martha Carter
Samples and Music Credits
- “1995” by Olafur Arnalds
- “21st Century Romance” by Sun Ra
- “Always and Forever” by Heatwave
- “Atmos X” by A Winged Victory for the Sullen
- “Besame Mucho” by Andrea Bocelli
- “Dataplex” by Ryoji Ikeda
- “Gbagada Gbogodo” by Fela Kuti
- “How Am I supposed to Live this Life Without You” by Michael Bolton
- “Just the two of us” by Bill Withers
- “Out of My Mind, Just in Time” by Erykah Badu
- “Ow” by Stephan Moccio
- “Pew Pew Pew” by Auntie Hammy
- Ran soundtrack by Toru Takemitsu
- “Static” by Godspeed! You Black Emperor
NAC Dance Team
- Executive Producer
Cathy Levy - Associate Producer
Tina Legari - Special Projects Coordinator and Assistant to the Executive Producer
Mireille Nicholas - Company Manager
Sophie Anka - Education Associate and Teaching Artist
Siôned Watkins - Technical Director
Brian Britton - Communications Strategist
Julie Gunville - Marketing Strategist
Marie-Chantale Labbé-Jacques
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