≈ 60 minutes · No intermission
Last updated: February 14, 2024
A Note from the NAC Dance team
NAC Dance is beyond thrilled to present the international collaboration Deciphers currently on its cross Canada tour. We first began discussing this project with Naishi and Jean in 2019 when they were invited to be the 2020 artists-in-residence for our Visiting Dance Artist program, a partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts. Despite numerous false starts due to the lockdown, these two artists persevered and began their creative process remotely – Jean in London, UK, and Naishi in Toronto - finally meeting for the first time at the NAC in the fall of 2021. While in residence at the NAC, we had the rare and privileged opportunity to see the work evolve in our studios, and attend a showing that left us awestruck.
The work that you will witness tonight is a testament to their fierce and singular talents as creators and performers: a multi-layered, rigorous, cross-cultural investigation that highlights, in their words, “poetic translations from the body.” The presence of these two artists together on stage emits palpable energy. Prepare for a gripping and beautiful production.
Bon spectacle!
Tina Legari, Senior Producer
Sioned Watkins, Education Associate and Teaching Artist NAC Dance
Program Notes
Deciphers is a compelling physical performance bringing together elements of Chinese Folk Dance, Brazilian dance styles, spoken word, breath, and ink on paper to explore translation. The various mediums create and question complexities of communication through the lens of understanding and misunderstanding.
Co-performers and choreographers, Naishi Wang and Jean Abreu, use the stage as their blank canvas highlighting the body as a primal source for communication and carrier of meaning. Deciphers addresses translation as a linguistic phenomenon centering the immigrant experience.
Artists
Born in Changchun, China, Naishi Wang began his training at Jilin College of Art before moving to Canada in 2004 to attend The School of TDT. He was a company member of Toronto Dance Theatre for nine years, and in 2015 embarked on an independent career.
As an award-winning performer and independent choreographer, Naishi’s development aligns with his belief that the performing arts offer an imaginary perspective, and is interested in pushing the art form in the 21st century. He has collaborated with Berlin-based artist Christoph Winkler, and in 2009 was commissioned by SXM studio in Beijing to create concept-based dance works. In 2018, he premiered his celebrated solo Taking Breath. Naishi is an artist in residency at Citadel + Company in Toronto, and La Serre – arts vivants in Montreal. His collaboration with U.K.-based Jean Abreu is supported by the NAC-CCA Visiting Dance Artist Program.
Born in Brazil, Jean Abreu moved to London in 1996 after receiving a scholarship to study at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance. In 2003, he was awarded the Jerwood Choreography Award for the creation of his first choreography, Hibrido. Since then, his work has toured throughout the U.K., Europe, Brazil and China including performances for Dance Umbrella, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Royal Opera House and Southbank Centre in London.
Creative & digital technology has consistently featured within and challenged his varied performance work.
In 2009, he founded Jean Abreu Dance and has since collaborated with influential artists across multiple art forms. Jean has taught extensively in the U.K. and abroad and is currently a regular guest artist at numerous universities. His collaboration with Toronto-based Naishi Wang is supported by the NAC-CCA Visiting Dance Artist Program.
Credits
Deciphers
Choreography and performed by
Naishi Wang + Jean Abreu
Lighting Design
Lucie Bazzo
Visual Design
Ivy Wang
Composer
Olesia Onykiienko
Dramaturgic advice
Guy Cools
Outside eye
Ginelle Chagnon
Rehearsal diretor
Xing Bang Fu
Voice coache
Fides Krucker
Access Consultant
Zed Lightheart
Technical Director
Emerson Kafarowski
Stage Manager/Technical Assistant in collaboration
A.J. Morra
Technical Manager
Cath Cullinane
PR and Marketing
Diagonal Dance
Management
Michael Peter Johnson, Jean Abreu Dance
Robert Sauvey, Dance Umbrella of Ontario
Partners in Canada: The CanDance Network (Toronto) + National Arts Centre (Ottawa) + Harbourfront Centre (Toronto) + MAI Montréal, Arts interculturels (Montréal) + PuSh Festival (Vancouver) + DanceWorks (Toronto) + New Works (Vancouver) + Citadel (Toronto)
Partners in UK: Fabric Dance (Birmingham & Nottingham) + Dance City (Newcastle) + Brighton Dome (Brighton) + South East Dance (Brighton) + Towner Gallery (Eastbourne)
Deciphers is supported and funded by: the National Arts Centre (NAC) Visiting Dance Artist programme + The Candance Network small-scale creation fund + Performing Arts Technical Residency programme at Harbourfront Center, Toronto + PuSh walk special podcast + Toronto Arts Council + Ontario Arts Council + Canada Council for the Arts + Arts Council England + High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom
Production team
Studio
Head/Chef
Stéphane Boyer
Assistant
Leigh Uttley
Scenic Workshop |atelier des décors
Head Carpenter/Chef menuisier
David Strober
Assistant
Chad Desjardins
Electronic Services |Services électroniques
Head/Chef
Michael St. Onge
Assistant
Michael Blanchard
Warehouse | Entrepôt
Head/Chef
Kevin Kenny
Projectionist | Projectionniste
Head/Chef
David Milliard
NAC Dance team
Executive Producer
Caroline Ohrt
Senior 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
Alexandra Campeau
Marketing Strategist
Marie-Chantale Labbé-Jacques
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees