THIS NOVEMBER, NAC DANCE HONOURS THE INGENUITY AND SIGNATURE STYLES OF THREE CELEBRATED CHOREOGRAPHERS
Isolation, hope and playfulness take us on a journey of emotions, reflections and inspiration
October 31, 2022 – OTTAWA, Canada – This November, male choreographers take the stage of the Babs Asper Theatre with two very powerful performances: Momentum of Isolation by the strong and iconic voice from Vancouver’s Shay Kuebler, and Double Murder by celebrated UK-based choreographer Hofesh Shechter.
The dynamic Shay Kuebler returns to the NAC with Momentum of Isolation (MOI), a work that dramatically highlights the impact of loneliness and the disempowerment of technology in our lives.
“With its 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 Momentum of Isolation, he and his dynamic ensemble of dancers have created a poignant work centred around themes of loneliness and social isolation; pertinent and profound subjects for today’s world.” says Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.
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.
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 displays Kuebler’s signature style: highly physical dance rooted in his background in martial arts, urban dance, and theatre.
While The Clowns is all pretence – a playful, sarcastic comment on our ever-growing indifference to violence, featuring an anarchic group of performers revelling in Hofesh Shechter’s signature urgent movement style and pounding beats – The Fix takes us into a completely different realm. A calming, soothing antidote to the relentless energy of Clowns, it invites the audience into a space of healing, openness, and vulnerability.
The musical score, also composed by Shechter, is a perfect complement to the movement. Atmospheric, almost cinematic, it conveys a strength that transcends the stage. Stunningly beautiful, Double Murder reveals Shechter’s unique mastery in its most complete form.
“Hofesh Shechter is both a choreographic and musical wizard who draws us into worlds rich in meaning and sentiment. Always an NAC audience favourite, we’re thrilled to welcome the company back to our stage.” says Cathy Levy.
Members of the Press are invited to attend a 20-minute Dress Rehearsal of Double Murder on November 9th from 2:45 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. in the Babs Asper Theatre. RSVP is recommended.
To complete our November programming, NAC Dance will offer a new video-on-demand called Play. Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman turns the historic Palais Garnier into a vast playground where every object is a plaything. Play combines dance, theatre, music and song into a high-energy spectacle that explores play through the various stages of life. The 36 dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet are encouraged to improvise, to really play with the sets and objects onstage. Available from November 7 to 27, 2022 Play is the first of a series of 2 Digidance offerings this season.
Play is a production OPÉRA NATIONAL DE PARIS, BEL AIR MEDIA, SVT. With the participation of francetélévisions.
To learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season, visit the NAC website.
PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION
In-person in Babs Asper Theatre
Online via the NAC website
To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). Please visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit to find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
NAC Dance and the NAC Foundation would like to thank the donors and partners who have made the season possible. Thank you to Hotel Partner the Lord Elgin Hotel. The role of Executive Producer, NAC Dance, is generously supported by an anonymous donor.
ABOUT THE NAC
The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.
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