très loin
January 26, 2023 | 12:30 - 1:30pm
Orillia Opera House
Suggested ticket contribution $8
Showing cancelled.
BoucharDanse
BoucharDanse is a contemporary dance company based in Toronto and conceived in 2009 by choreographer/performer Sylvie Bouchard, who is originally from Montréal. It is an incubator of new artistic concepts and projects that are developed through dynamic collaborations - an intrinsic value of the company. The company is devoted to artistic research, creation and presentation and is committed to foster innovative concepts and projects that intersect with a diversity of art forms. BoucharDanse is guided by a desire to make dance inviting to both experienced and novice audiences, proposing unique kinesthetic experiences both in theatre venues and in non-traditional spaces. Our repertoire includes in-theatre performances, site-specific performances, multi-art installations and small-scale works (solos and duets) for which Sylvie acts as an interpreter or a choreographer, sometimes both.
The choreographic works of Sylvie Bouchard endeavor to shine a light on issues and struggles surrounding mental health, and through dance, unpack stories of resilience.
Description of the work
très loin is a sensory-filled multi-art installation created in collaborative partnership with choreographer Sylvie Bouchard, visual artist Ed Pien, composer Phil Strong, dramaturg Anne-Marie Donovan, poet Katia Grubisic, lighting designer André du Toit, and the performers.
très loin marries dance, visual art, and sound to explore childhood trauma, dissociation, roads to recovery and the search for resilience. The piece looks closely at how our mind and body deal with the consequences of trauma, but most importantly, it portrays the incredible strength, courage and perseverance needed to surmount these experiences and to reintegrate parts of ourselves that get lost, or split off, when traumatic experiences take place.
Artist Bios
Sylvie Bouchard (Choreographer)
Sylvie Bouchard is originally from Montréal, where she began her dance training. She moved to Toronto to study at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and subsequently joined the Company in 1985. Sylvie also performed with Fujiwara Dance Inventions, pounds per square inch, Kaeja d’Dance, Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers and Dancemakers, and has worked with many choreographers including Denise Fujiwara, Gerry Trentham, Susie Burpee, Julie Aplin, Marie-Josée Chartier, Santee Smith, Sashar Zarif, Roger Sinha, Peggy Baker, Yvonne Coutts, Lina Cruz, and the late Tedd Robinson. Throughout her artistic career, Bouchard has continued to forge original concepts in both the creation and the presentation of dance. In 1993, she created Dusk Dances, a festival that presents dance in public parks, and in 1997 she formed the Company CORPUS with artistic partner David Danzon. Between 1997 and 2008, she co-created eight works with Danzon that toured internationally in street theatre festivals, on stage and in schools. In 2008, Sylvie Bouchard forms BoucharDanse, a company that serves as an umbrella for her artistic endeavors. Bouchard also co-created and performed in the popular series Four Square at Tree House TV and is the recipient of the 2009 KM Hunter Artists Award in Dance.
Ed Pien (Visual Artist)
Ed Pien is a Canadian artist based in Toronto. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, he immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of eleven. Pien has shown extensively, both nationally and internationally, in venues that include the Drawing Centre, NYC: the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; The Canadian Culture Centre in Paris; The Goethe Institute in Berlin; The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; Musée des beaux arts, Montreal; Musée d’art contemporain, Montreal; Songzhuang Art Centre, Beijing; the National Art Gallery of Canada; as well as Oboro. He participated in the 2000 and 2002 Montreal Biennales; the 18th Edition of the Sydney Biennale, “Oh Canada”, at MASS MoCA. His work is collected widely and includes FRAC Lorraine, Metz, France; Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; The National Art Gallery of Canada; Art Gallery of Ontario; Musée d’art contemporain de Montreal; Musée des beaux arts, Montreal; Mendel Art Gallery; Weatherspoon Art Museum, University Of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina; as well as other institutions and private collections.
Sierra Chin Sawdy (Performer)
Sierra Chin Sawdy is an independent dance artist, based in Toronto. Since graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University’s (formally Ryerson University) BFA Dance program, she has had the opportunity to work with Alysa Pires Dance Projects, BoucharDanse, Citadel + Compagnie, Dancetheatre David Earle, Dusk Dances, Hanna Kiel, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Aria Evans/Political Movement, Tiger Princess Dance Projects, and Toronto Heritage Dance. She has toured throughout Canada, China, Europe, Mexico and the UAE. To further develop her abilities, Sierra has trained across Canada, the United States, Israel and Italy, working and creating with world-renowned teachers and choreographers.
Raelyn Metcalfe (Performer)
Raised in Vancouver and based in Toronto, Raelyn is a woman of mixed-race Plains Cree from Saskatchewan and settler heritage. She is a graduate of The Conteur Dance Academy. She has trained extensively in various movement styles, including Musical Theatre. In 2017 Raelyn had the pleasure to work with Aria Evans, Artistic director of Political Movement where she performed Voice Of A Nation, commissioned by the Toronto Concert Orchestra. In 2019 Raelyn had the honour to work with Michael Greyeyes, Santee Smith and Reneltta Arluk at The Banff Centre for Performing Arts. Reconnecting with her Indigenous roots, Raelyn performed as a dancer at the 2018 Indspire Awards along with Santee Smith, the founding artistic director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. She has recently completed the 2021-22 tour of the production The Mush Hole with Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. Raelyn received a 2020 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble for The Mush Hole. Following her passion, she is a dedicated dance artist who wishes to continue her inspiration for others.
Natasha Poon Woo (Performer)
Natasha Poon Woo began training and performing with Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre in her hometown of Toronto. She went on to study at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase, performing the works of Pam Tanowitz, Twyla Tharp, and Doug Varone before graduating summa cum laude with a BFA and the President’s Award for Achievement. Natasha has worked with companies and artists including Conny Janssen Danst, Kevin Wynn Collection, Rock Bottom Movement, Côté Danse, The Dietrich Group, Roderick George, BoucharDanse, Benjamin Landsberg, Ryan Lee, Gadfly, Little Pear Garden, and Hit & Run Dance Productions. She is a Dora Award-winning performer with Rock Bottom for its acclaimed production Hollow Mountain. Natasha was Associate Artistic Director of CCDT from 2019-2021 and served as the Company’s Rehearsal Director from 2012-2021. She has also directed rehearsals for artists including Hanna Kiel, Roderick George and Rodney Diverlus. Natasha is a sought-after dance educator across Ontario, specializing in Limón-based modern technique.
Lucy Rupert (Performer)
Lucy Rupert is a dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Blue Ceiling dance. She has worked with such performance companies as Theatre Rusticle, Fujiwara Dance Inventions, Sashar Zarif Dance, Chartier Danse, Anandam Dance and Nova Dance, among many others. Lucy has created over three dozen works of contemporary dance, film and interdisciplinary performance projects. Lucy has a Double BA in Dance and Music from the University of Waterloo, an MA in History from the University of Toronto and is currently studying philosophy through Oxford University’s Continuing Education program. She is an environmentalist, a bookworm, and a mom, living in Toronto/Tkaronto in a neighbourhood full of old trees and coyotes.
Patrick Lynn (Stage Manager)
Patrick Lynn (they/them) is a queer performance professional originally from Fredericton, NB. They moved to Toronto in 2017 to pursue their BFA, Performance: Production at TMU. Patrick primarily works as a stage manager and production manager for theatre and dance, in both French and English. They have been fortunate enough to work with such companies as Aluna Theatre, ARC, Balancing on the Edge, Modern Times Stage Company, Talk is Free Theatre, Théâtre français de Toronto, TranscenDance Project, Victoria Mata Productions, and The WeeFestival of Arts and Culture, among others.