Review: (Toronto / Dance) Sawah

(photo by Peter Lear)

Feats of Endurance and Inspiration
by Winna Tse

SAWAH, a music and dance production brought to us by Arabesque Dance Company is simply put, inspirational. It’s a production that went full force with powerful ensemble music and dancers alike. Right from the beginning I was drawn in by the upbeat oud ensemble led by the masterful musical director Bassam Bishara. Clearly, not only are the musicians talented but so are all the dancers. Seeing them beautifully sway their arms, shake their hips and glide across that stage really inspired me to take up some belly dancing! 

Review: (Toronto) The Radio Show (World Stage)

(photo: Steven Schreiber)

Music Celebrated; Danced

by Beat Rice

New York based dance company Abraham.In.Motion opens the World Stage season with Kyla Abraham’s personal piece, The Radio Show. The piece is an homage to the music Abraham and his family listened to on the only two urban radio stations in his hometown. In the same year the radio stations stopped broadcasting, Abraham’s father also developed Alzheimer’s and aphasia. Abraham has created a dance that connects these two losses, the silence that follows, and how relationships are affected. 

The Radio Show is a celebration of music through movement. The sound design is superb. No sound designer is credited but there is mention of additional editing by Herman Soy Sos Pearl. We hear the switching and tuning of radio stations with bits of pieces of familiar songs mixed in with jarring pink noise. There are intermittent songs, beats, radio noise, and recordings of phone calls and broadcasts. The bouts of radio static are reminiscent of what I imagine a bout of memory loss to be like. At one moment a dancer is moving to a joyful Motown tune and when the song stops, he is at a loss, for movement and words. We see his mind coming in and out of confusion and familiarity while teetering on the edge, of a large circle of light on the floor. 

News: Harbourfront Centre announces NextSteps 2011-12 Season