Dancers All The Way Down

On Saturday, I went to the Harbourfront Theatre for Space Interrupted, a dance recital by Canadian Comtemporary Dance Theatre. Since this company specialized in dancers under 20 years old, 3 of the 4 pieces were done by young performers.

Technique-wise, I thought they were very accomplished. Overtures, the opening number, didn't do a great job of showcasing their skills. In tights and pseudo-tutus, it made them looked awkward and gawky. Anomykz was a better fit. This melding of street dance and contemporary by choreographer Ofilio Sinbadinho gave the troupe the chance to inhabit the frenzied, slightly menacing, choreography. Its tale of 4 young sisters trying to both fit in and find their own path held relevance for the members.

After intermission, Vectors had more contemporary movements in its exploration of lines whether it be arm movements or stage positions. The final piece, The Weather in the Room, were performed by older dancers including Artistic Director Deborah Lundmark and Robert Glumbek. This was perhaps the former's first performance in many years. Along with them were Kathleen Legassick and Emilio Colalillo, and Amanda Pye and Justin de Luna. Two talented young dancers Frances Samson and Nicholas Ruscica also joined them.

It started with Lundmark and Glumbek as an old couple returning home from a night out. Long familiar with each other's habits, they first descended into routine and then argument (perhaps also a routine). The other dancers played various iterations of their younger selves, both similar and different. It was interesting to watch this evolution both figuratively and literally. Legassick, Colalillo, Pye and Luna are in their prime and performed with both physicality and expressivity. Lundmark and Glumbek have slowed down, but channeled experience in their roles. It became clear that Samson and Ruscica were good (like the rest of the young troupe), but needed a few years to grow into their career. As such, this piece gave a nice illustration of the contrast between youthful vigour and late-life growth.