Mixed Company

Saturday night, I barely made it in time for a dance recital at Citadel & Compagnie at Dundas and Parliament. Toronto transit was frequent and relatively speedy, but I underestimated the travel time from my stay at Coxwell. I was rushing in so I didn't get a chance to wander through the former Salvation Army building. But it looked fairly spacious with a lounge/bar area and a dance stage. The seats were plastic chairs crammed tight, reminding me of the set-up of Storefront Theatre back in the day.

The site was hosting a new two week dance showcase of mostly local talent called Spring Mix. With her connections to Quebec, artistic director Laurence Lemieux was also bringing several companies from Montreal. I was looking forward to it since my only exposure to Citadel was a live event over Zoom during the pandemic.

All four pieces were contemporary but the two that got the best responses were grounded in traditional forms. The first piece was Hannah Kiel's "pas de deux" for 2 National Ballet apprentices. This was the shortest and most unsatisfying. Whether due to its length or Kiel's own temperament, it was chaotic and frenetic. The piece lacked motif, repeated phrasing, and mirrored movement that typically give structure to a dance. This was important for a contemporary number that introduce a new "vocabulary" to the audience.

Kala Dance Collective was rooted in the Indian dance Bharatanatyam. It started with a long section where the dancers were mostly seated. You might not be aware of the full significance, but their facial expressions, arm movement, and finger positions (Mudras) told stories. Later, they flowed through the stage with quick slides, spins, and Kathakesque feet taps. If I had to guess, all the dancing was classical but the narrative was modern.

Samantha Sunderland's 4-person piece had more structure in its contemporary choreography, with her dancers struggling to break free from the grasps of hooded individuals. This piece's shortcoming was giving equal time to all the performers in solos and pairs. So it dragged a bit with stretches where the dancing seemed to lack purpose and ideas.

The final piece, a solo by Sofi Gudiño, got the most engagement. People were chuckling at the start as Gudiño wandered the stage, checking out the dressing room mirror, looking at the lights, trying out steps at various locations. This "backstage" intro led to two dynamic sections. They started in tights and a short flamenco jacket. Their movement was masculine bravado with feet stomps and sharp arm bends. Gudiño winked and blew kisses to the crowd. Then an assistant came on to help them into a pink "Gitana dress" with a long train. Their dance became more fluid and included high heel kicks so that the train could be flipped up and spun behind them. The audience gave delighted gasps when Gudiño gathered the layered, frilly hem above their head, forming a ruffled structure that, like Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings, could be interpreted in different ways. The synthwave score was an interesting contrast to the sharp strumming of traditional flamenco music.

It was a great end to a fun evening of dance. I didn't stick around for the meet-and-greet. I had skipped dinner so it was time to look for some food. 8:30 wasn't that late but many restaurants in Toronto do close or wind down around 9 pm.