before you wake
dXv’s Before You Wake opens with a woman contemplating her final rest. The music of Björk accompanies this character’s eccentric determination to take the occasion of her burial into her own hands, building to the triumphant climax of Stravinsky’s famous ballet suite, Firebird. The music weaves together dance and digital interactivity to dazzling effect.
Revolution
Dark by Five presents it own interpretation of David Ives' Variations on the Death of Trotsky, featuring a complex dance of music, theatre, and comedy. In traditional DxV style, the ensemble concludes the evening with a gripping performance of Dmitri Shostakovich's sardonic Symphony No. 5.
Field guide for the missing
Reimagined from 2015 with choreography from Toronto’s Shannon Litzenberger, Field Guide for the Missing combines the work of acclaimed-poet Don McKay with Aaron Copland’s masterpiece Appalachian Spring. Mask, imagery, movement, and song bring us to the edge of the rooftop where the owls are waiting in the dark.
A Singer Must Die
Soprano Yvette Coleman leads Dark by Five in a dramatic presentation of some of her favourite pop songs, which set before the backdrop of a shadow puppet screen, illustrates the backstory of Blanche DuBois from Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Dark by Five concludes the evening with a special chamber version of Ottorino Respighi's epic symphonic poem Pines of Rome.
All photography provided by Tom Cochrane