Fringe Review: Dance @ Venue 1 - Part 2

Diverge **½
Five Concordia choreographers share the stage for this show. The first piece, Carrots on the Brain, was created for an in situ performance with three dancers in the Concordia EV building. While it worked beautifully there, its transformation into a solo in a conventional space robs it of what was most interesting about it. I am sad to say that, even though I saw Diverge just yesterday, I have already forgotten the second piece, Holly Greco’s she eagerly watches while carefully slipping. Joannie Pharand is a great, emotional dancer in A Woman Overworked, but a chair becomes an obtrusive gimmick. Allison Elizabeth Burns’ Every Being Seems in Itself Round also has a gimmick, hoops fused to the dancers’ costume, but it gains in interest when it becomes part of their interaction with each other. To Know Awaken’s slow motion moments are good, but Jenn Doan’s chanting is just awkward. Overall… uneven.
18 WED 18:15
20 FRI 23:45
21 SAT 15:00
22 SUN 21:00

The Gate ***½
The Gate is a mix of dance films and performances by Desh Fernando and Teoma Naccarato. Fernando definitely has an eye for shooting movement, though he needs to stop constantly panning from left to right. Merlinotopia is a highlight. Naccarato’s Portrait on the other hand is excessively melodramatic. She is much better when bringing forth her sense of humour in the live cheerleading solo Lily. However, I have already forgotten the only other dance she performed live that night, Gust.
18 WED 20:00
20 FRI 16:15 2/1
21 SAT 21:45
22 SUN 17:30

Lancer du nain/Throwing Gnomes ****
With so many shows that look like they were created in the days leading up to their premiere at the Fringe, it’s nice to see one that actually looks like a lot of work went into it. Emily Honegger and Geneviève Gagné’s Lancer du nain/Throwing Gnomes looks like a cross between Jacques Tati’s Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot and breaking. With leisure at its centre, the dancers move from artifice to physical stunts, use props with a great deal of inventiveness and humour, and even manage to work in a genuinely sweet duo. It’s just a really good show and I’ve been told that their tickets are selling well, so make sure you get some too before it’s too late, alright?
18 WED 23:00
20 FRI 18:00
21 SAT 20:15
22 SUN 14:30