TORONTO DANCE THEATRE PRESENTS

2023/24 Spring Double Bill

Long-time company dancer Yuichiro Inoue choreographs his first full piece KIOKO NO MA
Artistic duo KINAJ incorporate street and contemporary styles in ALIENS
At the historic Winchester Street Theatre April 4-6 and 11-13

(Toronto) March 13, 2024 – Next up this season explores the ways artists, audiences, and community share space, Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) is thrilled to announce the details of their second mainstage double bill presentation at the historic Winchester next month. Beginning April 4th, SPRING DOUBLE BILL sees the resident company and guest dancers share the stage in two new enticing works.

For KIOKU NO MA – 記憶の間, long-time company dancer Yuichiro Inoue choreographs his first full piece with members of the ensemble, reflective of his virtuosic career with TDT. Artistic Duo KINAJ (Kin Nguien and AJ Velasco) shares ALIENS, a piece that incorporates their cross-genre practices in street styles and contemporary dance, building upon the ideas and conversations they began during their 2022/23 Pilot Episodes residency at TDT.

“There is a beautiful story of relationships to be found in the making of this Spring Double Bill,” comments TDT Artistic Director Andrew Tay. “Yuichiro Inoue, a longstanding TDT company dancer, presents his first major commission with the company KIOKU NO MA, exploring ideas of recollection and recall with three ensemble members with whom he has shared many memories with throughout the years. In ALIENS, choreographic duo KINAJ collaborate with dancers they first formed friendships with, in the Asian Street dance community, drawing from their shared lived experiences as children of immigrants. It’s been a privilege nurturing the development of these new works and to witness a level of trust and care only possible through these deep existing connections. I’m excited for audiences to experience their performances alongside each other!”

In KIOKU NO MA – 記憶の間, Inoue explores memory and consciousness through sensorial connections and recollections with three dancers. Rooted in the Japanese terms 記 (Ki) “record” or “write down” and 憶 (Oku) “memory “recollection.” Kioku represents the ability to remember and store memories. The incorporation of Ma (間) emphasizes Japanese aesthetics, highlighting beauty in intervals, pauses, and emptiness, contributing to harmony and balance. Ma refers to intentional use of empty space in design,
pauses in time, and intervals between events for enhanced rhythm and reflection. The particle の indicates possession or association between nouns.

A cosmic odyssey developed through conversations with our interstellar ensemble, ALIENS by innovative duo KINAJ explores the metaphysical experience on earth through the eyes of space immigrants. Navigating Disconnection and Connection, we observe the stories of 3 beings who search for their acceptance, visibility, and freedom. Empathy and Communication create space, Cyphers unlock portals for authentic expression and arrays of energy exchange – transcending set movement. ALIENS is a collaborative act of individual and collective exploration, where bodies vocalize a language through space, systems and structures are probed, and individual stories converge.

April 4 – 6 and April 11 – 13, 2024
7:30 PM ET at the Winchester Street Theatre
Deaf/ASL Interpretation at April 11 performance
Livestream broadcast of April 12 performance
80 Winchester Street, Toronto, ON, M4X 1B2

TDT believes that cost should not be a barrier to experiencing live performance and is offering tickets on a sliding scale for all of this season’s productions. Ranging from $10 to $45, tickets are available at tdt.org. Audiences can select whichever ticket price option works best for them. A livestream is scheduled for April 12 (tickets $5 – $15), and the recording will remain on demand to ticket holders for 14 days following initial airing. ASL interpretation will be available at the April 11 performance. Running time is 75 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

KIOKU NO MA

• Choreographed by Yuichiro Inoue
• Performed by Peter Kelly, Megumi Kokuba, Roberto Soria
• Sound Design by Sarah Shugarman
• Costume Design by Valerie Calam

ALIENS

• Choreographed by KINAJ (Kin Nguien and AJ Velasco)
• Performed by Neil Lordson Tangcuangco, Ayano Okubo, Matthew Morales
• Costume Design by Juliette Chan

Artistic Director: Andrew Tay; Rehearsal Director: Rosemary James; Lighting Designer: Gabriel Cropley; Production Manager: Aden Altamirano; Stage Manager: Ciaran Brenneman; Technical Director: Tanya Bregstein

ABOUT TORONTO DANCE THEATRE

Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) is an iconic name within the Canadian dance landscape. Founded in 1968, the company was instrumental in ushering in a new era of modern dance to Toronto and national audiences. Today, TDT is one of Canada’s leading innovators in dance while being one of the very few contemporary companies in the country with a full-time ensemble of dancers. As Toronto’s original dance provocateurs, TDT brings the city’s dance creativity to the world and the world to Toronto.

Under the artistic direction of Andrew Tay, TDT supports imaginative programming that places creative risk-taking and artistic development at the forefront. They create initiatives that address relevant issues within the field, stage high-calibre theatre productions and instigate thoughtful activations in the community. TDT’s home, the historic Winchester Street Theatre, sees 15,000 people through our doors annually, and is recognized as a hub for hundreds of independent artists and community groups.

Toronto Dance Theatre acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.