TDT presents Performance Clash

A RETURN TO STAGE PERFORMANCES WITH A PROGRAM OF SHORT WORKS
MARCH 17 – 19, 2022 | LIVESTREAM FOR MARCH 18 SHOW

TORONTO, ON – Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) is excited to open the doors of the Winchester Street Theatre again for Performance Clash curated by Artistic Director Andrew Tay, live on stage from March 17 to 19 at 7:30 p.m. every night.

Artists from a variety of disciplines throughout the Toronto community are pairing up with TDT’s company artists to make eleven short works together. The artists will be blending dance with fashion, digital art, sculpture, electronic music, illustration, and other creative practices. This marks the first live performance in the theatre over two years, with audiences being able to experience this collection of works either in person or remotely through a livestream of the March 18 performance, which will remain available to ticket holders for seven days.

“We can’t wait to welcome back audiences with an event that brings dance into a conversation with other artistic spheres. Encounter, collaboration and play are at the forefront of Performance Clash, which celebrates the artistry of the TDT company dancers while offering the chance to discover work from a dynamic range of incredible Toronto creatives,” said Artistic Director Andrew Tay.

“After such a long period of isolation, it feels relevant that an evening dedicated to connecting artists together will be our first live theatre production since the start of the pandemic.”

Guest artists include Angela Cabrera, Diana Lynn Vandermeulen, Driftnote, Jeremy Laing, LAL (Rosina Kazi and Nicholas Murray), Mic. Carter, Mikiki, Ness Lee, Rajni Perera, Troy Emery Twigg, and TUSH (Kamilah Apong and Jamie Kidd).

“The artists assembled for this evening are engaged in important conversations around community, the society we live in, and innovative approaches to art making. I hope that everyone is as curious to see what develops out of these unique artistic pairings as I am!” said Tay.

Performance Clash will be on stage at the Winchester Street Theatre from Thursday March 17 to Saturday March 19 at 7:30 p.m. nightly, with a livestream option for the March 18 performance that will be remain available for ticket holders to watch for 7 days. Deaf/ASL Interpretation is available for March 19. Tickets are $25 for in-person audiences (limited capacity) and $10 for the livestream. Please be advised, performances within this presentation will contain mature content. TDT will be following Toronto Public Health’s COVID-19 safety recommendations, and in-person audiences will be required to continue following TDT’s COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy for this production. Full details about Performance Clash are available at https://tdt.org/events/performance-clash/.

ABOUT THE GUEST ARTISTS

Angela Cabrera is a Latinx multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Colombia. Their fashion and design are inspired by spaces unattended by man and ruled over by natural evolution, evoking an enigmatic, celestial spirit in their work.

Diana Lynn VanderMeulen is a multidisciplinary artist who remixes techniques and textures, navigating new digital tools to expand the lifespan and audience of durational immersive installations and location-specific artworks. She has shown work at The AGO, The Canadian Embassy (Tokyo, Japan), Gardiner Museum, and Idea Exchange.

Omar Rivero, also known as Driftnote, is a musician and multimedia artist whose work is centred around improvisation, interactivity, audio visual installations, and 3D imaging. Within their work, Driftnote explores themes of cultural erasure, systemic oppression, race, and identity in the African/Indigenous diaspora.

Jeremy Laing is a transdisciplinary artist living and working in Toronto, whose work has been exhibited in Toronto, across Canada, and abroad. Their work explores the interrelation and transitional potential of subjects and objects, materials and meaning, and the hierarchies of value to which they are submitted.

Rosina Kazi and Nicholas Murray are LAL, the Polaris Prize longlisted and Toronto-based electronic duo who blends influences from their world in hip hop, punk, electronic and experimental music. In addition to their music and recent theatre work, they launched the community centre and performance venue Unit 2 ten years ago as a space for marginalized artists and communities.

Mic. Carter is a Toronto-based creative who, through experimental design and stylization, has developed an interest in fusing social justice, futurity, abjection, and community with fashion. Their brand L’Uomo Strano is invested in creating responsive beauty for the femme-identified, gender non-conformist’s wardrobe.

Mikiki is a performance and video artist and queer community health activist of Acadian/Mi’kmaq and Irish descent from Ktaqmkuk/Newfoundland, Canada. Their work has been presented throughout Canada and internationally in self-produced interventions, artist-run centres, performance art festivals, and public galleries.

Ness Lee draws upon history and personal narratives to create tender and surreal illustrations, paintings, sculptures, and installations. Their work has been exhibited in galleries across the GTA, nationally and internationally, including participating in mural festivals in Canada, India and Mexico.

Sobey Art Award 2021 recipient Rajni Perera is a visual artist who explores issues of hybridity, futurity, ancestorship, immigration identity/cultures, monsters and dream worlds through paintings and sculptures that create a mythical symbiosis.

Troy Emery Twigg is from the Kainai Nation in Southern Alberta and is primarily an artist in movement and choreography, in addition to being an actor, director, and dramaturg. Twigg mostly creates his own works that have been presented nationally and internationally.

A house and electro-funk music duo, TUSH features Kamilah Apong and Jamie Kidd at the helm. With their debut album Fantast gaining attention around the world, their sound embodies the rawness, vulnerability, and intimacy of the dance floor.

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For more information or media requests, please contact:
Emma Joy, Communications Manager
Toronto Dance Theatre
emma@tdt.org

Facebook: @torontodancetheatre
Twitter: @TOdancetheatre
Instagram: @torontodancetheatre

PERFORMANCE CLASH

Artistic Director: Andrew Tay
Guest Artists: Angela Cabrera, Diana Lynn Vandermeulen, Driftnote (Omar Rivero), Jeremy Laing, LAL (Rozina Kazi and Nic Murray), Mic. Carter, Mikiki, Ness Lee, Rajni Perera, Troy Emery Twigg, and TUSH (Jamie Kidd and Kamilah Apong)
TDT Company Dancers: Alana Elmer, Andrew Tay, Devon Snell, Erin Poole, Jordan Alleyne, Megumi Kokuba, Peter Kelly, Roberto Soria, Ryan Kostyniuk, Valerie Calam, and Yuichiro Inoue
Rehearsal Director: Rosemary James
Lighting Designer: Noah Feaver
Production Manager: Tanya Bregstein
Stage Manager & Production Assistant: Brianna Unger
Assistant Stage Manager: Caitlin Farley
Livestream Coordinator: Jordan Calcafuoco
Camera Operators: Eddie Kastrau and Jack Reslinski
House Technician & Board Operator: Nathan Bruce
Swing House Technician: Red Hauser
Production Crew: Paul Carter, Jasper Jacobs, Sofia Fabiano, Adam Jules, and AJ Morra

Show Duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission

THE COMPANY

Founded in 1968 by Patricia Beatty, David Earle and Peter Randazzo, Toronto Dance Theatre is one of Canada’s largest and most active dance organizations for contemporary practices and forms. The company has produced a unique body of original choreography during its 54-year history and contributed to the artistic development of hundreds of dancers, choreographers, and other artists from across Canada.

The 2021/22 Season includes a variety of live and digital programming, including: TD Bridgemakers Project, Performance Clash, RBC Pilot Episodes, New Creation by Rodney Diverlus, Short&Sweet: Toronto Edition, and more.

Toronto Dance Theatre’s dancers are remarkable individuals who play an essential role in the creative process. With a broad range of skills and experience, they are capable of physical and expressive virtuosity as well as powerful ensemble work.

Company dancers for the 2021/22 Season include Jordan Alleyne, Sonja Boretski, Valerie Calam, Alana Elmer, Yuichiro Inoue, Peter Kelly, Megumi Kokuba, Ryan Kostyniuk, Erin Poole, Devon Snell, Margarita Soria, and Roberto Soria.

Toronto Dance Theatre acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.