The Friday Round Up
Are you ready for this? This is the weekend for end -of – year showings by some of Vancouver’s pre -professional student dance programs. Here goes…
Arts Umbrella started the weekend off last night with their Season Finale featuring works by internationally renowned choreographers such as Fernando Hernando Magadan, Lesley Telford, Walter Matteini, James Kudelka and more. The dancers graduating from Arts Umbrella are top notch, moving on to dance with companies such as NDT II, Ballets Jazz de Montreal, and Ballet BC. At the Playhouse Theatre, May 23 and 24 7pm, 2pm matinee on Saturday May 24. Tix at the door.
Friday and Saturday, The SOULdiers presents Gallery of Souls, a look at each individual as the owner of their artistry and what a struggle it can be to balance life in persuing their dreams through dance. The company trains for 9 months in the street styles: Hip Hop, Locking, Popping, Breaking and House and a large component of the training is focused on the individual freestyle aspect of this dance culture. Norman Rothstein Theatre, 8pm. Tix
Saturday May 24 Pro Arte Intermediate & Advanced Pre-Professional Programs with the CatchingART Contemporary Ballet Theatre and live musicians. Featuring excerpts from “Swan Lake, Act 2” staged by Stephana Arnold & Jenny Yoo and dynamic new choreography by Astrid Sherman, Melanie Dance, Tania Brossoit, Stephana Arnold and Kim Dixon. At the Kay Meek Art Centre, 7:30 pm
And now from the world of professional contemporary dance…
May 27 – 31 DVote: Lust, Madness, and Mayhem is presented by Vision Impure (Vancouver) & Nova Dance (Toronto). It may seem at first glance that Nova Bhattacharya and Noam Gagnon come from vastly different worlds, culturally and geographically. Nova is Bengali, an award-winning dancer and choreographer in Toronto, known for her transformation of classical bharatanatyam into stunning contemporary dance. Noam is French-Canadian, an award-winning choreographer and dancer in Vancouver, known for his physically punishing and emotionally baring creations. However, beyond differences in technique and heritage, their recent independent works reveal a shared impulse to mine the depths of their personal experience to create engaging and transcendent performances. DVOTE is a journey they have taken together, both travelling on uncharted ground, coming together in a unique hybrid world. At the Cultch, 8pm. Tix (Photo by David Cooper)
Also starting May 28-31, World premier of The Art of Stealing by Amber Funk 
Barton’s the response. A brand new work based on the action of stealing – what can be taken from us both physically and emotionally without our consent. Barton casts her dancers as both victims and thieves as they seek to manipulate and endure each other, but the ultimate theif in life will outlast them all. At the Firehall Arts Centre, 8pm.(Photo by Chris Barton)
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