COLEMAN LEMIEUX & COMPAGNIE

2-7 dancers, live music optional

Artistic Directors: Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux

In Paradisum
The Kudelka Project
Interiors
Extended and Creation Residencies

New Creation for 08-09

Based in Montreal, Canada, Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie (CLC) creates and produces performance events that transcend boundaries through dance, dialogue, collaboration and celebration. CLC is a marriage - first of all, between its Artistic Directors, dancers/choreographers Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux, but also between urban and rural, stage and community, tradition and innovation, the art world and the wider world. Projects have included works by Lemieux & Coleman, as well as commissions and partnerships with choreographers, composers, visual artists and communities.

Theatrical productions form one half of the marriage of formats that is CLC (see the Family and Special Projects pages for info on the other half). These include The Kudelka/Taylor Project , an evening devoted to the work of James Kudelka, former Artistic Director the National Ballet of Canada, and featuring live music by counter-tenor Daniel Taylor; and the upcoming Interiors, a full evening work for Bill and Laurence and their two children.

"...in the Fall for Dance festival ... the evening's jewel [was] an excerpt from James Kudelka's "Fifteen Heterosexual Duets," set to Beethoven's "Kreutzer" Sonata. Credit should go to Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie of Montreal, whose dancers moved easily and wittily, looking like grown-ups who had lived full lives. Mr. Kudelka's choreography is just as witty, full of ingenious partnering and glancing, perceptive takes on lovers' foibles and the art of the duet." - Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times

LOUISE LECAVALIER

1-3 dancers

Louise tours a collection of three dances with choreography by Tedd Robinson, Crystal Pite, and Benoit Lachambre 2008 will bring "U Main Naked Souls, "a new creation with Louise and Benoit Lachambre

She has been called the most brilliant and tragic dancer of our time - a dancer with 'legs of fire'.

With her unique strength, speed and suppleness Lecavalier has succeeded in building a reputation as one of the most significant players on the international dance stage. Her explosive stage personality provides a titillating contrast to the graceful postures of classical ballet and gives a strong impression of physical presence. A fusion of movements that has allowed her to contribute to pushing back the boundaries of modern dance all over the world - and for more than 20 years.

ULTIMA VEZ

9-14 Dancers

Artistic Director:
TOURING: SPIEGEL and MENSKE
New Project coming for 08-09

In October 1986 Wim Vandekeybus founded Ultima Vez. Nine months later the company's first production What the What the Body Does Not Remember premièred at the Toneelschuur in Haarlem. 20 years later Wim Vandekeybus has created a composed evening with the most remarkable scenes from his work. Spiegel premièred in September 2006.

"For all those who discover the universe of Wim Vandekeybus for the first time, Spiegel will be like a wallop. The rolls, the jumps, the fights, the throwing of bricks (in fact now blocks which are a bit more manageable), the bodies suspended in mid air have lost nothing of their vital energy, their force at the edge of rupture. For those who have followed the career of the choreographer and his ensemble, Spiegel allows one to relive some great moments, but also to observe the real coherence of the physical work within Ultima Vez.." - Le Soir

PACIFICO DANCE COMPANY

Artistic Director: Adriana Gainey

Traditional and Contemporary Mexican Folklorico

6-30 dancers

6-8 musicians

Since 1992, Pacifico has been bringing its vital blend of Mexican history, professional standards and sense of pride to audiences throughout Southern California. Recently Pacifico had the honor to be the first Folklorico company to tour Asia, enjoying performances in North Korea and China. The Company has also sold out at: the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre and has performed at many major venues in California.. In addition to receiving artistic and critical accolades, the company is passionately committed to encouraging cultural pride within the Mexican-American community; developing an understanding, appreciation, and acceptance of ethnic diversity as an integral part of the greater Los Angeles community.

"...elegant, beautifully costumed dancers...the evening reached its peak of visual and aural entertainment." -- Los Angeles Times

VIVER BRASIL DANCE COMPANY (U.S./Brazil)

7-8 Dancers, 4-5 Musicians

Artistic Director: Linda Yudin

photo: Sallie De Ette Mackie

The multi-award-winning VIVER BRASIL DANCE COMPANY creates riveting and passionate Brazilian dance to explore ancient and contemporary art forms and spiritual strength of Brazilian culture. Under the guidance of co-artistic directors, Luiz Badaró and Linda Yudin, VBDC has developed a body of work that fuses passionate Afro-Brazilian dance, stunning costumes, and exuberant live percussion and vocals.

“Irrepressible…Brazilian to the core” LA Times

“Breathless and colorful... from the first sound of the atabaque drums, a surge of electricity sweeps through the audience.” LA Weekly

LISS FAIN DANCE COMPANY

7-9 dancers

Artistic Director: Liss Fain

Visceral. Emotional. Compelling. Liss Fain Dance is renowned for its innovative blending of fast-paced modern dance with the clarity and vertical lift of ballet. Unlike a mixed repertory company, Liss Fain's concerts have a single construct as a unifying factor in all the evening's pieces. Through movement that is technically and structurally precise and through careful juxtaposition of individuals and groups, Ms. Fain creates the forcefulness and complexity of an emotional environment. Exemplifying the style of European contemporary dance, her work incorporates ballet's kinetic precision with the flow and movement experimentation of modern dance. It is, simply, stunning.

ìFain designs her choreography with space in mind. Her nine dancers flow in and out of the wings with an ease that suggests that a dance is much larger than what we actually see in front of us. Once on stage, they fill it with long extensions and voluptuous lunges that thrust the energy beyond the bodyís physical confinesÖ(It is) beautifully flowing work full of eloquent arms and billowing encounters that suggest both permanence and changeabilityÖglistening with a cool and intelligent appealÖairy, with wonderful upward thrusts, and sculptural impulsesÖHer latest world premiere, When Still, Öglows with burnished intensityî. ñ DanceViewTimes.com

ìThe complex movement dynamics evolve and change, alternating between joy and isolationÖ.the mature professionalism, fluid movement and poetic musicality of an excellent little company which stands neatly at the apex of contemporary and classical dance.î - Ballet.co.uk Magazine

ì There is a real urgency to both the music and movementÖthe dancers fill the work with high leg extensions and energetic leaps. Her style has a real sense of flow which is beguiling to watch, and her dancers' technical ability and musical awareness makes this triple bill one of the better examples of pure dance at this year's Fringe.î - The Scotsman

ìIn Liss Fain Dance at the Southside Theater, Edinburgh dance fans have a rare chance to see a professional modern dance company with superb dancers and quality production design on a spacious stage. Fain has gathered together a group of dancers with an impeccable grounding in classical and modern danceÖthere was a power intensity in the dancing and a complete devotion to every move. This was definitely a fine evening and a wonderful way to start the Fringe. Fain's choreography was always engrossing and dynamic, and her dancers exceptional.î - Critical Dance

ìI was fascinated by Fain's approach to the score (which was Ligeti's Piano Concerto), the way she can at times follow the complex rhythmical patternings, the violent explosions of sound which boom out of the quiet pianissimi, the way the spinning patterns of the piano's cadenza-like passage are matched by a helter-skelter of bubbling movement and the way her dancers seem to treat dance as contemplation of musical scoreÖ.we see a whole series of pas de deux that range from the intimate and sensual (the use of the collpase/catch motif) to the violent and brutal.î - Ballet.co.uk Magazine

DO JUMP!

5 -10 Performers

Acrobatics, trapeze, live original music, family fun.

“Do Jump furnishes fun in profusion.” – The New York Times.

Do Jump! Extremely Physical Theater has two new shows available for touring this season.

"AT SUCH A DIZZY HEIGHT"
Inspired by the Paintings of Marc Chagall

¡Entusiasmo!: Written by Robin Lane, adapted from the book Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World by Alan Weisman. Based on a true story, ¡Entusiasmo! is a sensual and exciting spectacle that celebrates the triumph of hope over despair. A Show About Hope

"A Triumph!" – the Oregonian Now!

“Do Jump! would call to mind Cirque du Soleil except that it’s so utterly lacking in pretension.” – New York Newsday

LES BALLETS JAZZ DE MONTREAL [bjm_danse]

11-13 Dancers

Artistic Director: Louis Robitaille

photo: Chris Randle

Solidly established on the international dance scene, [bjm_danse] tours energetic and inspiring dances, accessible to all audiences. Current repertory includes choreographies by Rodrigo Pederneiras and Aszure Barton. They also provide a youth residency, "ZAP," which has been extremely popular in the U.S., and they encourage customized programming if a mix of works, traditional and new, is preferred.

“Les Ballets jazz de Montreal Energized by New Direction … Sexy choreography, indefatigable dancers and purposeful programming caused a sensation” Los Angeles Times

“ You notice the dancers, first and last. First, because they exude an awesome sizzle, an explosive precision and energy that surges through any evening of les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. Last because the electrical charge is unforgettable, setting new standards. It’s always been like this… this physical exultation, this dancing for the pure hell of it, is BJM’s trademark. … the tightly knit band of committed and seemingly inexhaustible dancers emerged as a big Canadian success story. ” Dance Magazine

JONI MITCHELL AND ALBERTA BALLET'S FIDDLE AND THE DRUM

28 Dancers
12 Crew
Artistic Directors:
Joni Mitchell &
Jean Grand-Maitre

Legendary Canadian artist Joni Mitchell and acclaimed choreographer and artistic director of Alberta Ballet, Jean Grand-Maître, have come together to collaborate on a unique fusion of dance, art and music.

The Fiddle and The Drum, a semi-abstract narrative ballet danced in neo-classical style, will be performed to an hour of Mitchell’s compelling music and her latest artwork, which will be projected on three large canvass screens behind the dancers throughout the ballet. Alberta Ballet’s 26 athletic dancers will merge – through powerful and sensual movements – with Joni Mitchell’s eclectic sound and visual art and create a contemporary fusion of art forms that will awaken and stir the soul.

“The creative process for The Fiddle and The Drum has renewed my faith in my relationship between art and life. Ms. Mitchellís selfless and gentle participation will most likely be the highlight of my entire career,’ says Jean Grand- MaÓtre.

DANZAHOY

Artistic Director: Luz Urdaneta

4-11 dancers

Exodo

Created by Venezuelan choreographer Luz Urdaneta in collaboration with costume designer Efren Rojas and Jacques Broquet/Carolina Puig on lighting, the works brings to life the universe of hidden emotions that cohabit in the heart of the violence and chaos of urban life in today's Latin America.

Travesia

"The tango here is sketched, guessed through some curved steps. It is a between life and death dance, as child's play where each one touches the other to bring him back to life. It is above all a free and audacious dance in which each dancer abandons himself. The piece finishes on a bunch of final red carnations, symbol of a constant revolution, to end under a curtain of red flowers with an ovation by a charmed public." C. Gennin. Sitarmag Magazine Culturel, Lyon, France