MELDING OF THE ARTS
Dance show takes a fusion approach
Dance, music, and visual art collide — or, perhaps more accurately, flow together — in the big fall performance for one of Saskatoon’s top contemporary dance studios.
Free Flow Dance Theatre Company’s fall show, The Journey, takes place from Oct. 18 to 20 at The Refinery in Saskatoon and includes the input of Saskatoon and Saskatchewan artists from across multiple disciplines. Music by composers Cassandra Stinn and Cliff Burns, photos and visuals by Ken Greenhorn, and even poetry by one of the dancers will all feature in the concert.
Mitchell Larsen, one of the dancers in the show and the performer whose poetry is being used in the performance, said he loves how they’ve been able to blend the different artistic mediums together for this show.
“We’ve had quite a long rehearsal process for the piece, which has really helped in that blending — in being able to listen to the parts and have them influence each other,” Larsen said.
Free Flow is something of a unique company in Saskatoon as one of the few that focuses almost exclusively on contemporary dance. All dancers in the company are paid professionals, and some of them — like Veronique Emmett — came to Saskatoon specifically to work with the company.
“I’d heard about Free Flow from another dancer I went to school with ... I auditioned and came out here,” Emmett said. “It’s been a cool adventure to see this little company creating art, and something different in the city.”
The Journey consists of three separate performances, the most substantial of which is “Moments of Tangency.” Featuring music written and performed by Cassandra Stinn and visuals by Ken Greenhorn, the approximately 45-minute dance number is an exploration of the four elements: earth, air, water and fire.
It’s a fairly substantial time to be involved in a performance — but as Larsen puts it, the way the dance is broken up between the different elements and accented by visual projections helps keep it varied and intriguing for the audience.
“It’s something that’s close to me. It’s something I’m very passionate about,” Larsen said. “You kind of move in between these different influences ... it feels very new each time you move into another section.”
Tessa Kuz’s solo performance of her piece called “Zone” and a dance accompanying new music by Cliff Burns called “Non Nobis Solum” fill out the rest of the performance.
Emmett said one of the best parts of contemporary dance is that you can “create your own meaning” to some extent as an audience member. While there is intent and meaning in the performance, it might end up connecting to people in unique ways.
“I think there’s a little bit of something for everyone, because you can take away what you need form this kind of art,” she said. “That’s pretty special.”
For Larsen, who grew up around Saskatchewan, it’s a pretty impressive feat that so much Saskatchewan artistry has gone into one performance. But Larsen also said it’s not about where someone has come from — it’s how they can all work together now.
“I think it is kind of cool that we are creating these amazing things,” he said. “There’s something extremely visceral about dance and the way it engages you.”
It’s been quite a cool adventure to see this little company creating art, and something different in the city.
VERONIQUE EMMETT