Photo credit: © David Wong
We Move Together or Not at All
A greenhouse installation that sustains plant life through movement
Miracle’ing/Close to Me/Close to You
Collaging movement and sound in real time to explore being alone-together
Presented in the MAI Gallery and Theatre
December 7–11, 2022
We Move Together or Not at All
A greenhouse installation that sustains plant life through movement
In We Move Together or Not at All, five soloists each perform an improvised solo dedicated to the plants in a greenhouse. Part performance and part installation, this piece recontextualizes the role of plant life through an ecological lens: the greenery “supplants” the human viewers as audience, rendering them coincidental witnesses, and is nourished by the heat and sweat generated by the dancers’ movements. Throughout the performance, sensors on the soloists’ bodies translate motion into music, engaging the viewers through sound as much as sight. In this way, We Move Together or Not at All challenges expectations of dance–placing consent, multi-sensory performance archives, and species interdependence at the forefront of the experience.
This installation will be open from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm on December 7th – 10th, and 11 am to 1 pm on Sunday, December 11th, 2022. Come read, nap, hang, rest, etc. Free entrance, no reservation required.
www.m-a-i.qc.ca/en/miracle-ing/
| CREDITS |
| Artistic Director: Sasha Kleinplatz Gestural AI Music and Interactive Scenography: Navid Navab Movement and Co-Choreographer: Angie Cheng Scenography and Plant Whisperer: Odessa Dobbie Performers and Co-Thinkers: Erin Hill, Frédérique Peter Jasko, Rodier, Andrew Turner |
Miracle’ing/Close to Me/Close to You
Collaging movement and sound in real time to explore being alone-together
Miracle’ing/Close to Me/Close to You is an improvised performance piece featuring twelve artists who collaborate to create in real time. “Miracle’ing” is what happens when bodies come together to move in synchronized spontaneity. In this pan-Canadian exploration, dancers from across Canada come together to reflect on what consent means in choreography and how to negotiate space and creation. Rather than engaging in preset conditions, the artists have complete control over the lighting and musical score–tracks from popular music to memes to video game soundtracks and more; they are also not limited to the medium of dance and may layer elements such as singing, lighting, and object animation. Working in concert, the performers’ movements consider the perspective of unison and its ability to encourage or hold at bay feelings of closeness and distance to others. To reinforce this exploration, audience members are dispersed throughout the gallery, sharing the space with the dancers around them. Miracle’ing/Close to Me/Close to You is a tribute to being alone-together.
A talkback with the artist hosted by Sylvain Verstricht will follow the December 8th performance.
| The December 11th performance is a relaxed performance (RP). It is open to all, and may specifically address the needs of people who identify with a sensory or intellectual disability, a neurological or learning disability, people who experience anxiety, people with newborns or anyone who is uncomfortable with the conventions of a traditional theatre environment. For more details, please visit the MAI website. |
| CREDITS |
| Artistic Director: Sasha Kleinplatz Performers: Andrea Cowndon, Justin de Luna, Natalie Zoey Gauld, Winnie Ho, Maria Kefirova, Alexa Solveig Mardon, Erika Mitsuhashi, Emile Pineault, Simon Portigal, Malik Nashad Sharpe, Rianne Svelnis, Lexi Vajda Lighting: Karine Gauthier |
| IN BRIEF |
| WHAT? We Move Together or Not at All & Miracle’ing/Close to Me/Close to You by Sasha Kleinplatz WHEN? We Move Together or Not at All 7 – 10 DEC | 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm 11 DEC | 11 am – 3 pm Miracle’ing/Close to Me/Close to You 7 – 10 DEC | 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm 11 DEC | 2 pm – 3 pm DURATION? We Move Together or Not at All: 2 hours Miracle’ing/Close to Me/Close to You: 60 minutes WHERE? MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) 3680, Jeanne-Mance BOX OFFICE Miracle’ing/Close to Me/Close to You: Free entrance Regular → $28 • Reduced → $22 • Junior & Groups → $16 • Accompanying person → $0 • Passport 4/4 → $68 www.m-a-i.qc.ca/en/boxoffice 514-982-3386 |
