Live Art Dance Productions Presents: Mocean Dance

Mocean Dance will perform in their Home Season Mainstage Performance from January 22-24, at the Sir James Dunn Theatre. The evening will include the world premiere of Sorrows, by Montreal-based choreographer Estelle Clareton, Rescue Left Her To Her Plight by Toronto-based choreographer Susie Burpee and costumes by Rachael Grant. Performances begin at 8:00pm.

On Thursday January 22nd, join Catherine Walker, Co-Artistic Director of Halifax Dance for a pre-show talk about the 'Making of Mocean' from 7:00pm-7:30pm in the Sculpture Court, at the Dalhousie Arts Centre. There will also be a reception following the performance. Friday evening's performance will include a post-show talk back with choreographer Estelle Clareton and company members, hosted by Mocean co-founder and local dancer/choreographer Lisa Phinney.

Tickets are $23.50/$16.50 and can be purchased by calling the Dalhousie Box Office: 494-3820 or 1-800-874-1669. For more information call Live Art Dance Productions: 420-0003.

Don't miss this explosive evening of dance!

Sorrows
Choreographed by Estelle Clareton, Sorrows juggles freely between comedy and drama. The piece portrays an encounter between four queens in a strange and tumultuous world, rocked by a peculiar, chaotic rhythm. The cavalcade of characters swing from reality to fantasy, and through a surreal journey, they evoke themes of solitude, strength, loss, and childhood in their carnivalesque atmosphere. This piece is part of a series entitled Furies which began in 2005 and is inspired by both the beautiful and the monstrous.

Clareton's choreography explores the darker side of human nature and challenges the dancers to reach new physical, theatrical and emotional depths.

Click on the link below to view behind-the-scenes photos of Mocean in creation with Estelle Clareton.

View photos!

Rescue Left Her To Her Plight

For whatever we lose, like a you or a me, it's always ourselves we find in the sea
~ e.e. cummings

Choreographed by Susie Burpee, this dynamic, impassioned work follows four women as they brave their way through a series of complex physical challenges, the solutions of which lead only to new adversity. The interpreters move between creating the conditions of strife, offering help and comfort, and impeding progress. In this way, the work provides physical metaphors for community action and stasis, and the tenacity of the individual. Originally commissioned by Kinetic Studios in 2008, Rescue has been remounted by Mocean Dance, who have had the opportunity to work with Burpee again and bring the piece to its newest incarnation.

In anticipation of their upcoming performances, Mocean Dance will appear in a television feature on Eastlink Magazine, premiering Monday January 19th at 7pm and broadcasting again at 12:00pm and 4:35pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of this week.

You can also read Andrea Nemetz' article on Mocean Dance, published in the Chronicle Herald on January 18th 2009, by following the link below.

Read "Mocean gets emotional"

Stay Tuned...

Mocean Dance will be conducting two days of residency at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on February 6-7, 2009. From February 11-15th, the company will reside in Saint John's, Newfoundland for four days of exciting residency events, and a performance in the Basement Theatre. Expect to see a return of the Mocean Travel Blog, Mocean on the Move!

For more appearances in Halifax, catch Mocean Dance's performance at the annual Halifax Dance fundraising gala, Black Tie with a Twist, February 21, 2009. For more information about these events and more, visit our full calendar by following the link below.

See the Mocean calendar

Photo Credit

All photos by Holly Crooks
Costumes by Rachael Grant