The Fluidness of Fluid Fest | What to expect this year
Expect the unexpected. Always.
Two years ago when I was first introduced to Fluid Festival, I thought I knew what contemporary dance was. I had a set idea of what I would see, the emotions I would feel and the types of people I thought would attend.
In my first year, I saw ‘Leo’ by Circle of Eleven from Germany – a one-man show that defied gravity, using acrobatics and live projection to completely blow your mind and make you lose your grasp on reality. It started to change my perception of what contemporary dance was and made me question how far the definition could be stretched. That same year, ContainR Village set up in East Village and again, artists pushed the limits of physical theatre. They broke the rules of distance and separation between the performers and the audience.
Last year, I saw the phenomenal Henri Michaux: Mouvements + Gymnopedies by Compangie Marie Chouinard from Montreal. Human inkblots. Trees. Clowns. Non-stop head scratching and heart-arresting moments. I had the privilege of meeting the dancers at one of our community potlucks the evening prior and to see these genuine people transform into supernatural beings on-stage was an experience in itself.
This year, artistic director of Springboard Performance, Nicole Mion, continues to push the envelope. She has curated a line-up that will surprise, delight, fascinate and leave you wanting more. The provocative Israeli company, L-E-V will have their Canadian premiere at Theatre Junction GRAND, Tentacle Tribe will turn traditional hip hop on its head in collaboration with our local talent Tony Tran and Tara Wilson, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers will make themselves at home on our Albertan stage and our always-a-good-time Physical Therapy and Urban Culture Cabarets will be just that.
Purchase your tickets at springboardperformance.com/fluidfest
A Flip Pass for $40 gets you into three shows of your choice, excluding L-E-V. It’s a killer good deal and an inexpensive date night idea for two weeks of theatre culture and dance.
Events at containR will also be an interesting additional element to the festival this year. Free events will take place throughout the festival and it will be a great place for you to chat with others and get the word on the street (literally) for the best shows to go to.
I hope you’re as excited as I am. Have fun. Expect to be blown away.
Bio:
Mackenzie Chu is a board member of Springboard Performance and local advertising professional who loves seeing peoples’ passions and talents expressed in the community.