Dancing on the Edge unveils program full of local works by the likes of MascallDance and Ziyian Kwan, June 12 to 21

Moroccan and Spanish choreographers join the international contingent of event that runs at Firehall Arts Centre and SFU Woodward’s

By Janet Smith

Jenn Edwards’s The Centre of Time. Photo by Brad Dillon

Noam Gagnon’s being. Photo by Erik Zennström

THE DANCING ON THE EDGE festival has announced the programming for next month’s 37th annual event, and it’s packed with premieres by established and emerging local artists, as well as some international names. With a roster that includes seven mixed Edge bills, it’s set to take place at the Firehall Arts Centre and SFU Woodward’s from June 12 to 21. 

Amid the offerings is the new full-length work Lurch from longtime company talent MascallDance, in partnership with three commissioned choreographers: Justine A. Chambers, Ame Henderson, and Sarah Chase. It’s at SFU Woodward’s on June 18, 20, and 21.

Elsewhere, rising local dance artist Juolin Lee sees the world premiere of Soup of Forgetfulness, a solo inspired by Taiwanese folklore about the afterlife and reincarnation, and veteran choreographer-dancer Ziyian Kwan, of Odd Meridian, shows Tendrils, the first in a triptych that honours artists whose writings, teachings, and practices serve as inspiration to Canada’s next generation of creators. 

Well-known Vancouver name Noam Gagnon presents being on an Edge program with work-in-progress My Dance Is Not A Hobby, by Newton Moraes Dance Theatre of Toronto, June 12 and 13. The same nights feature an Edge double bill with this city’s Inverso Productions, headed by Lesley Telford, presenting Windshear and If I were 2, alongside to begin with no end by Vancouver’s Tushrik Fredericks and Rebecca Margolick.

Among the new choreographic names featuring work are Cai Glover with I Know You Are But What Am I? and Jenn Edwards with the work-in-progress The Centre of Time.

The short work Tunnel 9 marks a debut from Montreal’s Fila 13 Productions by Lina Cruz, featuring acclaimed dancers Claudia Moore and Sean Ling-Allan, who take refuge in a confined space.

On the international side, Dancing on the Edge features Canadian premieres including SUBJECT TO / خضوع from Moroccan dance artist Mehdi Dahkan, exploring silence as a form of protest, and Muchos Cisnes from Spanish choreographer-dancer Manu Badás, whose work questions traditional perceptions of beauty, politics, and identity.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit dancingontheedge.org.

Here is the full lineup, with all shows at the Firehall except MascallDance’s Lurch, which is at SFU Woodward’s.

Edge 1: June 12 at 7 pm and June 13 at 9 pm

being by Noam Gagnon (Vancouver)

My Dance Is Not A Hobby by Newton Moraes Dance Theatre (Toronto) - Work In Progress

Edge 2: June 12 at 9 pm and June 13 at 7 pm

Windshear and If I were 2 by Inverso Productions (Vancouver)

to begin with no end by Tushrik Fredericks & Rebecca Margolick (Vancouver) 

Edge 3: June 14 at 9 pm and June 15 at 9 pm

Muchos Cisnes by La Inquinquinante/Manu Badás (Spain) - Canadian Premiere

A Matter of Deviance by Method Dance Society (Prince George) 

June 14 at 7 pm and June 15 at 7 pm

1,000 Pieces of π by Broken Rhythms Dance Company (Victoria) 

June 17 at 9 pm 

TUNING by Action at a Distance / Belle Spirale Dance Projects (Vancouver) 

Edge 4: June 17 at 7 pm and June 19 at 9 pm

To Fetch a Pail of Water by Jennifer McLeish-Lewis (Vancouver)

Tidal Wave (Excerpt) by SQx Dance Company (Castlegar)

Edge 5: June 18 at 7 pm and June 19 at 7 pm

The Centre of Time by Jenn Edwards (Montreal/Labrador West) - Work In Progress

Soup of Forgetfulness by Juolin Lee (Vancouver) - World Premiere

June 18, 20, and 21 at 8:30 pm

Lurch by MascallDance (Vancouver) - World Premiere

Edge 6: June 20 at 7 pm and June 21 at 9 pm

Tunnel 9 by Fila 13/Lina Cruz (Montreal) - World Premiere

Tendrils by Odd Meridian/Ziyian Kwan (Vancouver)

Edge 7: June 20 at 9 pm and June 21 at 7 pm

SUBJECT TO / خضوع by Jil Z/Mehdi Dahkan (Lyon, France) - Canadian Premiere

I Know You Are But What Am I? by A Fichu Turning/Cai Glover (Montreal)  

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