Vancouver choreographer Joshua Beamish explores fake news in world premiere of Source Amnesia, January 13 and 14

Five local contemporary dancers probe misinformation and malfunctioning memory through the kinetic movement of MOVETHECOMPANY’s artistic director

By Gail johnson

Source Amnesia (rehearsal). Photo by Jack Tupper

Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY presents Source Amnesia on January 13 and 14 at 8 pm at Vancouver Playhouse

CHOREOGRAPHER JOSHUA BEAMISH draws on some very personal experiences for his newest work, which is about to have its world premiere in Vancouver. Source Amnesia grew, in part, out of his own family’s journey with dementia and amnesia, which impacted his relationships with both of his grandmothers.

The highly respected local dance artist also turned to research related to episodic memory distortion and memory distrust syndrome to create the timely 70-minute work for five contemporary dancers.

Source Amnesia will explore themes of misinformation, fake news, memory loss, and truth.

The term “source amnesia” is the inability to remember where, when, or how previously learned information was acquired, which can lead to false memories created when a real memory is overlaid with untrue suggestions. If someone cannot recall the source of an act or event, it is possible for them to believe false prompts as fact rather than fiction. Beamish places his five dance artists into this ever-shifting reality to expose the fragility of truth and how easy it is for memory or truth to be altered.

“I grew up very close to one of my grandmothers and she was a major supporter of my training and early career,” Beamish says in a release. “And yet, for much of my adult life, she didn’t know who I was anymore. I often wondered if she knew herself. Who did she see when she looked in the mirror?”

In addition to reflecting on his own personal experiences during the creative process for Source Amnesia, Beamish also became fascinated with the Icelandic Six, a 1970s homicide case where six people confessed to a double homicide they had nothing to do with but were convinced they had committed. With Beamish’s signature kinetic choreography, the production also reflects a study where participants were given false facts about their lives, which they later believed to be true.

Source Amnesia’s Vancouver-based ensemble consists of Renee Sigouin (currently with Out Innerspace Dance Theatre and Kidd Pivot), former Ballet BC dancers Juan Duarte and Evan Rapaport, Calder White (who performed with Toronto’s Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre), and Marisa Christogeorge (formerly of Sidra Bell Dance). Apprentices are Julian Beairsto and Emma Galvin.

“I am thrilled to bring together such a talented group of dance artists from Vancouver to collaborate on this production, which closely reflects the current issues we’re all grappling with,” Beamish says. “Misinformation is something that has become personal to us all. With social media, news has the ability to spread like wildfire, in real time. While we’re quick to share and comment, we often don’t stop to think about factual accuracy. Source Amnesia is a thoughtful physical exploration of memory distrust and how we parse and absorb source information before turning it into something else, be it untruths, a manipulated truth — or even fake news.”

Source Amnesia features lighting design by James Proudfoot and music by British electronic musician Rival Consoles.

Tickets and more details are at joshuabeamish.com.
 

Source Amnesia, Renee Sigouin. Photo by Jack Tupper

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