BALLET CREOLE
Forerunners of Blacks in Dance
BALLET CREOLE
Forerunners of Blacks in Dance
Toronto -- Ballet Creole, the Toronto-based dance company that specializes in contemporary African and Caribbean interpretations presents its 2001 Season -RAVE!- at Harbourfront's Premiere Dance Theatre, May 3-5, 2001. This season's performance features the premiere of RAVE! along with Ad Infinitum and Paul Simon's Suite.
Celebrating its 11th year has led the way in establishing the Black Dance genre as a significant art form in Toronto through its school of performing arts, its ensemble of trained dancers and musicians, as well as performances in schools, dance festivals and conferences, locally, nationally, and internationally.
"This season's presentation represents, in many ways the many spiritual journeys - the searches - that we as individuals undergo," says Founder and Artistic Director Patrick Parson. "These are personal journeys and no two will ever be alike."
RAVE! is a call to awaken our natural communal tendencies. While it draws from several cultures and religions, RAVE! achieves tension in its remarkable ability to demonstrate balance between bringing dance styles (and communities) together while maintaining respect for the individual traditions. The cultural aesthetics are represented in the form of the African mask, the piano as it relates to the Caribbean people and the ideologies of the Indian God Shiva, The Nataraj. Parson's choreography is physical poetry in its expression of the way our internal and external landscapes overlap. Like the current interpretation of the event "rave", from which the piece gets its name, it represents the spontaneity and dynamic energy of the individual within a community.
Ad Infinitum is a further demonstration of the range of cultural influences that inspire Artistic Director Patrick Parson's choreography. This piece is infused with qualities influenced from Japanese, Chinese and East Indian musical styles. The original musical score was created to support exploration of the four elements of nature, namely, Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. This common ground allows people with diverse backgrounds to find harmony.
The University of Waterloo commissioned The Paul Simon Suite in 1981, from Associate Choreographer Gabby Kamino. This suite of dances, set to the controversial music of composer Paul Simon, has been remounted to capture the special quality, energy and spirit of Ballet Creole.
Tickets are available through Harbourfront's Box Office: 416-973-4000. and are $20. $22 and $25; $15 for seniors, students and matinee (one hour).
What People are saying.....
"accessible dance underlaid with a strong emotional bases, and eminently enjoyable to watch"-Paula Citron, The Toronto Star
"Ballet Creole has quickly established a sound reputation for delivering the heat...if you know anything about its driving, pulsating dance ethos, you'll probably want to attend(an upcoming performance). If you don't, this might be a good time to become acquaineted with a dynamic and moving art form."- Gary Smith, The Hamilton Spectator
"exciting and dynamic . . . unquestionably a professional company with high artistic standards . . . Ballet Creole has a significant future and contribution to make to Toronto's dance scene". - Rita Davies, former Executive Director, Toronto Arts Council
Originally, the term "creole", meaning "native to the locality, referred to people born and raised in the Caribbean, but of European or African descent. The Ballet Creole members and the company repertoire reflect the multicultural fusion that has been characteristic of Caribbean culture for centuries.
Active on the Canadian dance scene since August 1990, Ballet Creole comprises both a professional ensemble of dancers and musicians and a School of Performing Arts.While focusing on the traditional and contemporary performing arts of the Caribbean and Africa. Ballet Creole aims to establish a dynamic new artistic tradition in Canada through "creolization" or fusion of diverse dance and music traditions.
On stage, the exuberant dialogue between the drummers and dancers of Ballet Creole has consistently drawn enthusiastic response. Through its daily classes and summer school programming, the Ballet Creole School of Performing Arts offers an inovative mix of Afrocentri percussion and contemporary African, Caribbean and modern dance for adults, children, beginners, amateurs, and professionals wishing to develop their technique and performance skills.
For more information on Ballet Creole and/or its classes, please contact us at
300 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1W3
Phone: 416-960-0350
Fax: 416-886-5788
Email: bcreole@on.aibn.com
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