Harbourfront Centre to Open Torque Dance Series With Debut From Israel's L-E-V

Harbourfront Centre will open its international contemporary dance series, Torque, with the Canadian premiere of L-E-V's visceral new work, Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart. Created by L-E-V Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar and choreographed by Eyal, the full-length work will be on stage March 3 and 5, 2022, at 7:30pm at Fleck Dance Theatre and in strict observance of public health regulations. Through pulsating, sensual movements and a haunting, evocative score by Ori Lichtik, Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart is a heart wrenching examination of love and loss, damage and brokenness, and the beauty that comes when life unfolds in new and wonderful ways.

"We are overjoyed with the opportunity to launch the 2022 Torque series with L-E-V at Fleck Dance Theatre and to introduce the company to Toronto audiences after we had to postpone their initial visit in 2020," says Nathalie Bonjour, Director, Performing Arts at Harbourfront Centre. "Renowned for their expressive movement vocabulary, L-E-V's Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart invites us on an exhilarating journey through the extreme states of the heart, from anguish and fervour to passion and rage. It is a universal narrative, and we can all intimately relate to L-E-V's vulnerable study on heartbreak."

The third work in a trilogy on the many facets of love, Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart made its world premiere in September 2019 at RuhrTriennale 2019, Festival der Künste - a prestigious international music and arts festival held annually in the Ruhr region of Germany. The work, featuring seven dancers, is an intoxicating and raw exploration of the complex dualities of love and heartache, from emptiness and wholeness to intention and impulse.

Robust in its sensuality and imbued with balletic references and voguing moments, the work's frenetic energy is further amplified through full-body costumes designed by Christian Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri. Each costume, evoking the aesthetics of full-body tattoos, features exquisitely detailed, hand-drawn images reflective of the work's themes of desire, love, brokenness and emptiness, emblazoned with one bright red, bleeding heart.

A celebrated and internationally sought-after choreographer, Eyal made her choreographic debut with Tel Aviv's Batsheva Dance Company, where she danced from 1990-2008. In 2013, Eyal launched her own Israel-based dance company, L-E-V, with long-time collaborator Gai Behar, a multidisciplinary artist and well-known producer in Tel Aviv's live music, art and nightlife scenes.

In addition to works for notable international dance companies such as Nederlands Dans Theater and Royal Swedish Ballet, Eyal and Behar have produced seven creations with L-E-V. The company has performed at some of the world's most exclusive venues and festivals, including The Joyce Theatre in New York City, Sadler's Wells in London, Jacob's Pillow, the Montpellier Danse Festival and international dance festival, Julidans, in Amsterdam.

For tickets and further information, visit: harbourfrontcentre.com