Canadian Stage Hosts Latest from Édouard Lock & La La La Human Steps

Canadian Stage presents the newest work from the sensational contemporary dance troupe La La La Human Steps and choreographer Édouard Lock. The new creation (which is untitled) fuses two iconic operas, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Gluck's Orpheo ed Euridice, through dance with an original score from British composer Gavin Bryars. Eleven dancers and four musicians will perform on stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front Street East) for a limited engagement of only six performances from May 26 to June 1, 2011. Tickets from $22 to $99 are available in person, by phone at 416.368.3110, or online at canadianstage.com.

"Édouard Lock has continued to provoke and enchant the world of contemporary dance for 30 years," said Matthew Jocelyn, Artistic & General Director of Canadian Stage. "His work is unsurpassed in invention and technical prowess. This production has thrilled audiences from Amsterdam to Berlin to Montreal and we are honoured to share the work of this incredible group with Toronto audiences for the first time since 2007."

Combining two classic myths, Lock invites audiences to draw on their familiarity with these stories to generate a personal interpretation of the movement on stage. Music and cinematic influence are intertwined with the innovative, signature style of La La La Human Steps as the company brings its energy to traditional balletic sequencing, resulting in energetic, rock-and-roll type movement.

Dido and Aeneas recounts the love story of Dido, Queen of Carthage and the Trojan hero Aeneas, and her despair at his abandonment of her. A monumental work in Baroque opera, it is remembered as one of Purcell's foremost theatrical works. Orfeo ed Euridice is the most popular of Christoph Gluck's operas. The tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, a myth about love and passion, and also about the weaknesses of the human spirit, has inspired classic works such as Mozart's The Magic Flute, Beethoven's Fidelio and Wagner's Das Rheingold. It will also be featured in the 11.12 Canadian Stage season, re-told by Montreal choreographer Marie Chouinard and her company of dancers.

This adventurous and passionate piece, created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of La La La Human Steps, premiered earlier this year in Amsterdam and has since been performed in cities around the world, including a recent run in Montreal. The original score, by Gavin Bryars and commissioned by Lock, is based on two Baroque operas: Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Christoph Willibald Von Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. Bryars deconstructed and adapted passages from these two universally recognized operas to create a new quartet for saxophone, viola, cello and piano.

To watch a video of La La La Human Steps' new untitled piece, click here.

Production Sponsor: Scotiabank Group

About La La La Human Steps:
La La La Human Steps was founded in 1980 around a three-week series of performances at the Eskabel Theatre in Montreal's St-Henri district, which then led the company to the Kitchen in New York City, the epicentre of contemporary dance at the time. Since then, La La La Human Steps has become one of the world's most recognized dance companies, thanks to the unique choreographic language developed and constantly reinvented by the company since its inception.

Over the years La La La Human Steps has collaborated with various diverse and eclectic institutions and artists including the Paris Opera and Frank Zappa while encouraging dancers to constantly redefine, and renew themselves over a choreographic palette extending from the extreme to the lyrical.

The company has been at the forefront of international dance since the 1985 production of Human Sex, operating on a touring cycle of two years per creation throughout the major capitals of Europe, Asia, and America while still retaining a nationwide touring profile in Canada.

To learn more about La La La Human Steps, please visit www.lalalahumansteps.com/new/

About Canadian Stage:
Founded in 1987 with the merger of CentreStage and Toronto Free Theatre, Canadian Stage is one of Canada's leading not-for-profit Contemporary Theatre companies. Led by Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn, Canadian Stage produces and showcases innovative theatre work from Canada and around the world, allowing its audience to encounter daring work guided by a strong directorial vision and a 21st-century aesthetic. The company prides itself on presenting trans-disciplinary work and work in translation that pushes the boundaries of form and style. The company reinforces the presence of Canadian art and artists within an international context through work that mirrors the cultural diversity of Toronto. Canadian Stage has a long-standing commitment to education and enhancement programs for the public and investing in the art form by nurturing and developing theatre professionals while producing thought-provoking theatre and quality entertainment in Toronto, one of North America's largest theatre centres. For more information, refer to canadianstage.com.

 

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