DanceWorks Presents Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre In Solos Of My Life 5/12-14

DanceWorks, Toronto's longest-running contemporary dance series, presents Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre in the world premiere of solos of my life, a multi-layered dance performance choreographed by Toronto's Sashar Zarif. Rich in Azerbaijani-Iranian dance traditions as well as forms from the Caucasus, Middle East, Central Asia and more, this evocative dance piece runs May 12 - 14 at Harbourfront Centre's Enwave Theatre.

solos of my life is choreographed by Sashar Zarif and explores Zarif's past, linking it to current realities and future dreams. solos of my life is performed by a fascinating collection of leading lights in Canada's contemporary dance scene: Sylvie Bouchard, Marie-Josée Chartier and Viv Moore, with Katherine Duncanson and Zarif playing transitional characters so the piece stands as a continuum, rather than individual solos, performed mostly in duet and trio combinations.

In fact, while each solo tells a different story built from Zarif's own experiences of conflict, displacement and migration, they are juxtaposed and cross-examined for harmonies and counterpoints and re-incarnated into an evening-long dance performance reflecting the intimate inner world of a troubled life.

With dramaturgy by Soheil Parsa, creative facilitation by Katherine Duncanson and music arranged by Eric Cadesky, the solos of my life deconstructs gender roles and contemplates notions of identity - religious, ethnic, national - and how we define ourselves.

Sashar Zarif is an internationally renowned multi-disciplinary artist, educator and researcher in the field of dance ethnology and ethno musicology. A faculty member at York University's Dance Department, his areas of interest are identity, globalization and cross-cultural collaborations. His research, artistic practice and education activities are based on the Sufi-Shamanic arts of Central and Western Asia including Azerbaijan, Iran in the west to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Western Mongolia in the East. His area of dance practice includes both traditional and contemporary forms. Zarif has collaborated with such prominent artists as Alim Quasimov (a soloist for Yo-yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble), Rizwan- Muazzam Qawwali and Canadian artists Holly Small, John Oswald, Eric Cadesky, Pirouz Yoursefan and Yasmina Ramzy. Zarif performs nationally and internationally with his company, Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre, and is the recipient of Azerbaijan State Artists for the People Award, and Skills for Change New Pioneer Award. solos of my life builds on the success of his DanceWorks Mainstage debut with Choreographies of Migration (March 2008), wherein he was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance.

Dora-nominated Sylvie Bouchard is a co-founder of the company CORPUS, Festival Director of Dusk Dances, Artistic Director of BoucharDanse and recipient of the 2009 KM Hunter Award. She has performed with Kaeja d'Dance, Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers, Fujiwara Dance Inventions, Roger Sinha, Peggy Baker and others.

Choreographer, dancer, director and vocalist Marie-Josée Chartier has created over 35 works presented in Canada and internationally, receiving five Dora Mavor Moore Awards as well as the KM Hunter Award. She founded her own company, Chartier Danse, in 2003.

Katherine Duncanson is an interdisciplinary performer, vocal director, composer, music educator and creative facilitator. A prolific performer, she has collaborated with national and international dancers, composers, actors, writers, visual artists, performance artists, magicians, musicians and clowns.

Multiple Dora-nominated Viv Moore has been working both collaboratively and as a solo artist since 1979, performing with Theatre Rusticle, MackenzieRio, Holly Small, Fujiwara Dance Inventions and more. She received a Paula Citron fFIDA Award for her solo piece Bogie Woman in 1999.

DanceWorks presents Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre
in the world premiere of solos of my life
Choreography by Sashar Zarif
Music arranged by Eric Cadesky
Dramaturgy by Soheil Parsa, Creative Facilitation by Katherine Duncanson
Performed by Sylvie Bouchard, Marie Josée Chartier, Katherine Duncanson, Viv Moore, Sashar Zarif
Lighting by Arun Srinivasan, Costume design by Sashar Zarif
Thursday, May 12 - Saturday, May 14, 2011 8PM at
Harbourfront Centre's Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W.
Tickets: Adults $33.50, (Students/Seniors $22.50). Box Office: 416-973-4000 OR online at www.danceworks.ca