Between the Darkness and the Light: Kinesis Dance somatheatro Marks its 30th Anniversary with the Premiere of In PENUMBRA

Choreographer and Artistic Director Paras Terezakis will explore the realms of paradise and enlightenment with the world premiere of his experimental work In PENUMBRA, March 1-4, 2017 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre - as part of 2017 Vancouver International Dance Festival. A co-presentation with The Dance Centre, In PENUMBRA will mark the milestone 30th anniversary of Kinesis Dance somatheatro, while celebrating Terezakis as a major force for creativity in Vancouver's arts scene.

"I'm immensely proud of In PENUMBRA," says Terezakis, Artistic Director and Choreographer of Kinesis Dance somatheatro. "It's a significant triumph for my company, and I can think of no better way to mark this anniversary. For 30 years, I have been exploring radical possibilities-of movement, of meaning, of aesthetics. This time I wanted to take a deeper look at our quest to find utopia in our dystopic world; and more significantly the obstacles, either real or imaginary, found in that grey area, or the penumbra between light and dark. There's no more radical state than that of perfection, and humankind pays dearly for this ever-elusive ideal. What price will we pay to achieve it? We find both glories and horrors, bliss and pain along the route to its end. Through it all, we've had art. I feel utopia is humanity's biggest aspiration, and I'm trying to put forth a work that honours it in terms of adventurousness. I'm using the best means I know: motion, light, symbolism, gesture, touch and a fascination with the theatre of the human psyche."

The performance will be nothing if not ambitious, incorporating provocative video, haunting music, and beautifully modulated lighting. We call the space where shadow meets light the penumbra; here, the word evokes the grey area between our best and worst traits. Terezakis and the stunning artists he has assembled will create a mystery world onstage, inviting us to ponder as our senses are ravished. Expect dazzling choreography, with dancers Arash Kahkpour, Elissa Hanson, Hyoseung Ye, Diego Romero and Reneé Sigouin bringing us visions of the body in harmony and flux. The full-length work promises to be emotional and cerebral in equal measure, conjuring a richly imagined landscape. But for all its transformative power, what you'll encounter with In PENUMBRA is nothing more and nothing less than the reflection of our own world.

"Original, intense, violent yet tender, and intrusive." That's Athens' Kathemerini Newspaper on the choreography of Terezakis, the Greek-born artist. The Vancouver Sun calls his art "truly memorable." Having begun professional training in his home country, Terezakis continued his education at Toronto Dance Theatre, York University and Simon Fraser University, immersing himself in a wealth of different styles. With Kinesis Dance somatheatro he works from a sensibility that encompasses Mediterranean and North American influences. Often inspired by classical Greek theatre, Terezakis aims for emotion without missing the intellect: his productions are deeply moving and deeply meaningful. Mixing dance with music, text and other media, the performances are far from conventional, but far from inaccessible: they embody the spirit of innovation while hearkening back to some of the oldest traditions in the West.

For In PENUMBRA, Terezakis will be joined by a number of true innovators. Lighting designer James Proudfoot has long been active in dance and theatre, and in 2001-2002 he was awarded the Jessie for his work on the battery opera production Spektator. The performance's video elements will be brought to life by Josh Hite, an artist who has explored the connections between human bodies and local space. Soundscape artist Nancy Tam is a multimedia wunderkind; her multifaceted oeuvre spans the areas of music, theatre, and the visual arts. Costume Designer Natalie Purschwitz's inventive designs seek out spaces between art and design, performance and daily life. Her costumes reflect her talent as a sculptural installation artist and her fascination with anthropology, archaeology, human/nature relationships, morphology and formal arrangement.

Tickets on sale at: vidf.ca/tickets

About Kinesis Dance somatheatro (kinesisdance.org)
Kinesis Dance somatheatro has been staging performances since 1986. Under the Artistic Direction of Paras Terezakis, the company performs what can be called physical poetic theatre, working to evoke both the thrill of movement and the subtle beauty of stasis. Past productions include Shellshock, A Parcel of Men's Knowledge, and Perverse Accumulations.

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