Older and Reckless December 11, 2009

MOonhORsE Dance Theatre presents
Older & Reckless

TIMES December 11th and 12th at 8:00pm, and December 13th at 2:00pm

TICKET PRICES $20/$18 CADA, students and seniors

BOX OFFICE (416) 504-6429 x 30 or www.danceumbrella.eventbrite.com
CONTACT PERSON Christine Moynihan (416) 504-6429 x 28
Meredith Anderson (416) 504-6429 x 23

Older and Reckless is 10 years young!
And to celebrate this auspicious occasion, Claudia Moore, founder and curator of Older and Reckless,
will feature works by some of Canada’s most outstanding contemporary dance artists,
Patricia Beatty, Denise Fujiwara, Tom Brouillette, Gerry Trentham and Jean-Pierre Perreault.

For the 10th anniversary of Older and Reckless Moore is thrilled to present solo dances by two women acclaimed in the dance community, Canadian modern dance icon Patricia Beatty, and Denise Fujiwara. Toronto dance light, Danielle Baskerville will perform Beatty’s solo entitled The High Heart with music by Avro Part and Fujiwara will perform a new solo work.

Laurence Lemieux and Mark Shaub (Coleman Lemieux & Co.) will be replacing Susan Elliot’s performance of a solo work by Lola Maclaughlin; Elliot’s performance has been move to the 2010/2011 series.

Lemieux and Shaub will be performing E.M.F, a duet by Jean-Pierre Perreault (presented with the permission of Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault). Rounding out the December program are Tom Brouillette and Gerry Trentham, presenting Tomas and Gerald, a duet inspired by the life of monks. And there will be a surprise guest performance at the end of each night.

About the Artists:

A graduate of Bennington College, Patricia Beatty studied at the Martha Graham School, and performed with Pearl Lang’s company. She returned to Toronto, in 1967 and started the New Dance Group of Canada. Beatty’s commanding womanly presence was an integral part of early Toronto Dance Theatre’s impact. A pioneering Canadian teacher, she taught at the School of TDT until 1999. Beatty is the author of Form without Formula, an elegant choreographic guide; it is one facet of her mission to bring rigorous study of composition to all modern dance training, as part of an overall regard for the art’s legacy, context and evolution.

Beatty’s own choreography has been marked by meticulous attention to detail. First Music (1969), set to Charles Ives’ enigmatic The Unanswered Question, was presented at the Joyce Theatre, New York, in November 1991, while Beatty’s Against Sleep (1968) was restaged in November 1998, for TDT’s thirtieth anniversary performances. Collaborations with composers and visual artists have been important to her; Painters and the Dance (1983) brought together artists Graham Coughtry, Gordon Raynor and Aiko Suzuki. Seastill (1979) and Skyling (1980) initiated a phase of increasing concern with “the deep feminine energies emerging at the spiritual forefront of our age.” In the fall of 2004, in recognition of her ongoing artistic contributions and advocacy for dance artists at all phases of life, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.

“As human beings, we are sensitive to two things: to one another, as well as to the spaces we inhabit and that surround us,” states Jean-Pierre Perreault, choreographer and scenographer. [translation from original in French]

It was Jean-Pierre Perreault’s encounter during the late 1960s with Jeanne Renaud, just as she was about to establish Le Groupe de la Place Royale that led Jean-Pierre Perreault to dance. A privileged milieu informed Jean-Pierre Perreault’s holistic approach to the creative process where choreography is intrinsically linked to set design, lighting, music and costume. As a choreographer-scenographer, he believed all of these elements to be connected as part of a singular creative gesture. Between 1972 and 1981, Perreault choreographed numerous works during his tenure at Le Groupe de la Place Royale. These works reflect his global approach to the creative process-an approach that would become his unique and powerful signature as his creative vision developed over subsequent years. In 1984 he established his own company, the Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault. With this new company, Perreault went on to create many major works for traditional theatrical spaces, most notably Joe, Stella, Nuit, Les Lieux-dits, Orénoque, Îles, Adieux, La Vita, Eironos, Les Années de Pèlerinage and L’Exil-L’Oubli. Perreault passed on December 4, 2002 shortly after he was presented with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.

Older & Reckless, an informal performance series, features work from OLDER artists who continue to grow more RECKLESS as time goes by. Older & Reckless provides an opportunity for seasoned dance artists to perform short works and a chance for the audience to see some of Canada’s most celebrated senior choreographers.
Conceived as a twice-yearly event by Claudia Moore, artistic director of MOonhORsE Dance Theatre, Older & Reckless is “an intimate exchange for both the performer and the observer; exciting, terrifying, and lots of fun. The performances are followed by a party with music, refreshments, and a chance to talk with the artists about work, process, and whatever else comes up!”

Older & Reckless
December 11 & 12 at 8:00pm,
and December 13 at 2:00pm
at Dancemakers Studio in the Distillery Historic District
55 Mill Street (South of Front Street, Between Parliament and Cherry Streets)
Tickets- $20/$18 CADA, students and seniors
Reservations and information call 416-504-6429 ext. 30 or
Online at www.danceumbrella.eventbrite.com