Battery Dance Presents Canadian Voices In Dance As Part Of Its New Format Battery Dance Festival

Battery Dance announces the second installment of Battery Dance Festival +, an extension of its annual summer festival that went virtual for the first time in August, attracting nearly 30,000 viewers in its 39th year.

Established in 1982, the Battery Dance Festival (BDF) is New York City's longest-running free public dance festival and one of its most wide-ranging. Battery Dance Festival + showcases free virtual performances by prior Festival participants and welcomes new artists within geographic and cultural themes.

In partnership with the Canadian Consulate of New York, Battery Dance Festival + will present an hour of performances celebrating Canadian Voices in Dance on Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 7pm EST on YouTube.com. This program is part of the Battery Dance Festival + series that transports audiences around the world to experience worldwide cultures and dance forms.

The virtual performances will be available to watch for 30 days after the premiere, expiring April 24, 2021. Registration is free and open to the public at https://www.classy.org/event/battery-dance-festival-canadian-voices-in-dance/e327355. For more information, visit https://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/canadian-voices-in-dance/.

"From cowboy boots to ankle bells, sneakers t​o snow boots, we celebrate the variegated styles of dance coming from our neighbors to the North with the newest edition of Battery Dance Festival +. I am thrilled to continue the celebration of dance this month with Canadian Voices in Dance. Join me as I interview inspiring Canadian dancemakers every Sunday leading up to the next edition of Battery Dance Festival + on March 25," said Battery Dance founder and Artistic Director Jonathan Hollander.

between series

by Kaeja d'Dance

Piece 1: between sun and sand

Concept: Karen Kaeja Dancers and Co-Direction - Karen Kaeja and Allen Kaeja

Cinematographer: Talia Tsarfati

Editor: Allen Kaeja

Composer: Edgardo Moreno

Location: Shot on the shores of Saugeen Nations, South Bruce Penninsula

between sun and sand was shot in the summer of 2020

between snow and sky

Concept: Karen Kaeja Dancers and Co-Direction - Karen Kaeja and Allen Kaeja

Cinematographer: Talia Tsarfati

Editor: Karen Kaeja

Original Score: Christina Litt Belch

Location: Shot on the shores of Saugeen Nations, South Bruce Penninsula

between snow and sky was shot in the winter of 2021

The Man in Black by Citadel + Compagnie

The Man in Black is a celebration of American working class-grit and of the man whose voice embodied it so well, Johnny Cash. James Kudelka takes six Cash songs and transforms them into outwardly simple yet choreographically sophisticated dances, creating an ode to the human spirit, proud and resilient.

Choreography: James Kudelka

Rehearsal Direction: Laurence Lemieux

Music: Six covers, sung by Johnny Cash

Dancers: Tyler Gledhill, Daniel McArthur, Connor Mitton, Erin Poole

Costume Design: Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell for Hoax Couture

Ever So Slightly

by RUBBERBAND

Ever So Slightly explores the behavioural mechanisms and reflexes we develop against the ceaseless flow of irritants that bombard us in our daily lives. Most of us long for calm and resilience, but how do we get to a zone where noise and aggressivity no longer have a place? Simultaneously delivering delicacy, brutality, finesse, and high-voltage action, Victor Quijada conveys all the energy contained in urgency, revolt, chaos, and flight.

Choreography: Victor Quijada in collaboration with the dancers.

Dramaturgy: Mathieu Leroux.

Musical Director: Jasper Gahunia.

Original Music: Jasper Gahunia, William Lamoureux.

Lighting Design: Yan Lee Chan.

Costumes Design: Cloé Alain-Gendreau.

Technical Director: Simon Cloutier.

Production Manager: Florence Cardinal.

Dancers: Amara Barner, Jean Bui, Daniela Jezerinac, Sydney McManus, Dana Pajarillaga, Brontë Poiré-Prest, Jerimy Rivera, Zack Tang, Ryan Taylor, Paco Ziel.

Music (live performance): Jasper Gahunia - bass, drum machine, keyboard, turntable; William Lamoureux - violin, guitar, keyboard.

Ever So Slightly is a coproduction of RUBBERBAND, Danse Danse, Société de la Place des Arts de Montréal, Théâtre Hector-Charland and Global Arts Live. With the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Ontario Arts Council.

RUBBERBAND benefited from the support of Danse à la Carte and residencies at Place des Arts, Salle Pauline-Julien, CCOV - Centre de création O Vertigo, The Performing Arts Center at SUNY Purchase, and Théâtre Hector-Charland for the creation of Ever So Slightly.

Tarana

by Tanveer Alam

The Tarana is a composition of Hindustani classical music in which syllables such as "tanadeem", "yalali", "tanaderena" based in Arabic and Persian phonemes are structured and held within a Taal (rhythmic cycle) and Raag (melody). The movements are abstract and strongly based in the technique of Kathak. The melody has no meaning but conveys a sense of vigour, indulgence, and celebration. This Tarana is set to the midnight Raag, Darbari Kanada. This work is a representation of how Kathak continues to evolve and grow within the bodies of its diasporic practitioners -- with love, honestly, and authenticity.

Choreography and performance: Tanveer Alam

Music: Pt. Atul Desai

Rehearsal direction: Harikishan S. Nair

In Between

The National Ballet of Canada

Praised as a "polished, cohesive ballet" in The Globe and Mail, In Between debuted with The National Ballet of Canada in 2018 with original music by Canadian composer Adam Sakiyama. Choreographer Alysa Pires has now adapted the piece for film, focusing on a single dancer, Second Soloist Christopher Gerty, rather than the original cast of four, reimaging the choreography as a poignant solo. Inspired by the pull between two places, In Between conveys a sense of yearning and restlessness that feels especially prescient in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

Choreography: Alysa Pires

Director: Ben Shirinian

Producer: Ben Shirinian & Jared Cook | Lookout

Music: "In Between," written and performed by Adam Sakiyama

Featuring: Christopher Gerty