Excerpts of FRACTALS, WE WILL, FULL BLOOM and More Set for ProArteDanza's 10th Anniversary Retrospective, Now thru 10/4

ProArteDanza, the highly acclaimed Toronto dance company that seamlessly blends ballet and modern dance, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a stunning retrospective. Featuring the Outstanding Choreography Dora Award winner "in between", co-created by Artistic Director Roberto Campanella and Artistic Associate Robert Glumbek, Season 2014 also includes excerpts of past repertoire from them as well as from guest choreographers Guillaume Côté and Kevin O'Day (with Luches Huddleston Jr.). This not-to-be-missed outstanding evening of dance runs today, October 1-4 at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre as part of NextSteps.

Campanella, a former soloist with the National Ballet of Canada, co-founded ProArteDanza in 2004 with Joanna Ivey in order to break down the barriers separating the worlds of classical ballet and contemporary dance. Campanella and Ivey soon invited Glumbek to serve as the company's Artistic Associate, formalizing a fruitful artistic relationship. Campanella and Glumbek's collaboration has been central to ProArteDanza success in showcasing the brightest talents from the worlds of ballet and modern dance to critical acclaim and sold-out houses, pushing the boundaries of technical skill and artistic expression. And Season 2014 will show that off wondrously, featuring an ensemble of some of Toronto's most accomplished and sought-after dancers: Marc Cardarelli, Tyler Gledhill, Mami Hata, Kristy Kennedy, Benjamin Landsberg, Ryan Lee, Erin Poole, Anisa Tejpar, and apprentice Jessica Ames. Campanella and Glumbek perform in specific excerpts as well.

ProArteDanza's Season 2014 honours the last decade with a program that highlights both the beauty and all-out athleticism of its work.

The first act sees a revival of the award-winning Šin betweenŠ (2010), co-choreographed by Roberto Campanella and Robert Glumbek and performed by the ensemble. Embracing destabilization, reinvention and resilience, Šin betweenŠ delivers heart-stopping dance that reveals startling moments of honesty, humour and insight. It was Campanella and Glumbek's first full-length collaboration, and showcased a breakthrough fusion of their choreographic languages.

The second act features nine short excerpts from other past creations, including works by Kevin O'Day and Guillaume Côté, whose support has been vital to ProArteDanza over the past decade. Interspersing these excerpts are videos featuring archival footage of rehearsals by the original performers of the pieces.

The nine excerpts are from:

fractals: a pattern in chaos (2011) choreographed by Guillaume Côté performed by the ensemble
National Ballet of Canada principal dancer and choreographer Guillaume Côté created this Dora Award-nominated ensemble work in 2011. Fractals occur in nature in the development of snowflakes, flowers or clouds to name a few examples. Both strict order and unpredictable influence are integral to the formation of fractals. This idea of order and chaos, along with shape and pattern, is reflected in the complexity and variation of artistic creation, in this case, in the physical expression of this theme in choreography.

Still (2006) choreographed by Robert Glumbek performed by Robert Glumbek and Anisa Tejpar
Reflections on relationships, why couples come together, how passion can fade into friendship, why people stay together and how they find ways to make life work.

Nothing Twice (2004) choreographed by Roberto Campanella and Robert Glumbek performed by Marc Cardarelli, Benjamin Landsberg, Erin Poole and Mami Hata
Inspired by poet Nobel winner Wis_awa Szymborska.

Contemplation of Betrayal (2004) choreographed by Robert Glumbek performed by Tyler Gledhill, Erin Poole and Mami Hata

Unfinished 32 (2005) choreographed by Roberto Campanella and Robert Glumbek performed by Anisa Tejpar, Ryan Lee, Marc Cardarelli and Jessica Ames
Dedicated to a dear friend who left an exuberant life too soon.

We will (2008) choreographed by Kevin O'Day performed by Robert Glumbek and Mami Hata
This gorgeous duet by Kevin O'Day is set to the music of Handel's Lascia Ch'io Pianga.

Subsistence (Mannheim Ballet 2005, ProArteDanza 2006) choreographed by Robert Glumbek performed by Anisa Tejpar

Full Bloom (2010) choreographed by Kevin O'Day, Robert Glumbek and Luches Huddleston Jr. performed by Roberto Campanella, Robert Glumbek and Ryan Lee
This work explores the lives of male dancers as they get older - perceptions of sexuality, aging and self-realization.

Beethoven's 9th - 1st Movement (2009) choreographed by Roberto Campanella and Robert Glumbek performed by the ensemble
Working with a musical masterpiece is always a daunting task and it is generally accepted that it is all but impossible to choreograph to Beethoven's music. Nevertheless, Campanella and Glumbek felt that this particular Symphony suggests a physicality that pairs perfectly with the type of movement embodied by ProArteDanza. The resulting piece is an homage to this incomparable music and a stunning marriage of unforgettable music and the all-out athleticism of ProArteDanza's outstanding dancers.
Commissioned by the Festival International de DansEncore in Trois-Rivières on the occasion of the 375th anniversary of the City of Trois-Rivières.

ProArteDanza was founded in 2004 by former National Ballet of Canada dancer and renowned choreographer Roberto Campanella and Joanna Ivey as a unique and visionary dance company. With collaborator Artistic Associate Robert Glumbek, the company committed to breaking down the barriers between the worlds of ballet and modern dance and to showcase the brightest talents from both as it pushes the boundaries of technical skill and artistic expression. The fusion of two diverse disciplines celebrates the vibrant potency of both, and demonstrates that choreography can bridge the common divide between each art form. Through this unique fusion, ProArteDanza offers established dancers the opportunity to continue to share their artistry and inspire younger artists by providing a platform that crosses the boundaries of technical skill and artistic expression. Mixing generations, disciplines and artistic visions allows the company to build a new, cohesive and inclusive world for many dancers, and to develop audiences for both ballet and modern dance.

Roberto Campanella - Artistic Director / Choreographer - Born and raised in Rome, Roberto Campanella trained at the Scuola Italiana di Danza Contemporanea. In 1985, he joined the Compagnia Italiana di Danza Contemporanea and later joined the prestigious Aterballetto. In 1993 he joined The National Ballet of Canada where he was soon promoted to soloist and was cast in many classical and contemporary roles. Campanella choreographs predominantly for ProArteDanza, which he founded in 2004, although he also choreographs a wide variety of commissioned works for companies at home and abroad. He is now a sought-after guest teacher for companies such as The National Ballet of Canada and Stuttgart Ballet as well as companies in Italy, Korea and Japan. In 2001, Campanella was nominated for the Bonnie Bird Choreography Award in London. In 2007, he received the Fellowship Initiative Award from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of the New York City Ballet, and in 2008, Campanella's first full-length work Alice in Wonderland premiered at Ballet Augsburg in Germany. He was awarded the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreography with co-choreographer Robert Glumbek for Šin betweenŠ, which premiered at ProArteDanza's Season 2010.

Robert Glumbek - Artistic Associate / Choreographer - As a soloist at The Great Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Warsaw, Polish-born Robert Glumbek collaborated with choreographers such as John Neumeier and Maurice Bejart, among others. He came to Canada in 1987 but returned to Europe to work with Kevin O'Day Ballett Nationaltheater Mannheim as a dancer and ballet master from 2002-2004. In Canada, he has worked with such choreographers as Bill James, Peter Chin, Dominique Dumais, Christopher House, Serge Bennathan, Holly Small and Tedd Robinson. He was a finalist in the Hanover Choreographic Competition and in the Stuttgart Choreographic Competition, and is a recipient of the NOW Magazine award for Best Dancer of the Year (2006). Glumbek has been honoured with both the K.M. Hunter Artist Award and the Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award. He was awarded the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreography with co-choreographer Roberto Campanella for Šin betweenŠ, which premiered at ProArteDanza's Season 2010.

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary ProArteDanza presents Season 2014 - a stunning retrospective of acclaimed works - Choreography by: Roberto Campanella, Robert Glumbek, Guillaume Côté, Kevin O'Day (with Luches Huddleston Jr.) Lighting Design: Arun Srinivasan Costume Design: Melanie McNeil Performed by: Marc Cardarelli, Tyler Gledhill, Mami Hata, Kristy Kennedy, Ryan Lee, Erin Poole, Anisa Tejpar and apprentice Jessica Ames with appearances by Robert Glumbek and Roberto Campanella Wednesday, October 1 to Saturday, October 4, 2014 - 8PM part of Harbourfront Centre's NextSteps series at Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West, Toronto Regular tickets: $20-$40 plus services charges (discounts for students, seniors) Harbourfront Centre Box Office: 416-973-4000 OR online at http://proartedanza.com.

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