Review: JACKIE BURROUGHS IS DEAD is Intricately Abstract

Moving on is sometimes the hardest part.

Toronto's longest running contemporary dance series, DanceWorks presents the world premiere of JACKIE BURROUGHS IS DEAD & WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?, a mysteriously intricate choreographed piece combining stunning dance with ambient sound to create a complex sensory experience. Performed by Danielle Baskerville, Luke Garwood and Robert Kingsbury, this abstract piece choreographed by DA Hoskins and produced by Baskerville looks at larger than life themes as the dancers explore energy exchange through fluidity and motion.

Inspired by the aftermaths of the death of Canadian actress, Jackie Burroughs, the performance is a reactive piece based on feelings of her death - a significant loss to the Toronto dance community. Naturally, confusion, anger and frustration are elements in the tonal exploration, though the piece goes deeper on a philosophical level and explores relationships between emotion and energy through physicality.

Despite the title of the piece, the roughly 65-minute performance is oddly hopeful. It's a bold statement about not being buried by sad feelings and is a thought piece on the act of acceptance and moving forward. The three dancers are grounded and individual in their own manner, each with their own distinct pacing and style, but the strongest parts of the piece come as the trio of dancers interact with each other. The emotion and narrative told through dance can be interpreted in different ways - which is one of the beautiful features of contemporary dance.

While some of the pacing was seemingly disjointed and choppy (an uncomfortably slow start), the intricacy of the choreography is so subtle and haunting it encompasses the entire theatre. The entire piece was full of emotion, amplified by Christopher Wille's stunning score. Ambient sound and effects were created on the dance floor in an organic way - truly one of the highlights of the show.

JACKIE BURROUGHS IS DEAD plays at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre as part of NextSteps through Saturday, April 9. For more information, visit danceworks.ca or harbourfrontcentre.com.

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