DanceWorks Presents Propeller's FLESH & SPOKES AND SPASTICUS 

DANCEWORKS presents PROPELLER DANCE's double bill of FLESH & SPOKES and SPASTICUS. This production is presented by Ottawa-based disability arts/integrated dance company PROPELLER DANCE and was created and choreographed by Renata Soutter and Liz Winkelaar. These two pieces encourage us to challenge perceived notions, open our hearts and celebrate diverse bodies and minds. Premiering at Fleck Dance Theatre (Harbourfront Centre), March 13 - 14, 2020.

PROPELLER DANCE professional performances have been presented at venues across Canada, bringing new aesthetics that contribute to broadening people's acceptance of diversity while promoting a holistic view of the body and inspiring people with disabilities to take up dance.

In FLESH & SPOKES, dancers flow through an abstract landscape making connections through curiosity, resistance and acceptance. It explores equality, beauty and power, while firmly acknowledging that emotions and the body are mined to reveal limitations. The original sound score of Flesh & Spokes is composed by Jesse Stewart - the first composition ever created for and on a wheelchair - and performed by Dominique St-Pierre.

SPASTICUS is a bright explosion out of darkness in which the liberated triumphantly declare, "I am Spasticus!" Inspired by Ian Dury's "spastic" anthem, chains are forged and shaken off, bodies find movement, spirits soar and the oppressed rise up.

Renata Soutter (Choreographer of Flesh and Spokes, Artistic Co-Director of Propeller Dance) has dedicated her professional career to socially-engaged dance innovation. Her creations for Propeller Dance include Drifting Up (2013), Flesh and Spokes (2015), a commission by Dusk Dances Ottawa, and community collaborations with the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre and Royal Ottawa Place. She is a Diamond Jubilee recipient for her work in integrated dance (2012).

Liz Winkelaar (Director of Spasticus, Artistic Associate Propeller Dance) earned a Master's degree in Canadian Studies at Carleton University, which led to an interest in Disability Art and Culture and to involvement in Propeller Dance. She has trained with Alito Alessi in DanceAbility technique and with Shara Weaver and Renata Soutter since 2005. Her creation SPASTICUS is a celebrated part of the Propeller Dance repertoire and has been shown in numerous venues. Liz is a respected teacher and speaker.

Shara Weaver (Co-Artistic Director of Propeller Dance) has studied integrated dance for twelve years with Corpuscule Danse (Montreal), Miriam Rother (Kenya, Israel) and Jurg Koch (University of Washington). She holds a DanceAbility Teacher Training certificate from Alito Alessi, a pioneer in the field. She has choreographed and performed for Canada Dance Festivals, Studio 303, Guelph Jazz Festival, Toronto Busker Festival and, most recently, for Eric Coates at GCTC and Sarah Waisvisz's Monstrous. She is a Diamond Jubilee recipient for her work in integrated dance (2012).

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