Toronto Dance Theatre Announces 2017-18 Season and 50th Anniversary

Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) announces the details of its 2017-2018 season, celebrating 50 years of performance that have fundamentally changed the face of Canadian dance.

Under the visionary direction of Christopher House, recently named to the Order of Canada, the season kicks off on September 21 with a program of works by TDT founders Patricia Beatty, David Earle and Peter Randazzo presented in partnership with Toronto Heritage Dance. The company then launches into international and national tours, including its first-ever visit to Colombia and a coast-to-coast tour of Western, Eastern and Northern Canada. In the early spring, TDT returns to the Fleck Dance Theatre with an exhilarating program of premieres created in response to Christopher House's masterwork Glass Houses (1983).

Toronto Heritage Dance 2017 Season (Program One: September 21-23 at 8pm & September 24 at 2pm; Program Two: September 28-30 at 8pm & October 1 at 2pm)
Celebrating the dances of legendary choreographers Patricia Beatty, David Earle and Peter Randazzo, TDT is partnering with Toronto Heritage Dance Theatre to present two programs with new works and timeless revivals.

Program One: Quai Voltaire, Premiere, Earle | Prairie Suite, Premiere, Earle | First Music, Beatty | Radical Light, Beatty | A Simple Melody, Randazzo

Program Two: Quai Voltaire, Premiere, Earle | Fragments from Antico, Premiere, Earle | Frost Watch, Earle | First Music, Beatty | Radical Light, Beatty | Recital, Randazzo

House Mix On Tour

This program of short works by Christopher House created over three decades, is performed by a company of twelve dancers and includes Martingales, Fjeld excerpts, Echo Dark or Early Departures, Vena Cava and a new quintet, Thirteen. TDT is thrilled to be showcasing work in so many communities during this special anniversary year, with its first-ever visit to Colombia in November 2017 and a cross-Canada tour in the winter and spring of 2018.

House Mix first travels to Colombia and includes stops in Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellin with performances in the following venues:

Colombia

Nov 17, 18, 2017 Teatro Mayor Juliio Mario Santo Domingo, Bogotá

Nov 21, 2017, Teatro Adolfo Mejía, Cartagena

Nov 23-25, 2017, Teatro Pablo Tobon, Medellin

Colombian Tour Representation by Alejandro Ronceria & Associates.

TDT visits eleven Canadian cities in one season for the first time in decades. Tour itineraries for Eastern, Western and Northern Canada are:

Atlantic Canada

Jan 6, 2018, Arts and Culture Centre, Neighbourhood Dance Works, St. John's, NL

Jan 11-13, 2018, Sir James Dunn Theatre, Live Arts Dance, Halifax, NS

Jan 18, 2018, Capitol Theatre, Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, Moncton, NB

Jan 20, 2018, Confederation Centre of the Arts, Charlottetown, PE

Jan 23, 2018, Imperial Theatre, Saint John, NB

Jan 25, 2018, Fredericton Playhouse, Fredericton, NB

Western and Northern Canada

Feb 23-24, 2018, Vancouver Playhouse, DanceHouse, Vancouver, BC

Feb 28 & Mar 1, 2018, Timms Centre for the Arts, Brian Webb Dance Company, Edmonton, AB

Mar 3, 2018, Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre, Vernon, BC

Mar 7, 2018, Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, YK

Mar 10, Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, Duncan, BC

TDT's 50th anniversary tours are made possible with the assistance of the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Glass Fields (March 20-24, 2018)
TDT returns to the Fleck Dance Theatre in the early spring with Glass Fields, an exhilarating program of premieres created in response to Christopher House's masterwork Glass Houses (1983). Set to Ann Southam's exuberant piano music, Glass Houses was described by the New York Times as "downright startling - spewing forth a kinetic brilliance in the form of energy and continuum." TDT's fiftieth anniversary program includes a performance of the original work followed by premieres by Amanda Acorn, Jasmyn Fyffe, Hanna Kiel, Tedd Robinson and Christopher House that refract the original's essence through a fascinating variety of contemporary lenses. Working with composers Jonathan Adjemian, Sarah Shugarman, Greg Harrison, Charles Quevillon, and Thom Gill, TDT is delighted to present a program of original Canadian scores plus Thom Gill's remix of Greg Harrison and Johnny Smith's adaptation of Ann Southam's Glass Houses No. 13. Simon Rossiter designs the lighting and Jennifer Dallas designs the costumes for this exciting program.

Glass Fields is presented as part of Harbourfront Centre's 17/18 NextSteps dance series. It is produced with the assistance of Ann H. Atkinson and is part of TDT's Reimagining Repertoire project, funded by the George Cedric Metcalf Foundation.

OTHER INFORMATION

This season also includes a number of special initiatives including an Oct. 2 screening of Ahead of the Curve, Rosemary House's Gemini-nominated documentary on TDT's artistic director Christopher House; the company's TD Intern Program; the Studio Series program for students across the GTA; and TDT's fifth annual Creative Residency initiative. Additionally, the company hosts its Emerging Voices program in December, in which nine choreographers will gather together with the TDT dancers and mentors Christopher House and Ame Henderson to research new choreographic ideas and share their findings.

For more information about TDT and to purchase tickets, visit www.tdt.org or call 416-967-1365.

Toronto Dance Theatre's dancers are remarkable individuals who play an essential role in the creative process. With a broad range of skills and experience, they are capable of physical and expressive virtuosity as well as powerful ensemble work.

Performers for the 2017/18 season include: Nicole Rose Bond, Valerie Calam, Alana Elmer, Yuichiro Inoue, Peter Kelly, Megumi Kokuba, Pulga Muchochoma, Erin Poole, Jake Ramos, Margarita Soria, and Christianne Ullmark; TD Dancer Interns: Tia Kushniruk, Devon Snell and Roberto Soria.

For over 40 years, Harbourfront Centre has been a leader in promoting, cultivating and defining dance in Canada. Audiences return year after year to see groundbreaking performances from an incredible selection of Canadian artists. Central to our year-round programming, NextSteps continues to expand and define what is possible with the combination of choreography, music and the dynamism of the human body in motion.

Toronto Dance Theatre acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council. TD Dancer Interns are made possible with the generous assistance of TD Bank Group. Christopher House is an Associate Dance Artist of Canada's National Arts Centre.

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