DANCE TO THE ABYSS at Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Art of Time Ensemble is thrilled to announce its latest production of
1920s-inspired jazz and cabaret music, DANCE TO THE ABYSS, as part of its 25th anniversary
final concert season. This new musical production from the Weimar Republic is set to captivate
audiences at Harbourfront Centre Theatre from February 23rd to 25th, 2024.
Experience the music that captured the zeitgeist of a culture on a path to catastrophe. This
program features songs celebrated in the 1920s and later dismissed as “degenerate” by the
Third Reich, including excerpts from The Threepenny Opera Suite by Kurt Weill and tunes by
Mischa Spoliansky, Erwin Schulhoff, and other artists whose names are largely lost to
history.

“Fierce satire and black humour permeated much of the art created in the Weimar Republic. I
look forward to presenting a program of jazz and cabaret-inspired music that came out of
Germany in the “Golden 20s”, and to explore the censorship that followed during the Third
Reich. Drawing from Josef Skvorecky’s written record of Nazi Germany’s dance band rules and
regulations we will explore how those edicts sought to constrain the expressive elements of
Jazz.” Andrew Burashko, Artistic Director, Art of Time.

Featuring a stellar lineup of acclaimed soloists Martha Burns, John Millard, and Patricia
O’Callaghan, paired with the exceptional musicians of the Art of Time Ensemble, DANCE TO
THE ABYSS promises to push musical boundaries, and illustrate its censorship in the most
visceral way possible.