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2013 CanAsian International Dance Festival
“Lights Up the Stage”
presented in association with Harbourfront Centre
April 28 – May 12

“If you’ve been meaning to attend the CanAsian International Dance Festival but haven’t as yet, 2013 is the year to remedy that as this year’s festival features new works by some of the best that CanAsian has presented throughout the years,” says Artistic Director Denise Fujiwara.

Performances:

• Susan Lee (Toronto) | Mainstage A
  Commissioned by CanAsian Dance for their 2012 Kick Start Festival, Susan Lee remounts her solo work Trace Elements where she explores the delicate interplay between inner perception and outer representation in the experience and creation of self.
  Date & Time: May 1 & 2 at 8:00 p.m.
  Location: Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West, 3^rd Floor

• Jocelyne Montpetit Danse (Montreal) | Mainstage A
  Hailed as the Best Performance of 2011 by Montreal’s La Presse newspaper, Jocelyne Montpetit’s riveting solo La danseuse malade (The Ailing Dancer) makes its Toronto debut. Inspired by Tatsumi Hijikata’s book La danseuse malade (The Sick Dancer), Montpetit explores an echo of Hijikata’s universe using her own body, psyche and childhood.
  Date & Time: May 1 & 2 at 8:00 p.m.
  Location: Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West, 3^rd Floor

• inDANCE (Toronto|Singapore) | Mainstage A
  inDANCE premieres I, Cyclops, a post-Modern, pan-Asian, multimedia vision that will spellbind audiences  in a dream of seductive eyes and Winnipeg snow; erotic poetry and red silk; marigolds and monsoons; girls’ hips and boys’ chests; fierce multi-armed Goddesses and hottie Super Heroes! This new work, a collaboration with Singapore’s Bhaskar’s Arts Academy sees choreographer Hari Krishnan bringing together exquisite dancers and master musicians from India, Singapore, Canada and the U.K.
  Date & Time: May 1 & 2 at 8:00 p.m.
  Location: Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West, 3^rd Floor

• Taketeru Kudo (Tokyo) | Mainstage B
  Taketeru Kudo performs his haunting solo A Vessel of Ruins. From the broken land, from the zones of destruction, from shattered landscapes and from memories, rises the figure of a man, forcing himself to wake-up to a new life. He searches in himself the power to overcome, to make it, to tell people what he saw.
  Date & Time: May 3 & 4 at 8:30 p.m.
  Location: Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West, 3^rd Floor

• Ziya Azazi (Vienna) | Late Night – FREE PERFORMANCE
  Winner of the “2011 He Blew Me Out of the Water” by the Globe and Mail’s Paula Citron, whirling dervish Ziya Azazi will literally be on fire at CanAsian’s 2013 edition. Recently performed for the 2012 London Paralympics Opening Ceremony, Ember: Trapped in Fire is a spectacular work based on repetition and experimental whirling. It is particularly concerned with self-destruction, the pain of the awareness of mortality, and the inevitable ending within the continuous cycle of life. The piece depicts the lifelong battle with individual boundaries, leading one to a growing awareness of the diminishing possibility.
  Date & Time: May 2, 3 & 4 at 10:00 p.m.
  Location: WestJet Stage, Harbourfront Centre

Workshops:

All workshop participants receive one free ticket to a mainstage performance; to register, and for more information about any workshops please e-mail outreach@canasiandance.com.

• Contemplative Writing with Sarah Selecky
  Contemplative writing is practical, radical, and transformative, developing capacities for deep concentration and quieting the mind in the midst of the action and distraction that fills everyday life. Contemplative practices can help develop greater empathy and communication skills, improve focus and attention, reduce stress and enhance creativity, supporting a loving and compassionate approach to life.
  Date & Time: May 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  Location: Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Avenue, 4^th Floor
  Cost: $125

• Butoh Workshop with Jocelyne Montpetit
  Based on internalization of mental images developed by Master Tatsumi Hijikata, this workshop will lead the performer to a greater awareness of their external and interior space. This incredibly rich method of working was transmitted to Jocelyne Montpetit by Hijikata himself; a privilege that he accorded to very few foreigners. The workshop will also focus on spatial awareness exercises, which lead to an awareness of movement arising from the interior. This workshop is open to all levels.
  Date & Time: May 3 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.
  Location: Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre, 509 Parliament Street, Studio C
  Date & Time: May 4 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00
  Location:  Dovercourt House, 509 Dovercourt Road, 3^rd Floor
  Cost: $125

• Contemplative Dance with Denise Fujiwara
  A workshop in deep, simple, creative dance providing good training for the body and mind. Using Japanese Butoh and creative post-modern dance principles participants will work towards becoming more present and therefore more creative while expanding movement vocabulary and conditioning the body for strength and agility. The work can be done at many levels and challenges both the beginner and professional dancer. If one can walk, one can participate in this dance work.
  Dates & Time: April 28, May 5 & 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  Location: Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, 509 Parliament Street, Studio C
  Cost: $90

• Contemplative Calligraphy with Noriko Maeda
  This one-day workshop will explore the contemplative art of Japanese and Chinese writing with ink and brush. Through the use of a different media, Sho: Japanese Calligraphy, this workshop will explore different ways to express feelings and scenery, such as wind, heart, and moments based on Japanese characters.
  Date & Time: May 5 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  Location: Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Court
  Cost: $45 (includes all materials)

Special Opportunities:

• Labyrinth
 Walks
  Labyrinth walking in an ancient practice used by many different faiths for spiritual centering, contemplation and prayer. Entering the serpentine path of a labyrinth, the walker walks slowly while quieting their mind and focusing on a spiritual question or prayer. Join CanAsian for a free lunch time labyrinth walk led by composer and Shakuhachi musician Debbie Danbrook.
  Dates & Times:
  – April 29 (International Dance Day) from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
  – May 1 (first day of Asian Heritage Month) from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
  – May 4 (World Labyrinth Day) from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
  Location: Toronto Public Labyrinth in Trinity Square Park (by the Eaton Centre)
  Cost: Free.  Pre-registration is required.  To register e-mail outreach@canasiandance.com

• Film Screening: The Space in Back of You and La Femme à la Cafetière
  Filmmaker Richard Rutowski explores the life and artistic journey of Choreographer Suzushi Hanayagi in his 2011 documentary The Space in Back of You. From Noh and Kabuki through to the mesmerizing and sometimes macabre world of butoh, Japanese dance runs the gamut from conservative and courtly to the outer limits of the avant garde. Suzushi Hanayagi bridges these two worlds beautifully and has changed modern theatre and performance in the process. Robert Wilson’s 1989 short film La Femme à la Cafetière also about Suzushi Hanayagi, and based on Paul Cezanne’s 1895 painting of the same name will precede the feature.  
  Date & Time: May 4, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
  Location: Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West, 3^rd Floor
  Cost: Tickets are $10 and may be purchased through the Harbourfront Centre Box Office at 416-973-4000.

• Noodle Night
  A casual get together hosted by Artistic Director Denise Fujiwara, CanAsian’s annual Noodle Night offers a rare opportunity to meet some of the Festival artists while enjoying delicious food and intriguing conversation. For details and to R.S.V.P. email outreach@canasiandance.com.
  Date & Time: May 4, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  Location: TBD

About CanAsian Dance

CanAsian Dance presents and cultivates exceptional dance inspired by Asian ideas and expressions through the biennial CanAsian International Dance Festival and annual artistic, educational and professional development activities. For more information please visit CanAsianDance.com.