Somewhere between live performance and film work
February 10th 2015
Article about the show Somewhere Between Maybe by Dana Gingras presented by L'Agora de la danse.
- Oliver Koomsatira
© Austin Young
Dana Gingras has been creating stage and film work for the last 20 years. She will present her latest piece Somewhere Between Maybe at L'Agora de la danse the 11th to the 13th of February with dancers Sonya Stefan and Jamie Wright. We had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her newest work to know more. Firstly, the Vancouver artist explains why she has decided to incorporate film in her show: "I have been working with film in my pieces since 1996, and have directed numerous short films over the years in between creating works for the stage. I have always been preoccupied with the language of film and really see it as choreography since both mediums are concerned with space and time. With Somewhere Between Maybe instead of having film as an external component we have incorporated it into the choreographic construction so the piece is like a form of explicit cinema. Also we have taken advantage of L'Agora's vertiginous seating to give the audience a specific point of view that is quite cinematic and allows the viewer to take in edges of the space."
The piece deals with the concept of timeless space, "a place where anything is possible, even the improbable". The idea of having a space where anything is possible can be viewed as a safe haven in today's fast paced frenzy. Almost like a dream dimension. Dana Gingras explains how the idea takes shape in her show: "For me it is interesting to look at something that has mystery. I like it when I don’t quite understand what I am seeing. It is a different kind of engagement. It allows the viewer to have their own subjectivity, their own relationship to what is beautiful or not. Again I am looking for slippages between definitions. In our current climate of selfies and performed identity this becomes very interesting to me." Indeed, "performed identity" in our social media era seems to have a sort of distorted impact on our psyche. Some psychologists even advise people not to draw conclusions of their contacts' living situations through the lens of their pictures and comments as it may evoke a sense of jealousy and dissatisfaction of our own circumstances. They say people tend to see the grass as greener in their neighbours' Facebook yards, especially as people will tend to post images of the best in their lives: fancy vacations, delicious restaurant plates, beautiful wedding pictures, etc. As opposed to seeing all the hardships that come with day to day struggle, we get the impression people's masked "performed identity" is better than our own real identity. Speaking of masked identities, the choreographer decided to mask her dancers in this piece. She explains why: "The work delves into notions of liminal space, akin to that between sleeping and dreaming. I was interested in creating a kind of slippage between what is familiar and what is not as a way of allowing the uncanny to emerge. The masks create a kind of double exposure that unsettles and amplifies how we view Jamie and Sonya. The masks are part of a series of found objects that appear in the piece."
Dana Gingras works in both Vancouver and Montreal. We were interested to find out how creating was different from coast to coast. Canada being so large, it's almost as though each province has its very own identity. At least, it seems to be the case with British Columbia and Quebec. She shares her view on the question: "I really feel that our environment is stronger than we are. Therefore I think the biggest difference between contemporary dance in Vancouver and Montreal is about geographical location. In Vancouver it is easy to feel very isolated as the mountains are on one side and the ocean is on the other. When I am there I feel more connection as an artist with the rest of the west coast down to California than I do with the rest of Canada. Being in Montréal I feel close to New York and Europe and this gives me sense of connection to my art form that is very different. The fields of influence hence are very different." Other than the environment to influence her work, Dana Gingras also mentions that her dancers have also had a significant impact on her creation: "I would like to mention that Somewhere Between Maybe also is what it is because of who Sonya Stefan and Jamie Wright are. Their experience, their knowledge, their maturity as performers and incredible ability to just “be” on stage allowed the work to manifest the way it did. I am so inspired by their courageousness and the work has been inspired by their trust and investment."
After the show is presented at L'Agora de la danse, the company also has other projects lined up: "Next, my new short film CHAINREACTION will be screened at Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois on February 21st. This spring I am curating and creating Endless Love - a 24 hour durational performance installation event which will feature live performance, film and music with an array of national and international artists contributing to the event." Now you know what's happening and where. To find out more about the show, visit L'Agora de la danse's website: http://www.agoradanse.com/en/spectacles/2015/somewhere-between-maybe
The piece deals with the concept of timeless space, "a place where anything is possible, even the improbable". The idea of having a space where anything is possible can be viewed as a safe haven in today's fast paced frenzy. Almost like a dream dimension. Dana Gingras explains how the idea takes shape in her show: "For me it is interesting to look at something that has mystery. I like it when I don’t quite understand what I am seeing. It is a different kind of engagement. It allows the viewer to have their own subjectivity, their own relationship to what is beautiful or not. Again I am looking for slippages between definitions. In our current climate of selfies and performed identity this becomes very interesting to me." Indeed, "performed identity" in our social media era seems to have a sort of distorted impact on our psyche. Some psychologists even advise people not to draw conclusions of their contacts' living situations through the lens of their pictures and comments as it may evoke a sense of jealousy and dissatisfaction of our own circumstances. They say people tend to see the grass as greener in their neighbours' Facebook yards, especially as people will tend to post images of the best in their lives: fancy vacations, delicious restaurant plates, beautiful wedding pictures, etc. As opposed to seeing all the hardships that come with day to day struggle, we get the impression people's masked "performed identity" is better than our own real identity. Speaking of masked identities, the choreographer decided to mask her dancers in this piece. She explains why: "The work delves into notions of liminal space, akin to that between sleeping and dreaming. I was interested in creating a kind of slippage between what is familiar and what is not as a way of allowing the uncanny to emerge. The masks create a kind of double exposure that unsettles and amplifies how we view Jamie and Sonya. The masks are part of a series of found objects that appear in the piece."
Dana Gingras works in both Vancouver and Montreal. We were interested to find out how creating was different from coast to coast. Canada being so large, it's almost as though each province has its very own identity. At least, it seems to be the case with British Columbia and Quebec. She shares her view on the question: "I really feel that our environment is stronger than we are. Therefore I think the biggest difference between contemporary dance in Vancouver and Montreal is about geographical location. In Vancouver it is easy to feel very isolated as the mountains are on one side and the ocean is on the other. When I am there I feel more connection as an artist with the rest of the west coast down to California than I do with the rest of Canada. Being in Montréal I feel close to New York and Europe and this gives me sense of connection to my art form that is very different. The fields of influence hence are very different." Other than the environment to influence her work, Dana Gingras also mentions that her dancers have also had a significant impact on her creation: "I would like to mention that Somewhere Between Maybe also is what it is because of who Sonya Stefan and Jamie Wright are. Their experience, their knowledge, their maturity as performers and incredible ability to just “be” on stage allowed the work to manifest the way it did. I am so inspired by their courageousness and the work has been inspired by their trust and investment."
After the show is presented at L'Agora de la danse, the company also has other projects lined up: "Next, my new short film CHAINREACTION will be screened at Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois on February 21st. This spring I am curating and creating Endless Love - a 24 hour durational performance installation event which will feature live performance, film and music with an array of national and international artists contributing to the event." Now you know what's happening and where. To find out more about the show, visit L'Agora de la danse's website: http://www.agoradanse.com/en/spectacles/2015/somewhere-between-maybe