Performed April 30, 2022 Gesù Theatre, Montreal Kemal Payza tackles the philosophical themes of love, death and creativity in his new production, Amour, Mort et Création, which is a followup to his 2019 debut contemporary dance show Mythologies. Can we live on after our death, through our children and through our creative works of beauty, music, dance, he asks in the program. Can this kind of a legacy survive our death? The inspiration for his new dance work, says Payza, a local artist and musician, developed from his interest in ancient Greek philosophers’ vision of love (the God Eros), death ..read more

The Geography of an Archipelago, In Transit, Sigan Reviewed October 8, 2019 Babs Asper Theatre, Ottawa (Repeat performance October 9, 7:30 p.m.) For the first time ever, Ottawa audiences have the privilege of witnessing a small and spirited emerging 21st century dance company out of New Zealand, featuring Māori dancers and choreographers. Of particular note is In Transit, a fascinating multi-dimensional work of dance, light, sound and images projected onto the back of the stage as well as on movable screens. Created by Māori multidisciplinary artist Louise Potiki Bryant, In Transit is predom ..read more

Mythologies Reviewed September 22, 2019 Gesù Theatre, Montreal This past weekend, I stopped in to see the opening of Mythologies at the intimate Gesù Theatre in the basement of the ornate 19th-century Gesù Church on Montreal’s Park Avenue. This was the debut of a contemporary dance production by local scientist/artist/musician Kemal Payza. Mythologies opens with Montreal-based contemporary dancer Susannah Haight (Spirit Mother) performing a short mesmerizing dance of beauty and mystique. Informed by a harp accompaniment called Imaginary Prelude, composed and performed by New York-based contemp ..read more

who we are in the dark Reviewed April 12, 2019 NAC Babs Asper Theatre, Ottawa (Repeat performance April 13, 7:30 p.m.) Peggy Baker’s newest dance project, who we are in the dark, is an impressive collaboration with musicians associated with Montreal indie rock band Arcade Fire, the late artist John Heward, and Baker’s long-time lighting design partner Marc Parent. An icon of Canadian contemporary dance, Baker often presents works that are something to behold. She is not afraid to experiment with the media of movement, music and other arts. When she teams up with others, she is at her best — t ..read more