Choreographer/s | Emmalena Fredriksson
Name of piece | Ecdysis & Soft Palate
Venue | SFU Woodward's
PLEASE NOTE: On July 12th, most of Gastown will be shut down due to the Gastown Grand Prix. Click HERE for a map that can be used to help navigate the road and bus stop closures.
Ecdysis | Soft Palate is a double bill showcasing the interdisciplinary collaboration of Vancouver based choreographer Emmalena Fredriksson, costume designer Alaia Hamer and lighting designer Kyla Gardiner. The two pieces originated during the Covid-19 pandemic and explore expressions of other worlds, consciousness and new perceptions of the human body.
Soft Palate
Description
Soft Palate is a warm switch, a precious shattering, a vivid feel. Close your eyes. Submerge yourself. Under the surface sensitive creatures thrive. Hidden, nestled, burrowing. Soft Palate is a choreographic play on perspective and texture as experienced through three characters' journey into a dream world of subconscious reflections. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Hilma af Klint and dream sharing practices, Soft Palate is an interdisciplinary collaborative project that dives deep into the undercurrents of our individual and collective psyche.
Choreographer | Creator Name: Emmalena Fredriksson in collaboration with
Costume and Set Designer: Alaia Hamer
Lighting Designer: Kyla Gardiner
Composer: © Linda Fox
Performers Name(s): Emmalena Fredriksson, Hayley Gawthrop and Jessica Keeling
Kyla Gardiner:
Kyla Gardiner is a designer and performance creator based in Vancouver, BC. Her artistic research investigates non-human agency, design-based approaches to devised creation, and the ways deep collaboration might challenge ideas of artistic authorship. Kyla holds a BA in Theatre and Philosophy from the University of British Columbia and an MFA from the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University.
Alaia Hamer
Alaia Hamer is a designer and artist located in Vancouver, BC. Growing up with a creative family on coastal Pender Island, Alaia has experimented in art and craft as long as she can remember. She holds a degree in English Literature from UBC in 2012 and this interest in text and narrative storytelling has been a huge influence on her drive to pursue theatrical design. She returned to school to finish a B.F.A in Theatrical Design and Production in the spring of 2017 to bring these interests together. Theatre is the perfect opportunity to share a visual interpretation of a literary journey.
Emmalena Fredriksson
Emmalena Fredriksson is a contemporary dance artist living and working in Vancouver since 2013, as a guest on the ancestral unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples. Her practice is defined by choreography as a relational practice in the expanded fields of dance, often collaborating with artists of other disciplines, creating choreographic experiences and dance for social events, film, galleries and performance. Born in Sweden, Emmalena has worked internationally with Daghdha Dance Company (IE), Canaldanse (FR), Malta University (MT), Pact Zollverein (DE), and Falmouth University (UK) among others. Emmalena is currently a term lecturer at Simon Fraser University.
Hayley Gawthrop
Originally from White Rock, BC, Hayley Gawthrop received their contemporary dance training through Modus Operandi in Vancouver BC. Since graduating in 2016, Hayley has had the pleasure of performing and interpreting works by Emmalena Fredriksson, Arash Khakpour, Antonio Somera Jr, Fight With a Stick, Dumb Instrument Dance, Omer Keinan, Kelly Mc'Innes, The Response and MACHiNENOiSEY Dance Society, and has worked as a dramaturg/outside eye for Kelly McInnes and Marissa Wong. Their current interests in regards to making/doing are driven by their desire to disrupt gender binaries and are deeply rooted in radical tenderness and gender nihilism. Patience, rigour and generosity is essential to their practice.
Jessica Dawn Keeling
Born In Toronto, Jessica Dawn Keeling spent early years immersed in dance, music and theatre. Her ever-changing relationship and career in Dance has brought her to over 30 countries, memorable stages, and to the big screen. Her devotion to internal exploration continues to expand her range of expression. A few projects that are very close to her heart include her work with Linda Garneau and the Helix Dance Project, "Becoming" (Wandering Eye Productions), working with the choreography team of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, and "West Side Story"(Stratford Shakespeare Festival)
"One can only hope to walk towards grace and sincerity on and off stage"
© Linda Fox
© Linda Fox came wandering out the shadowy rainforests of the Pacific North West singing songs that emerged out of an advanced sleep technique called Dreaming™. Those Dream Songs found their true home in Vancouver, a city that never sleeps but is always dreaming.
https://kopyrightlindafox.bandcamp.com/
Ecdysis
Description:
In a not so distant future one of the cyborgs awakens. Moving through fragments of memories, old programming and rediscovering her own identity as a free agent, she questions if she is human, animal or machine? Sometimes rage runs through her and it feels like shedding skin.
In this immersive multimedia performance, Ecdysis (the shedding of skin or exoskeleton) invites audiences to contemplate the intersections of evolution and healing, gender and power, and woman and machine.
Choreographer | Creator Name: Emmalena Fredriksson in collaboration with
Costume and Set Designer: Alaia Hamer
Lighting Designer: Kyla Gardiner
Composer: Filip Górecki
Spine Technology: Bob Pritchard and Daniel Tsuii
Performers Name(s): Emmalena Fredriksson
Kyla Gardiner:
Kyla Gardiner is a designer and performance creator based in Vancouver, BC. Her artistic research investigates non-human agency, design-based approaches to devised creation, and the ways deep collaboration might challenge ideas of artistic authorship. Kyla holds a BA in Theatre and Philosophy from the University of British Columbia and an MFA from the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University.
Alaia Hamer
Alaia Hamer is a designer and artist located in Vancouver, BC. Growing up with a creative family on coastal Pender Island, Alaia has experimented in art and craft as long as she can remember. She holds a degree in English Literature from UBC in 2012 and this interest in text and narrative storytelling has been a huge influence on her drive to pursue theatrical design. She returned to school to finish a B.F.A in Theatrical Design and Production in the spring of 2017 to bring these interests together. Theatre is the perfect opportunity to share a visual interpretation of a literary journey.
Emmalena Fredriksson
Emmalena Fredriksson is a contemporary dance artist living and working in Vancouver since 2013, as a guest on the ancestral unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples. Her practice is defined by choreography as a relational practice in the expanded fields of dance, often collaborating with artists of other disciplines, creating choreographic experiences and dance for social events, film, galleries and performance. Born in Sweden, Emmalena has worked internationally with Daghdha Dance Company (IE), Canaldanse (FR), Malta University (MT), Pact Zollverein (DE), and Falmouth University (UK) among others. Emmalena is currently a term lecturer at Simon Fraser University.
Filip Górecki
Filip Górecki is a Vancouver based artist who’s sound is filled with rich storytelling and other worldly parables. Górecki has performed locally over the years at New Forms Festival, Quiet City, Eye of the Storm, and Render; International Music Video Festival . Recently commisioned to compose music for Ecdysis.
Górecki creates electronic music with an emphasis on through-composed and cinematically-driven structures. He bases his compositions around sound design with a strong focus on storytelling. Exploring themes of environmental ambiance and disruptions; underwater reflections, vast landscapes, post communist dystopia (in context of his upbringing in Poland) and other worldly parables. He’s self-released two EP’s and another one net label Panospria.
Currently he’s working on a 3 track EP, to be released on xylem records.
Website: www.emmalenafredriksson.com | www.alaiahamer.com | www.kylagardiner.com
Facebook: Emmalena Fredriksson | Alaia Hamer
Instagram: @emmalenafredriksson | @alaiahamer
July 12th @ 7:00 PM
July 13th @ 7:00 PM
Co-presented with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs
Approx. Running Time: 1 hour
