COMMUNITY
Since 2013, Older & Reckless has included a Community Performance Project. In a process led by a senior dance artist, amateurs, or "dance-lovers", have stepped on to the stage to experience what it's like to create and perform a dance for the public. Invigorated, challenged and inspired by the demanding process of making and rehearsing a dance work, people from all walks of life feel the benefit to their physical health and social well-being. Collaborating together in a supportive environment lifts the spirits and brings pleasure to all!
ApHeart
October 1 - 2, 2022
Nuit Blanche
An ensemble of senior dance artists and community movers moving in a procession through the beautiful hallways of 401 Richmond Street West - a restored, heritage-designated, industrial building turned arts & culture hub in downtown Toronto.
Dancers
Julia Aplin, Carol Anderson, Patrick Parson, Arwyn Carpenter, Shery Leeder, Pieter Biessels, Jean McNeil, Itir Arditi, Denise Mitsche, Claudette Reddock, Jennifer Watkins, Judith Ann Smith, Cari Shim, Dianne Weinrib & Kalene Morgan with musician duos John Gzowski & Ernie Tollar and Waleed Abdulhamid & Cory Sitek.
Dances of Earthly Delight
March 4, 2022
Online
Dances of Earthly Delight features 3 short dance films of works by luminaries CAROL ANDERSON, JULIA APLIN and CHARMAINE HEADLEY for 21 community and 7 professional dancers – created online and adapted for film by directors VICKIE FAGAN, NICOLE BROOKS (Asah Productions) and KIM FARRIS-MANNING
Community dancers
Suzanne Barnes, Pieter Biessels, Megan Cugliari, Mai D Duong, Rebecca Heaslip, Barbara and Ron Johnson, Lori Kado, David Keshen, Deborah Van der Laan, Slade Lander, Shery Leeder, Kate Lushington, Deborah Moffett, Sarah Neale, Amy Norsworthy, Claudette Reddock, Margo Small, Brenda Somers, Sally Thurlow and Patricia White
Dance artists
Carol Anderson, Junia Mason, Claudia Moore, Debbie Nicholls-Skerritt, Michelle Silagy, Terrill Maguire and Troy Emery Twigg (Kanai Nation)
The Nelken Line
Filmed for O & R 20 Years of Age on Stage - an online event
November 6th 2020
The Bentway
In September 2020 in Toronto, 13 senior dance artists and 10 community movers performed the NELKEN-Line in celebration of 20 years of Older & Reckless- MOonhORsE Dance Theatre's series for mature dance artists- and to honour our beloved Pina Bausch. Her works have inspired so many Canadian artists over the years and we are grateful.
Choreography - Pina Bausch
Music - “West End Blues” by Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five
Leader - Viv Moore
Performers
Carol Anderson, Suzanne Barnes, Marie-Josée Chartier, Megan Cugliari, Fanny Ghorayeb, Deepti Gupta, Charmaine Headley, Lori Kado, David Keshen, Shery Leeder, Lainie Magidsohn, Learie Mc Nicolls, Christine Moynihan, Claudia Moore, Viv Moore, Yvonne Ng, Martha Randall, Brian Solomon, Brenda Somers, Gerry Trentham, Patricia White, Phyllis Whyte, Dave Wilson
Camera - Laurie-Shawn Borzovoy and Vickie Fagan
Editor - Vickie Fagan
Sound Operator - Tyler Shaw
With thanks to The Bentway, the Fork York National Historic Site and the Pina Bausch Foundation
You can view the O&R 20th anniversary NELKEN-Line here
Photo: John Lauener
Photo: Tamara Romanchuk
Life is Good (thanks)
Performed at O&R #42
presented in association with Harbourfront Centre
November 15 & 16, 2019
Harbourfront Centre Theatre
Life is Good (thanks) was inspired by the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen (Words before all) which is often referred to as the Thanksgiving Address. It is often recited by the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) people as a way to give thanks to all natural things on, in, and above this earth. It can remind us all to be grateful to nature for giving us all the elements to live and that we are only one small part of this wonderful "community".
This dance celebrates this connection. Nia:wen kowa.
Original vision / choreography: Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo
Final vision / choreography formed with the contributions of rehearsal director Bonnie Kim, Emily Law, Nimkii Osawamick, Brent Taylor and all the dancers
Performers
Emily Law, Brent Taylor, Fazia Ackbarali, Nadia Alpert, Vinod Anbalagan, Suzanne Barnes, Pieter Biessels, Mai Duong, Vivian Hall, Marianna Di Iorio, David Keshen, Joanne Kaashoek, Stephen Levine, Kim Macintyre, Deborah Melamed, Rebecca Midvidy, Johanna Milic, Denise Mitsche, Victoria Nicholls-Ray, Anne-Louise Sabo, Kimball Sarin, Cari Shim, Sally Thurlow, Stephanie Topp, Patricia White, Phyllis Whyte
MoW! on the Move (excerpt)
Performed at O&R #41
presented in association with Harbourfront Centre
November 9 & 10, 2018
Harbourfront Centre Theatre
MoW! / Montre(olly)wood! is a community dance project by Sinha Danse, combining Bollywood and contemporary dance. It was co-created in 2016 by Bollywood choreographer Deepali Lindblom and Roger Sinha. MoW! has been presented with great success and enthusiasm in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Brampton. It was performed in a theatre for the first time at Older & Reckless #41.
Artistic Direction, Soundtrack editing and live musician:
Roger Sinha
Choreography: Roger Sinha and Deepali Lindblom
Rehearsal Director: Bonnie Kim
Teaching Assistants: Julia Aplin, Samyuktha Punthambekar, Kimball Sarin
Performers
Julia Aplin, Mary Barr, Pieter Biessel, Michèle Croteau, Joan Curran, Mai Duong, Karen Franklin, Anna Gagliardi, Maryse Gauthier, Suzanne Jaeger, Marie Kranz, Marianne Langford, Shery Leeder, Ana Lima, Kim Macintyre, Deborah Melamed, Denise Mitsche, Susie Moshenberg, Samyuktha Punthambekar, Mary Anne Quance, Kimball Sarin, Judith Ann Smith, Brenda Sommers, Lynda Swafford, Diana Vasquez, Myriam Zitouni
Photo: Tamara Romanchuk
Tell Everyone
Performed at O&R #40
presented in association with Harbourfront Centre
November 10 & 11, 2017
Harbourfront Centre Theatre
Click here to view a documentary on the project
Created by Peter Chin, this work embodies and honours the words uttered by Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, a young man of 23 years. In May 2017, Taliesin, along with two other men, had been defending two Muslim girls against the racist aggression of a white supremacist on public transit in Portland, Oregon. The aggressor turned on the three men, attacking them with a knife. As Taliesin lay bleeding to death in the arms of a woman, a stranger who comforted him, he told her, “Tell everyone on this train I love them.” They were his last words before he died.
Choreography/Music: Peter Chin (plus Traditional Tibetan songs sung by Namgyal Lhamo and archival recordings of Bosavi People of Papua New Guinea)
Performers: Susie Burpee, Marie-Josée Chartier, Francisco Carrera, Bonnie Kim, Dan Wild, Linda Carter, Donna Croce, Meredith Dault, Sarah De Gasperis, Mai Duong, Peter Earle, Vivian Hall, Jane Irwin, Carole Ito, Ron Johnson, Sallie Lyons, Lainie Magidsohn, Kelly Mulan, Sucheta Rajagopal, Laura Schein, Andraya Smith, Tamara Stone, Dianne Taylor, Anne Tutt, Phyllis Whyte
Photo: Tamara Romanchuk
Danser Joe
Performed at O&R #39
presented in association with Harbourfront Centre
Danser Joe, a co-production with Fondation Jean Pierre Perreault
November 11 & 12, 2016
Harbourfront Centre Theatre
An excerpt of Joe, the late Jean Pierre Perreault's iconic contemporary dance work, was taught to a cast of 30, offering participants a unique and inspiring dance experience. The majority of the performers were amateurs, along with several former Joe performers reviving their roles. With Joe, Perreault evokes both the anonymity of the group and the unique qualities of each individual through familiar aspects of his choreographic signature—the percussive quality of the dancers’ movements and the pull of gravity on the body, symbolic of the human condition.
Choreography: Jean-Pierre Perreault
Rehearsal/Workshop Leader: Catherine Tardif
Assistant: Bonnie Kim
Performers by: Julia Aplin, Marie-Josée Chartier, Bonnie Kim, Julia Sasso, Gerry Trentham, Linda Carter, Mai Duong, Peter Earle, Real Eguchi, Lori Endes, Rhonda Feduck, Liz Haines, Carole Ito, Suzanne Jaeger, David Keshen, Slade Lander, Lainie Magidsohn, Dino Paoletti, Johanna Pax-Milic, Sebastian Oreamuno, Sucheta Rajagopal, Eve Schifman, Judith Ann Smith, Gary Tai, Andy Wang, Michael Ward, Dianne Weinrib, Patricia White
Photo: Tamara Romanchuk
Move It
Performed at O&R #37
April 8 - 10, 2016
Dancemakers Centre for Creation
Move It! is a dancing experience for everybody, helping participants discover their natural impulse to move and groove. People of all ages, experience and abilities come together to be inspired, empowered and motivated to move their bodies through dance making. Joe Laughlin, AD Joe Ink and creator of the program, led Move It! in Toronto, with a presentation that was featured at Older & Reckless #37.
Move It! participants Real Eguchi and Laura Nienhuis
Trill of the Heart
Performed at O&R #34
March 13 - 15, 2015
Dancemakers Centre for Creation
Trill of the Heart was created from movement developed by amateur participants in a series of workshops in the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015, led by Claudia Moore. The finished work, orchestrated by Moore, was performed by 14 of the workshop participants.
Performers: Susan Aaron, Rosemary Jeanes-Antze, Gail Barnett, Sherri Brass-Haas, Nico Contreras, Mai Duong, Real Eguchi, Susan Free, David Keshen, Laura Nienhuis, Kathleen O’Toole, Judithann Smith, Sandi Trillo,
Patricia White
"I have very little knowledge of modern dance (being a cellist) but a friend of mine recommended I go see the Older & Reckless show last weekend. It was a delight! I wanted to let you know how moved I was by the performances and how thankful I was to be able to see it." ~ audience member Rachel Gauntlett
Photo: Tamara Romanchuk
Midnight News
Performed at O&R #30
November 15 - 17, 2013
Dancemakers Centre for Creation
Midnight News was commissioned by Shannon Litzenberger and created by Marie-Josée Chartier for employees of the Royal Bank of Canada. It was first presented on a program with other works at Nuit Blanche in October 2013. MOonhORsE AD/O&R curator, Claudia Moore, invited Chartier's Midnight News, performed by the RBC employees, to be part of Older & Reckless #30. This was the very first community dance project to be featured in the series.
Photo: Tamara Romanchuk