Co. ERASGA: OrienTik/Portrait (world premiere)

The Dance Centre and the Dancing on the Edge Festival present
Co. ERASGA: OrienTik/Portrait (world premiere)

Wednesday July 13 – Saturday July 16 at 8.30pm
Scotiabank Dance Centre, 677 Davie St (at Granville), Vancouver

Tickets $17 from the Dancing on the Edge Box Office: 604 689 0926
Info: 604 606 6400 www.thedancecentre.ca

Contemporary dance, taiko drumming and classical piano music come together in OrienTik/Portrait, an electrifying new full length work performed by four outstanding dance artists and musicians. Choreographed by Alvin Erasga Tolentino, the Filipino-born Artistic Director of Co. ERASGA and The Dance Centre’s Artist-in-Residence, the work also features the exquisite Toronto dancer Andrea Nann, innovative taiko drummer Eileen Kage and classical pianist Alison Nishihara. Together they create a distinctive and breathtakingly beautiful work, which interweaves music and dance with an exploration of their shared Asian heritage.

Tolentino’s finely crafted choreography ranges from bursts of forceful energy to elegant and contemplative solos and duets. Nishihara and Kage are well known as the Nishihara and Kage Duo for their innovative taiko and piano adaptations of classical piano repertoire, and OrienTik/Portrait is based around their interpretations of music including sonatas by Alberto Ginastera and Isaac Albeniz. The two musicians share the stage with the dancers – at times the charismatic Kage moves amongst them - creating mesmerizing layers of sound and movement. The piece is the culmination of Tolentino’s ten-month Dance Centre residency, which has encompassed performances, workshops and outreach activity.

Artist biographies:

Alvin Erasga Tolentino has built an outstanding reputation as a performer, choreographer, teacher and visual artist. He explores his Asian roots and identity alongside contemporary Western issues in works of great beauty, innovation and integrity, which deftly combine dance and other visual media. Born in Manila, in the Philippines, he trained in Winnipeg, Toronto and New York, and founded Co. ERASGA in 2001. He has performed, choreographed and taught across Canada, the US, Europe and Asia.

Vancouver born Andrea Nann lives and works in Toronto as a choreographer, performer and teacher. A choreographer and director of Dreamwalker Productions since 1998, Andrea has collaborated with poets, authors, musicians, visual artists and filmmakers, including a series of works with writer Michael Ondaatje. She is a graduate of the York University department of Fine Arts, and was a member of the Danny Grossman Dance Company from 1988-2003.

Japanese born Eileen Kage has been playing and composing on the taiko since the early 1980s. She has co-founded several Vancouver taiko groups including Uzume Taiko, Canada’s first professional taiko group, and has collaborated with a variety of individual artists and musicians. She has toured all over Canada, Europe, and the US with Uzume Taiko, Sawagi Taiko, LOUD (with electric guitarist Elaine Stef) and Kokoro Dance. Alison Nishihara has been working professionally as a pianist for over fifteen years, teaching and performing with a wide variety of groups and choirs around BC. She also has an MSc in Mathematics from the University of Victoria and has been teaching mathematics at university level for nearly twenty years.

Established in 1986 as a resource centre for the dance profession and the public in British Columbia, The Dance Centre has evolved into a multifaceted organization offering a range of activities unparalleled in Canadian dance. Its programs include Artist-in-Residence, which assists artists in the creation and presentation of new works, teaching and outreach over an extended period of time. The Dance Centre also operates Scotiabank Dance Centre, Canada’s flagship dance facility, and provides extensive resources and programs for the dance profession.

Alvin Erasga Tolentino’s residency is supported by the City of Vancouver’s Diversity Initiatives Program and Tom Lee Music. Partners: Asian Heritage Month and the Dancing on the Edge Festival.

The operations and projects of Co. ERASGA are supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council, and the City of Vancouver through the Office of Cultural Affairs.

The operations of The Dance Centre are supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council, and the City of Vancouver through the Office of Cultural Affairs. Programs are also supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the Province of BC through the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch. Official hotel sponsor: the Holiday Inn Vancouver Downtown Hotel & Suites

The Dance Centre, Level 6, 677 Davie Street, Vancouver BC V6B 2G6 Tel 604 606 6400 www.thedancecentre.ca