Toronto Dance Theatre in Residence at York University

Toronto Dance Theatre in Residence at York University,culminating in a one-night-only performance of the critically acclaimedTimecode Break choreographed by Christopher House

TORONTO, January 7, 2008 -- Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) will be in residence at York University’s Department of Dance January 14-17, culminating in a public performance on January 17 at 8pm of the multiple award-winning dance Timecode Break, choreographed by TDT artistic director and York alumnus Christopher House.

During their residency, House and TDT dancers will deliver daily technique classes to York dance students. They will also present four additional special events open to the public: studio performances of Chiasmata, House’s latest creation for the company, and his solo News, choreographed by Deborah Hay; a screening of the House biopic Ahead of the Curve; and an illustrated talk on The Making of Timecode Break (presentations daily Jan 14-17 at 12noon).

Timecode Break is a quintessential dance for the 21st century. Choreographed simultaneously for stage and screen, it integrates razor-sharp dancing with gorgeous video images to create a brave new kinetic landscape. Dancing in partnership with their digital selves in a seamless choreography of control and abandon, the TDT dancers are pushed to their edge, performing in lightning-fast unison, fierce counterpoint and powerful solos. The limits of physical virtuosity are framed by the infinite potential of the digital body.

After its world premiere at the Canada Dance Festival in 2006, Paula Citron of The Globe and Mail hailed Timecode Break as: “… among the greatest dances ever created in Canada… a work of such brilliance that it is ahead of the curve.” The piece topped four critics’ Top Ten lists in 2006, including being named “best new contemporary dance” by The Toronto Star. It won three Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 2007, including Outstanding Production and Outstanding Choreography.

Timecode Break is a commission from the Canada Dance Festival and a co-production with Ottawa’s National Arts Centre and the Banff Centre for the Arts.

Chiasmata, House’s most recent choreography, ranges in tone from playful to percussive to sublimely vulnerable. The work uses a new creative process for House and his dancers, and explores new emotional and physical territory. This new methodology has created movement that is both idiosyncratic and very personal to the performers, while at the same time, is beautifully shaped and crafted. Chiasmata was nominated for a 2007 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Choreography.

News is a solo set on House by world-renowned experimental dance artist Deborah Hay. The piece was choreographed by Hay and adapted for House during his participation in Hay’s Solo Performance Commissioning Project, an international creation residency in Findhorn, Scotland. News premiered in December 2006 at Toronto’s Winchester Street Theatre.

Christopher House: Ahead of the Curve is a film about process and the dazzling energy and mystique of dance. Commissioned by Bravo! Television and directed by House’s sister Rosemary House, this intimate exploration of the art of choreography reveals the detailed processes House brings to his work and his enduring search for knowledge and inspiration. “If you’ve ever wondered about the point of modern dance, the answer is here,” said John Doyle of The Globe and Mail.

The Making of Timecode Break is a lecture-demonstration led by House and including DVD projection.

"We're delighted to welcome Christopher House back to York together with his company," said Dance Department Chair Mary Jane Warner. "This residency offers a wonderful opportunity for our students to work with the outstanding artists in TDT, and to observe them both in classes and rehearsal settings. We hope this will be the beginning of a long-term relationship between TDT and the Department of Dance at York."

Christopher House is one of Canada’s most respected choreographers. The artistic director of Toronto Dance Theatre since 1994, he has transformed TDT into a company known internationally for its fresh, intelligent and provocative dance. Joining TDT as a dancer in 1979, House became resident choreographer in 1981 and has contributed over 50 works to the repertoire, including Glass Houses, Four Towers, Early Departures, Vena Cava, Nest, Persephone’s Lunch and Sly Verb. His most recent works include Chiasmata and Timecode Break for TDT and In the Boneyard, his second evening-length collaboration with Toronto indie-rock sensation Joel Gibb and The Hidden Cameras.

York's dance department has been the seedbed for a generation of outstanding Canadian dance artists. Graduates include Debra Brown, choreographer of nine Cirque du Soleil productions; Patrick Parson, founding artistic director of Ballet Creole; Denise Fujiwara, artistic director of Canasian Dance Festival; Karen Kaeja of Kaeja d’Dance; and leading independent dancers and choreographers Shannon Cooney, Santee Smith, Andrea Nann, Yvonne Ng and Lata Pada.

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Toronto Dance Theatre and the Department of Dance, York University
present

Timecode Break choreographed by Christopher House

Thurs. Jan. 17 at 8pm
Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre
Accolade East Building York University, 4700 Keele St. Toronto

General Admission: $35 / students $19
Box Office 416.736.5888 | www.yorku.ca/perform
Information: www.tdt.org