by Tessa Perkins First Nations dance is more than a colourful spectacle of music and movement; it’s a reflection of the values and traditions of a people. Their dance practice is a ritual involving visual arts, song, intergenerational exchange, storytelling and movement, and the Coastal First Nations Dance Festival, held each March, offers the public
by Leigh Witchell Perhaps the biggest surprise in Alexei Ratmansky’s reconstruction of Swan Lake presented by Ballett Zürich in February was how few surprises there were in it. The ballet has a convoluted history. It was first done in 1877 in Moscow and completely redone in 1895 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.
by Kathleen Smith Montreal’s ninth Festival TransAmériques (FTA) ran May 21 to June 4 and was the first under new artistic director Martin Faucher. The lineup, presented in spaces across the city, was as eclectic and polished as ever. Some of the works were more provocative than others, but I was happy that many displayed