| Nicole Mion’s I was looking at the ceiling AND THEN I SAW THE SKY, a new dance work on the theme of flight which premièred in the final week of the Rodeo, mixes humour with sensual and tragic elements based on memory, fact and fiction.
The performers (Lori Duncan and Natalie Poissant) establish a rapport with us right from the get-go, as they stretch onstage and talk to the audience, and they shine as they play on the various meanings of flight and how it relates to performance. Director-choreographer Mion has them carry on a dialogue during their dancing, which includes some meaty stuff for audiences to sink their teeth into, such as facts about plane crashes and insects, and personal stories of conversations on airplanes. There are also magical, goofy moments, with Duncan and Poissant making shadow puppets, telling stories, and interrupting each other both in conversation and movement.
Amir Amiri’s urban string quartet complements the piece, as do the industrial lighting design of Yan Lee Chan, with its emphasis on shadows, and the set and light element design of Robert Duke, which allows the performers to use fluorescent-tube light fixtures as props. Mion is an original artist to keep your eye on.
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