>>PREVIEW
THE CORRIDOR
La Caravan Dance Theatre
High Performance Rodeo
Runs January 5 to 7
Vertigo Playhouse
(Tower Centre)
Neither here nor there is how Maya Lewandowsky describes the space within The Corridor. The Tel Aviv trained dancer-choreographer mused on the state of in-between – the "freeze between movements where dance happens" – to create her company La Caravan Dance Theatre’s first full-length show, being presented at this year’s High Performance Rodeo.
"For me, it’s an ongoing thing, kind of like life on its own," she says. "The show The Corridor is very intense, very condensed. It is always on the move, there is something coming in, going out. All the time, something happens."
For Lewandowsky, The Corridor is both a metaphor and a life form. Originally performed at Dancers’ Studio West, the piece (or creature) has matured and morphed into a work for an ensemble of four dancers, including Linnae Bellay, Christie-Joy Cunningham, April Miranda and Lewandowsky herself.
Theatrical elements inform the work, from Lewandowsky’s post-balletic and physically demanding choreography to the dramatic, Cirque du Soleil-style costumes by Lisa Oehler.
"It’s dance theatre – not only of the body, but everything is part of making the theatre," she says. "It’s the lighting, the costumes, the music. It is something that is wrapping the piece in a different way to present ideas."
Lewandowsky gathers her inspiration wherever she goes. "I’m like a sponge, in a way," she says. "Throughout my life, whatever I see from life, I would like to put it onstage."
Lewandowsky originally performed with noted Israeli companies Bat-Dor and Inbal Pinto, and her work there has influenced her creations in Canada.
"From my experience as a dancer in (these) companies, and my influence from theatre… seeing a lot of shows and being in this world eventually brought me to the point (where I wanted) to take everything and generate my point of view of this world," he explains. And she wanted to give that viewpoint her own artistic imprint. "I have my own language of movement, my own way to also transmit it to the dancer and extract it from the dancer who is working with me," she says.
"Everything is coming into it, eventually – to this corridor," she adds with a laugh, comparing the space of a corridor to dance creation and performance. "It’s like a miniature universe."
Lewandowsky came to Calgary four years ago, after leaving Israel to take a break from the performing arts and travel. The nearby Rocky Mountains were one of the attractions that drew her to this city. "Everybody knows this is the best part of the mountains, this is the best part of the Rockies," she says.
She was also drawn by a sense of tranquillity. "In Israel, everything is very active… it’s very vibrant and the intensity is very high. And for me, when I came here, it was a peaceful feeling of now maybe this is time to bring something to life."
Lewandowsky started La Caravan Dance Theatre in 2003. She feels Calgary has space, both literal and metaphorical, that is ripe for new creation. She says it is in the dance world that she can best contribute to the city.
"To find a virgin place, a virgin territory is the best place really to put the seed of anything," she says. "For me, my best way to do it is my creation." |
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