Breakfast at Meg Stuart’s involves a lot of dancing.

DETAILS

Do Animals Cry presented by Theatre Junction Grand
Theatre Junction Grand
Wednesday, March 10 - Saturday, March 13

More in: Dance

Family is complicated. It permeates many facets of our lives, including who we become, and now it’s spilling over into our theatre. To start untangling this ever-present entity, Meg Stuart delves into the realm of the family in her latest work, Do Animals Cry. Six dancers characterize the family unit as they move through the subtext and nuanced layers of relationships inherent in any family dynamic. At times dramatic and also with a touch of black humour, Stuart brings to life an exciting and sometimes bewildering portrait of a family structure. For the American-born choreographer, now based out of Belgium, this will be her Calgary première.

Stuart is interested in social choreographies in dance theatre, and she explores the nature of the flawed human condition with her company Damaged Goods. She is intrigued by the complex effect family has on individuals.

“You can try to feel very far away from your family but they are always still there with you” says Stuart. The subject of family is simultaneously universal and deeply personal. “Sometimes we don’t choose our families but they have a profound effect on our psychology, how we see the world.”

Part of the inspiration for Do Animals Cry is the shifting nature of family structures — roles can be assumed, rejected or altered — reflected in the morphing quality of the movement. “Even in groups, some people play more the maternal figure or child figure,” says Stuart. By revealing how individuals act within the group, Stuart unearths the hidden tensions and obligations inherent in family relationships. She also explores the seemingly contradictory roles that one member can play. “One woman might seem more of the mother but then she is so childish and so young. We do this in real life, so you think, ‘What is she doing here?’”

The movement that develops through these complex relationships is edgy and exciting. “You see them thinking, the physicality of thinking, but also feeling and sensing,” says Stuart. “They’re shifting their awareness as they show their bodies.”

One such scene involves a hyperactive family photo shoot where the performers are all in an intensely elevated physical state. While not expressly narrative, the work moves through recognizable moments and then takes dives into unfamiliar territory. “You see the world through a different perspective, like you’re reading a novel — see one person and how they see what is going on,” she says.

The emotional landscapes that unravel become more important for Stuart than just physical technique. “Somehow their inner states are spilling to the external — thoughts and emotions as well as just doing actions,” explains Stuart. The dancers move through human thoughts like “doubts or questions or demands.” Further elevating the emotional tension, musical collaborator Hahn Rowe uses a wide selection of music to create the score, including electronic and string sections.

The set includes a gigantic nest-like structure. “We talked about a dwelling or a place people could live but wasn’t obvious” says Stuart. Working with set designer Doris Dziersk, they developed the massive structure made of twigs with a tunnel running through the middle that creates a hidden place on the stage to hide family secrets or to travel through.

Combining dance and theatrical elements, Stuart creates a hybrid way of expressing the body onstage, removing traditional boundaries between the two mediums. Ultimately, through all the varied relationships of family members, the closeness of the group is pivotal. Stuart believes that the root of any family structure is intimacy, whether it is the family you are born into or one that you adopt.

“Intimacy — to have this onstage is very important,” she says.