After the pandemic pulled the plug on live performance over the past two years, Haitian-Canadian artist Rodney Diverlus is welcoming audiences back into “the joy and the magic of dance” with their new production.
“We’re presenting a simple and evocative and exciting group of comrades, a tribe of characters that have one mission in mind and it’s to welcome you into the space through a series of dance, movement, text, and physical theatre explorations,” Diverlus said.
Welcome, we’ve been waiting is set to take place at the Winchester Street Theatre, from May 19 to May 28, starting at 7:30 pm.
This work evolved from Diverlus’s residency through the RBC Pilot Episodes series at the Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) last January. The residency program gives choreographers the chance to work with TDT company’s dancers for the first time.
“We use the chance also to ask ourselves, ‘How do we want to work? What has changed? What do moving and dancing look like and feel like in this new world?’” Diverlus said.
Featuring original music by 2022 Canadian Screen Award Winner TiKA, welcome marries different styles of dance such as lindy hop, kizomba, jazz and contemporary queer performance.
“I’ve always been interested in putting on stage the different aesthetics and the different styles that I’ve had the pleasure of training in,” Diverlus said.
Andrew Tay, TDT’s artistic director, said the production team has had to adapt to challenges caused by the many phases of COVID-19. Some rehearsals had been postponed, classes switched to zoom.
“Acceptance has become a major thing both on a philosophical and spiritual level,” Tay said about working during the pandemic. “Otherwise, we’re just going to be constantly frustrated and mad all the time.”
Diverlus described this work as a milestone in their career. Although they’ve created works for Art Gallery of Ontario, Canadian Opera Company and more, welcome is their first full-length commission by a dance company.
“It was new territory for me. I had never worked with dancers that I hadn’t cast before,” they said. “It was exciting to also get a chance to learn.”
While choreographing this work, Diverlus said they moved at a slower pace. “We really have been really cautious to not overwork, to take ample breaks, to talk about things, to process things.”
Diverlus encouraged those who don’t go to live performances often to give the show a chance.
“With all that we’ve gone through with all that we still are going through, I think the antidote to a lot of our issues now is live performance,” Diverlus said.
Tickets ($20- $30) must be purchased in advance here.
TDT also offers tickets for a Livestream performance on May 20, as well as a Deaf/ASL interpretation of the performance on May 26.
A Pay-What-You-Can Night is available on May 25, which gives people a range of affordable prices to choose from with access to the entire performance.
