Mainstage Dance
March 9 - 11, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
University Theatre, University of Calgary
$22 (adults) /$17 (students*/seniors)
*Part of the Claim Your Seat program. UCalgary students can request their free ticket in-person at the box office or online, limited quantity available! UCalgary employees and alumni receive 50% off for themselves and one guest.
Mainstage Dance
Mainstage Dance presents the works of professional choreographers on auditioned students at all levels in the dance program. This year’s choreographers are Lisa La Touche, Linnea Swan and Wojciech Mochniej.
A Note from the Artistic Director
Welcome to this year’s production of Mainstage Dance. This annual event gives us the opportunity to share with you the developing performative skills of our students, and to provide them the invaluable and intense experience of working with professional choreographers. Each choreographer brings a specific approach to the creative process, allowing our students to experience the diversity of approaches possible in art making, the collaborative nature of bringing a work to performance, and the full demand of the profession.
It takes many people working diligently, with a deep commitment to the artistic vision, to bring a work to the stage. I want to take this opportunity to thank the technical crew for their work, and for making the impossible, possible for all the artists involved. I’d like to thank this year’s guest artists for their contributions, and the students for their continued commitment, tireless work, and developing artistry. Finally, I want to thank you, our audiences throughout the years, for your presence in the theatre and for sharing these evenings with us.
We hope you enjoy the evening!
- Wojciech Mochniej, Artistic Director
Now, Then & Until
Choreography: Lisa La Touche
Stylist/Costume Design: Marissa Aurora
This is an offering comprised of three parts. A present moment solo improvisation (Now), a playful taste of some of the raw sounds and traditional rhythms of how we've previously experienced Tap Dance (Then), and a collective exploration of braving the vulnerability of holding on to the anticipation and hope of a love that one day might just last (Until).
NOW
Solo Improvisation: M'Kayla Kongnetiman
Music: Moten Swing by Oscar Peterson
THEN
Elena Toth, Mackenzie Cook, M'Kayla Kongnetiman, Kalyna Howell-Matwichuk, Dorothée Tölgyesi, Jolie Che
UNTIL
Music: "Until" by Cécile McLorin Salvant
Jolie Che, Mackenzie Cook, Kalyna Howell-Matwichuk, Anika Nocera, Elena Toth, M'Kayla Kongnetiman, Jillian Sanborn, Haley Jacques, Madison Stuwe, Dorothée Tölgyesi
Stray
I would like to acknowledge the immense creative contributions of the performers, as Stray emerged from a deeply collaborative process. Their openness and vulnerability through every stage of the process was truly inspiring, and it has been an absolute joy to witness their bravery and growth.
We hope you enjoy the work!
Concept / Direction / Staging: Linnea Swan
Movement Creation / Performance: Abby King, Celia Chao, Claire Winther, Eva Chalifoux, Katrina Finnigan, Lauren Falk, Lavender Wong, Maddy Graham, Shaïna Jean-Baptiste, Sierra Oszust
Music: Chad VanGaalen
Music Arrangement: Linnea Swan
- Intermission -
E Pluribus Unum
Choreography: Wojciech Mochniej
Interpretators/Dancers: Tess Knoll, Hazel Lewis, Rachel Anderson, Allysan Lui, Emma Schafer, Abby Dunn, Emilie Field, Elexie Tracy, Shayla Waschuk, Jamie Stock, Kylie Sichkaryk
Landscape: Wojciech Mochniej with samples and music by: Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto, Nadia Sirota, Oake, G.H, Monolake, Ekkehard Ehlers, Richard Chartier, Peter Gundry
Rehearsal Director: Melissa Monteros
Lighting Design: Steve Isom
The idea for the creation of this choreography is my look back at my artistic research to date. The 2023-24 season will be a kind of summary and a look at over 30 years of artistic work, both with W&M Physical Theater and my career at the University. The title "E Pluribus Unum”_part ONE (a latin phrase meaning "one from many") was used to develop a new choreography containing glimpses of vocabulary, scenes, and moments from my previous works. Many of these works were presented on stage only two or three times, after so many hours of work in the studio. This is a work of acknowledgement; of developing aesthetics, of the previous and current casts of students, and of my mentors.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the former heads of Dance; Anne Flynn, Anna Mouat, Darcy McGehee, Davida Monk, Melissa Monteros, for their mentorship and support, Steve Isom (for all our productions together) and the students who have always been an inspiration for new creation and exploration.
Thank you to this year's cast for a completely new experience; for their patience, contributions and growth…
School of Creative and Performing Arts
Staff
Director BRUCE BARTON
Associate Director ALLAN BELL
Dance Division Lead MELANIE KLOETZEL
Drama Division Lead CHRISTINE BRUBAKER
Music Division Lead ROD SQUANCE
Production Manager ANDREW NORTH
Department Operations Manager MARY LOU MENDYK
Administrative Assistant ALEXANDRA LYONS
Academic Program Specialist ROSABEL CHOI
Academic Program Specialist CONSTANTINA CALDIS ROBERTS
Graduate Program Advisor ALISON SCHMAL
Theatre Services
Venue & Client Relations Manager DAVID FRASER
Venue Business Administrator ABIR BACHIR
Booking Administrator CATHERINE ROULEAU
Front of House Manager KRISTINE ASTOP
Audio Technician ALEX BOHN
Lighting Technician JASON SCHWARZ
Stage Technician BRANDON DELA CRUZ