Projected onto a screen partially submerged in water, a looped video shows dancers interacting with the surface of the water.
The dance was conceived of by hannah_g and she invited local choreographer, Rachel Cooper, to choreograph the piece. The work was created with two local dancers, Vanessa Hrynchuk and Lia Loewen.
The idea came during hannah’s regular walks along the Assiniboine River where she sees birds and fish paddling, jumping, and swimming. hannah became fascinated by how the surface of the water creates a line between the above and below, the visible and invisible, and how the line moves with the ripples. One morning, an image of dancers interacting with this line appeared in her mind with great force and became the impetus for this project.
First screened at The Forks, Winnipeg as part of Nuit Blanche 2021.
Crew
hannah_g Director, Producer
Rachel Cooper Choreographer
Lia Loewen Dancer
Vanessa Hrynchuk Dancer
JP Media/Jordon Popowich Videographer
Aston Coles Production Technician
Colby Richardson Projectionist
Acknowledgements
Situated at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers on Treaty 1 territory, The Forks has been a meeting place for over 6,000 years. Treaty 1 territory encompasses the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe, Ininew, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene Peoples and is the homeland of the Metis Nation. We are grateful and inspired to share work here.
The project was funded by the Manitoba Arts Council with support from Shelley Shearer School of Dance, Nick and Todd at the Gas Station Arts Centre, Artisan AV, The Forks. Special thanks to Rose Passante, Niigaan Sinclair.
Photo: a still from the video WATERLINE: A Dance With the Surface of Water; 2021.
