ROCKING THE BOAT

CELEBRATING QUEER CONTENT IN CANADIAN CONCERT DANCE

ERYN

DACE TRUDELL

Eryn Dace Trudell, a resident of Montreal for the past decade, is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and producer. Juilliard trained, she spent her formative choreographic years in the Toronto 1990s dance scene. An absence of lesbian presence in concert dance drove Trudell to illuminate this perspective and she committed 10 years of her creative life to lesbian content. Apart from her own works, she collaborated on similarly themed theatre and cabaret productions. Still, Trudell felt isolated and vulnerable within the concert dance milieu. To create more opportunity for herself and others, she co-founded Damn Straight, a performance/studio space. Here, Trudell and colleagues were able to self-present, effectively bypassing the business of winning approval from producers. Ever drawn to new frontiers in dance, Trudell has choreographed works for mixed abilities dancers and, since 2006, has been the force behind Montreal’s Mama Dances, an organization dedicated to performance and classes for mothers dancing with their babies, parent/child dance and contact improvisation for families.

Photo Credit (above): Eryn Dace Trudell / Photographer unknown

ELIMINATION OF LATERAL VIOLENCE

Elimination of Lateral Violence portrays an intimate relationship between androgynous, futuristic characters battling primitive internal and external landscapes. The themes are universal and personal: how to have courage in a world of fear and oppression and how to protect a relationship threatened by internal and external violence; the risk involved with intimacy and trust; finding a safe place within and defending it from evil. This dance uniquely celebrates the vast possibilities of partnering in dance with a vocabulary of powerful lifting; sensual, lush gestures; and intricate entwinement.

– Eryn Dace Trudell

Elimination of Lateral Violence (1997)

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• Danceographers: Susan Lee and Eryn Dace Trudell
• Music composition / Sound Design: Catherine Thompson
• Lighting Designer: Sharon DiGenova
• Production Designer: Dany Lynn
• Rubber Wear: Sue Seto

Susan Lee (co-choreographer of Elimination of Lateral Violence) Dora-nominated dancer, Susan Lee’s career as a performer, choreographer and teacher spans twenty-five years. Based in Toronto, she has originated roles in almost fifty world premieres by many established Canadian choreographers. Her choreography, focused on interdisciplinary collaborations and improvisation has been presented in many Canadian dance festivals and series. From 1995-2006, Lee was Co-Artistic Director of Series 8:08 and has also sat on the boards of several dance organizations, including Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists and the CanAsian Dance Festival. Well-known as a teacher of contact improvisation, partnering techniques, improvisation and modern dance technique, she is currently on the faculty of York University’s Dance Department.

FISH STEW

Fish Stew, my first choreographic venture into lesbian content, is a sexy story about a couple of women who meet in a bar or at a party and pursue a lengthy relationship together. They support each other and hold each other, they fly and dive together. The dance is technically challenging. So is lesbian sex ... lots of upper body work and tight timing, punctuated stillness, articulate hands and fingers. What was rare at the time was the accentuation of buttocks and crotch. The way we touched each other was not something I had ever seen on the dance stage before. I was placing the intimate rituals of lesbian sex on the stage.

– Eryn Dace Trudell

Fish Stew (1996)

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• Choreography: Eryn Dace Trudell
• Performers: Eryn Dace Trudell and Jessica Runge
• Lighting Design: Sharon DiGenova

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