Next Steps: Dance at Harbourfront Fall 2011 Line-up

From a media release:

Harbourfront Centre’s NextSteps 11/12 Season Announced
Runs from September 2011 through June 2012
Flex Pass Discounts Available to October 15, 2011


TORONTO, ON – Harbourfront Centre is proud to announce the sixth season of NextSteps, running September 2011 through June 2012. Since 2005, NextSteps has been Toronto’s unrivalled contemporary dance series, a showcase of the depth and energy of established and emerging companies from Toronto and across Canada.

This globally-inspired NextSteps season features 29 companies and most performances are world premieres of new works. There are returning audience favourites as well as artists new to Harbourfront Centre’s stages. With five performances specifically identified as family-friendly, and dance styles ranging from contemporary and cutting-edge to classical and traditionally inspired, there is definitely a show for everyone in this NextSteps season.

• Tickets for all NextSteps 11/12 performances are now on sale through the Harbourfront Centre box office.
• Prices vary by show with savings of up to 50 per cent through the Flex Pass (four tickets for $110, or eight tickets for $180) to separate performances, however this option is only available until Oct. 15, 2011.
• Harbourfront Centre also offers NextSteps Packages, with discounts and incentives when three or more tickets are purchased to separate performances; the Culture Break programme for students and those under 25 years of age; and additional discounts are available for seniors and dance industry professionals.
• For more information on ticket prices and options, call 416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/nextsteps1112.

NextSteps Fall 2011 Season Lineup

ProArteDanza – Season 2011
Oct.5-8, 8 p.m. (Fleck Dance Theatre)

Tickets: $18-$39
Blending beauty and all-out athleticism, Season 2011 features a cast of Toronto’s hottest contemporary dancers performing Toronto premieres by award-winning choreographers
Roberto Campanella (Artistic Director), Robert Glumbek (Artistic Associate) Kevin O'Day (Mannheim Ballet); and a world premiere by Guillaume Côté (National Ballet of Canada). proartedanza.com

Chartier Danse – Stria
Oct. 14-15, 8 p.m. (Enwave Theatre)

Presented in association with the DanceWorks CoWorks Series
Tickets: $20-$28
Emerging from the beautiful and unpredictable terrain of the Badlands, Chartier invites the audience on a unique and virtuosic physical and theatrical expedition. The latest solo work by award-winning choreographer/performer Marie-Josée Chartier, Stria is a dark, playful and unconventional self-portrait. chartierdanse.com

DanceWorks DW 191: Zata Omm – Eight Ways From Mara
Oct. 20-22, 8 p.m. (Enwave Theatre)

Tickets: $17-$33.50
William Yong's Eight Ways From Mara is a multi-disciplined, imaginative and visually compelling choreographic work that explores a modern interpretation of how people strive to find ways to avoid life’s misery by capitulation or opposition to three elemental forces of confusion, temptation and distraction. danceworks.ca

DanceWorks DW 192: Tribal Crackling Wind – Fluency
Nov. 3-5, 8 p.m. (Enwave Theatre)

Tickets: $17-$33.50
Can one become Nicaraguan? Jamaican-born, Toronto-based artist Peter Chin answers this question with Fluency, a multidisciplinary piece developed during a stay in Latin America, imbued with his trademark finesse and humour. He documented his sometimes comical efforts to learn Spanish and to integrate into a new culture that has all led to this very playful piece for Chin and four performers, an atypical progress report that lies somewhere between dance, theatre, video and a talk show. danceworks.ca

Menaka Thakkar Dance Company – In The Further Soil – Tribute to Tagore
Nov. 11-12, 8 p.m. & Nov. 12, 2 p.m. (Fleck Dance Theatre)

Tickets: $22.50-$35
In The Further Soil captures through the journey of Menaka Thakkar both a sense of the form as well as the process of the making of an Indian dancer in Canada. In the second half, Menaka Thakkar returns to the Harbourfront stage for a solo tribute to Rabindranath Tagore to mark his 150th anniversary. menakathakkardance.org

Break it Down – Enter the Shadow
A Harbourfront Centre Fresh Ground new work

Nov. 24-26, 7 p.m. & Nov. 27, 2:30 p.m. (Enwave Theatre)
Tickets: $24-$28, $22 advance price before Nov. 1
Enter the Shadow and embark on a dynamic journey through the b-boy lifestyle and culture. This explosive production brings the audience into the seldom understood reality of dance artists born through battle and conflict, forging their own creations through the strife around them with nothing but the concrete beneath feet. A family-friendly performance. breakitdown.ca

Gadfly – Klorofyl
Presented in association with Harbourfront Centre

Nov. 24-26, 8:30 p.m. & Nov. 27, 4 p.m. (Fleck Dance Theatre)
Tickets: $24-$28, $22 advance price before Nov. 1
Plants have this incredible ability to synthesize light into energy. As humans, we need to generate passion to feel alive, but we depend on each other for that. Inspired by the classic 1954 film “Seven Samurais”, Klorofyl is the rebirth of seven fallen warriors that, when united for something noble and greater than them, aspire to find that lost flame again. gadfly.ca

Toronto Urban Dance Symposium – Adopt and Adapt
Nov. 26, time TBA (Harbourfront Centre)

With support from Gadfly, Harbourfront Centre and various dance organizations, this one-day event aims to elevate street dance styles and guide dancers to a professional career. Dancers, students and choreographers learn about the fundamentals, history and artistry behind street dance through workshops, discussion panels and performances. B-boys, poppers, lockers and hip hop dancers learn tips, do’s and don’ts from professionals in the commercial industry and theatre stage. TUDS is an event for emerging, professional and amateur dancers who want to learn and make things happen for themselves. gadfly.ca

Ballet Creole – Soulful Messiah 10th anniversary
Dec. 2-3, 8 p.m. & Dec. 4, 3 p.m. (Fleck Dance Theatre)

Tickets: $20-$45
Celebrating its 10th year anniversary with enhanced lighting and new costumes, it’s the perfect time to discover the magic of this season favourite. Ballet Creole infuses tap, African–Caribbean, ballet, jazz and modern dance in this unique celebration of life through dance and music. Featuring the uplifting voices of Aretha Franklin, The Boys Choir of Harlem, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, Soulful Messiah drives its dancers and its audiences to rejoice. A family-friendly performance. balletcreole.org

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre – WinterSong – dances for a sacred season
Dec. 9, 8 p.m. & Dec. 10, 2 p.m. (Fleck Dance Theatre)

Tickets: $22.50-$38
For the past 24 years, WinterSong has warmed the hearts of family audiences with its breathtaking tapestry of seasonal dance. Celebrate the holidays with some of Canada’s most exciting choreographers, dancers, and musicians inspired by the world’s rich solstice traditions. A family-friendly performance. ccdt.org

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