Next Thursdays performance will be like any other professional dance performance seemingly effortless and graceful, hiding the countless hours of rehearsals.
But there will be the added element of time travel.
In celebration of National Dance Week (April 22-29), the Richmond-based Historical Performance Ensemble transports its audience back to the height of Baroque with its intricately designed garments, and equally intricately executed steps.
To do this, artistic director Catherine Lee roves through pages of 17th century dance notations from her Sea Island home.
They read like maps for your feet, matching each dance move to a bar of music.
Its like a sleuth whos finding all the clues, said Lee. And its so intriguing intellectually. Its just fascinating.
Our culture has gone a different direction. Its not hands-on anymore, its not earthy. Its so cerebral. This matches the cerebral component, but its also practical and physical.
Its kind of akin to doing computer languages or something, trying to figure this out.
The ensemble, the only one of its kind in western Canada, formed about 25 years ago. It performs across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island for weddings, corporate functions, parties and their own productions.
Not just dance, the shows can consist of singing and instrumental, as well as, two plays written by the members. Everything performed is authentic to the time period with all its dramatic highs and lows.
Next weeks noon show, Go 4 Baroque! at the Scotiabank Dance Centre downtown Vancouver, focuses primarily on dance.
Where other troupes of its kind borrow from choreographed dances, the Historical Performance Ensemble is one of the few that goes back to the pages to decipher the dance steps. From there, they can more accurately depict the nuances and flavours of each dance.
Its the process of pulling it off the page and getting it into your body, and then letting it out again, said Lee, animatedly emphasizing the pulling and letting out with her hands. Its quite wonderfully excruciating.
Lees interest in the genre started out as a subconscious slow boil, percolating beneath the surface opposite to a typical Baroque piece with its powerful beginnings and relentless rhythm.
She remembers a ballet class as a child where her teacher choreographed a traditional Minuet and had the students dress in ball gowns.
I didnt remember that for years, but I knew that I was interested in the 17th century for some reason.
An influential Grade 6 History class and university educations in English, Drama and Dance led to further flirtations with the genre.
And then, within the first three days of moving west from Ontario, she saw a poster for a workshop with a Renaissance and dance specialist.
I thought, well, the universe is telling me something, she said. I was just fascinated by all this. I met people at the workshop and we formed the Vancouver Historical Dance Society, which is the predecessor for this group.
When not doing ensemble-related work, Lee teaches part time at Langara College and is part of another dance company, True North Performance.
She has converted one large room of her house into a dance studio complete with a piano and floor-to-ceiling mirrors. On one side, bookcases are filled with history and literature from 17th century Europe to early 20th century Canada.
My recreational reading is almost entirely about the Renaissance, the Baroque and the people from the period, their turmoil and accomplishments, said Lee.
History is so much more than wars and treaties. I really got interested in, well, what did the maid do in the house. What was a day in the life of a duchess like?
Her readings lend to the authenticity of her craft, down to the smallest details. One of the women has a quick-change, itd be impossible to unlace a corset. So I had to use Velcro for one of the costumes, which I wasnt too happy about.
The performance on April 25 begins at 12 p.m. and tickets are $12, $10 for students, seniors and children. To get tickets, visit www.ticketstonight.ca or call 604-606-6400. To find out more about the Historical Performance Ensemble, visit historicalperformance.net.
