battery opera celebrates international dance day

International Dance Day is April 29th, and in celebration, The Dance Centre, is organising a weekend packed with events.

Many dance artists, groups and organisations will be participating. Here's what we'll be up to.

What The Hell...?
April 27-29, various times & locations around the downtown core
FREE
battery opera will be instigating dance encounters small and large – puzzles, amusements and celebrations that sneak up and sprout up on street corners around downtown.

Bob's Lounge
April 28, Café Montmartre (Main St @ 28th Ave)
No cover, no regrets.
This edition features: David McIntosh (vocals) and Max Murphy (saxophone), Finn Maniche (cello) & Ben Brown (percussion).
With special guest artists: Adrienne Wong, Sasa Brown & Amber Funk Barton.

masters thesis

battery opera is one of the subjects of MA candidate Anna Griffith at York University. She has set up an online forum about [storm] here.

...more reviews!

Bad reviews are often good reads. This one, from Victoria's Times Colonist is almost better than a rave, it entices you to check it out for yourself, despite the reviewer's dislike.

We also meant to post this one from The Toronto Star, an interesting take on opera as a form and battery opera's contribution to its evolution.

David's appeal*

Dear fuckers,

I write in humble supplication. Gone is the cockiness of the past that persuaded me that sending pictures of Jay Hirabiyashi’s penis as support material to provincial funding juries was a good idea, as is my habit of referring to my cherished peers and benefactors as fuckers, with all the endearment that that implies. I write now, to let you know of our subsequent and crucial need for box office returns at our upcoming Vancouver shows of [storm]!

Save my ass. Buy a ticket. See a fantasic show -“manly”, “compelling and disturbing dance theatre indeed” as the Globe says, or how about “a worthy fresh-thinking attempt to reach the ideal of opera that has eluded us for hundreds of years” as the Toronto Star would have it.

Buy a ticket, save my ass, See a great show, and the first beer is on us.

To see More of Jay Hirabiyashi’s penis, go here.


Love,

David McIntosh
artistic producer


*This is the original unedited version of David's appeal. An edited version (that wouldn't be flagged as spam) was sent to our mailing list.

...[storm] in Peterborough...

...and what a storm it was! -30 degree conditions had the company cooped up in their hotel rooms all day, but by night? These photos say it all...













Photos taken by battery opera during a Bob's Lounge gig at the Montreal Tavern in Peterborough, ON.

[storm] in Victoria

Last night [storm] opened at the beautiful Belfry Theatre.

We inserted audience feedback sheets into the program, and here's a selection of what people had to say:

-"Amazing, my favourite so far this year at the Belfry. Definitely coming to a second show...."

-"The dancers were nothing short of brilliant!"

-"...I felt like jumping up and cheering!...

-"I could watch this for hours...Best performance I've seen in years!"

-"Wonderful flow of form in the dance...I loved the experience of watching! The lighting was great and created the space for the work. FAR FUCKING OUT! Congrats to ALL."

What a great beginning to our Victoria run! And there's still 4 nights to come...

Thanks to everyone who came out last night, to Stephen White and Dance Victoria for (once again!) being great hosts, and to Mary Desprez and the Belfry crew for such a warm welcome to the theatre!