Lamondance reimagines Romeo and Juliet as a dreamy holiday romance in A Winter's Twist
Davi Rodrigues choreographed, wrote, and directs the full-length contemporary-dance work, which is about to have its world premiere
A Winter’s Twist puts a holiday spin on Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Adrian Ortega
Lamondance presents A Winter’s Twist on December 17 and 18 at 7:30 pm at the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts in North Vancouver.
LOCAL CHOREOGRAPHER DAVI RODRIGUES remembers how, as a child growing up in the Brazilian capital of Brasília, he dreamed of one day living in a place where he would be able to see snow and Christmas lights on display at this time of year. He was just three years old when he started dancing, and the art form is what drew him to Vancouver 13 years ago. Now the artistic director of Lamondance, he’s injecting his love of the holidays into a brand-new seasonal production, A Winter’s Twist, which has its world premiere on the North Shore this weekend.
Rodrigues wanted the show to be magical but also inclusive, one that focused on the holidays in general and not any particular religious or traditional take on them. Most of all, as with his other work, he wanted to offer excellent contemporary dance and then some, reaching audiences on a deeper level.
“As a little boy I had this wild imagination, and I think that’s why I liked to create and to choreograph,” Rodrigues tells Stir in a phone interview. “As the artistic director of the company, what I really like to do besides guiding young, emerging artists is to really create shows that connect with the audience because we live in this crazy world—especially now, going through COVID. I feel that when they come to the theatre, they want to be transported to another dimension, to another world.
“If, by the end of the show or during of course of it, someone comes to me and says ‘Thank you very much,’ or ‘You made me cry’ or ‘You made me laugh,’ they might go home so inspired. They might not remember the name of the show, but maybe they’ll think ‘One day I saw this show that really touched me; it made me want to dance’ or ‘it made to want to be an actor’. If you can touch someone, you have done a great job, and that’s my passion.”
To move people emotionally through movement, Rodrigues turned to one of the greatest love stories of all time: Romeo and Juliet. He has reimagined the classic romance, turning it from a tragedy into a family-friendly tale fit for the festive season, one that appeals to progressive thinkers who support equity and diversity; there’s a gender-neutral character, for example. The starting point was to create a holiday offering that wasn’t like all the others.
Rodrigues first moved to Vancouver specifically to perform with Lamondance, where he was also a guest choreographer. He also danced as a guest artist at places like the Royal City Youth Ballet. “I did The Nutcracker for five years,” he says. “The only role I didn’t play was Mother Ginger. Vancouver has this beautiful, ginormous catalogue of different versions of The Nutcracker; I’m so happy about it, but what if I could create a contemporary professional dance show for the winter holidays that was not The Nutcracker? What if we reinvent a story that everybody loves and bring that to the winter holidays?”
Photo by Adrian Ortega
Choreographed, written, and directed by Rodrigues, A Winter’s Twist was born, the piece opening with Juliet—whose family is not one to get into the festive spirit—running off to see Christmas lights. She meets Romeo, who comes from a family that loves everything about the holidays. The two fall in love but their families begin to feud; a genderless character named the Twister rescues them from all the chaos, transporting them to a dreamy winter wonderland. It’s all told through Rodrigues’s energetic, athletic choreography and a score that includes original compositions by local dancer and multidisciplinary artist Brandon Alley.
Lamondance grew out of RNB Dance and Theatre Arts in North Vancouver and has a training academy plus, as of 2021, a professional company—the realization of Rodrigues’s dream. A chance to highlight its pro dancers, A Winter’s Twist also features student performances, including those by members of other local dance schools, making it a real community production.
“I always tell my students, ‘You’ve gotta follow your heart, and your life is always giving to you for you to see,” he says. “That’s how I create movement—I create it on the spot with whatever ideas the universe sends to me in that moment to guide me.”
Rodrigues is hopeful that A Winter’s Twist will become an annual holiday tradition. And he hints that audiences will want to arrive about 15 minutes in advance for some surprises that will take place before the curtain even rises. He adds: “I hope people will be experiencing the magic for many, many, many months to come—years if possible!”
For more information, see https://www.lamondance.com/.
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