At VIDF, Lamondance brings a celebration of life from theatre to studio space
Utilizing the power of movement and the magic of simple props, Before Dawn celebrates a new era of being back to the normality
Before Dawn integrates a ramp into the performance. Photo by Miles Clark
The creative minds behind Lamondance company’s latest piece, Before Dawn, sat down with the Vancouver International Dance Festival to talk about the incredibly grounding inspirations behind their creation.
Premiering on June 18 with the VIDF, Before Dawn is a concept that has been marinating for more than two years.
“It all started with a wall, which then turned into a ramp,” recalls the artistic director Davi Rodrigues. “The idea that I found then was, ‘Let’s do everything before it's too late—the world is a busy place, and no one seems to have the time to appreciate the little things.’” The special “dancer” featured in Before Dawn, namely the ramp, represents the unprecedented ups and downs that we encounter in life.
Having established the core idea that Rodrigues wants the audience to walk away with, the technical segment of the creative process has been faced with numerous challenges due to the novel pandemic. Lamondance prioritizes the health and safety of the faculty and cast, which means elements of contact need to be minimized.
As a choreographer used to performing in a theatre setting, Rodrigues also expresses the challenge that a limited space brings to his vision. However, he rose to that challenge by seeing this handicap as a learning opportunity.
“I always love a challenge and learning new things,” smiles Rodrigues. “The process really challenged me to continue with the integrity of the creation, and directing the dancers in such a relatively small space.…At the end, I actually ended up learning more.”
Rodrigues also considers working closely with a camera, as opposed to performing on stage, to be a great learning opportunity for aspiring film and video choreographers. Despite being relatively unfamiliar with this realm of dance as a theatre-focused choreographer, Rodrigues takes it as a valuable learning process. His openness to exploration and the element of the unknown truly manifests in the way he presents Before Dawn.
The philosophy of cherishing mistakes is another mandate that Lamondance adheres to closely. “Mistakes are sometimes the direction that you need to go,” says Rodrigues. By allowing the dancers to explore their mistakes and learn from them, Rodrigues believes this mindset makes the creation ever-evolving and makes the dancers leave the audience wanting more.
Rodrigues hopes to revive the missing human connection due to the pandemic in Before Dawn. By utilizing the power of movements and the magic of simple props, Before Dawn celebrates the new era of being back to the normality that we, as a collective, are progressively marching towards.
Watch Lamondance perform Before Dawn, live streaming from June 18 to 20 as a part of the 2021 Vancouver International Dance Festival.
Tickets to livestream performances of Before Dawn are FREE or by-donation with advanced registration at https://www.vidf.ca/lamondance .
Post sponsored by VIDF.