Mike Bourscheid and Justine Chambers (Canada) Presented with Western Front
PRESENTED WITH WESTERN FRONT
Six dancers, some very distinctive costumes and a set of unspoken rules; those are the basic elements of this performance, but listing them doesn’t begin to do justice to its humour, sophistication and originality. Idealverein is a game of sorts; it’s played in teams of three, and it involves a mixture of improv and strict rules. There are moments of grace, moments of awkwardness, moments that may elicit a guffaw…
And then there are the costumes, which dominate the stage and dictate much of the action: metal hardware, sausages, boiled eggs, lipstick, fake hair and much more have gone into their making, and they’re clearly the work of an original talent. The players wear large tan aprons and individually tailored footwear that serve to define their movements; these “costume-objects,” as their creator calls them, speak to the show’s fetishistic ritualism—and to its impish sense of fun.
Artist Bio
Mike Bourscheid
Mike Bourscheid’s work blurs the lines between design, sculpture and performance; he’s given to expressing gender fluidity and sending up macho, patriarchal norms. He has had the honour of representing Luxembourg at the Venice Biennale, and he has presented his work in the USA, Germany, Canada and elsewhere across the globe.
Justine A. Chambers
Justine A. Chambers is a dance artist based in the unceded Coast Salish territories of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her work stresses collaboration, empathy and the choreography that she sees in everyday social behaviour; it has taken her from Hong Kong to Pennsylvania, as well as many festivals and venues across Canada.
Venue
303 East 8th Ave, Vancouver
Showtimes
January 22–24
Artist Talk Jan 25 3PM
60 mins, no intermission
8PM
Tickets
Single tickets $15
Buy Tickets
Sold via Western Front website
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Access
Stairs
Content Note: Includes use of scents.
Credits
DANCERS Alison Denham, Ed Spence, Ralph Escamillan, Erika Mitsuhashi, Germaine Koh, Kate Franklin CHOREOGRAPHY Justine Chambers, Mike Bourscheid COSTUMES AND PROPS Mike Bourscheid DIRECTOR Mike Bourscheid in collaboration with Western Front
SUPPORTED BY FOCUNA Luxembourg, Ministère de la culture Luxembourg, Western Front