Choreographer Notes:
“Dark matter” and “dark energy” are the terra incognita of our day. Making up roughly 96 percent of the observable universe, it can be perceived and, in some ways, proven to exist, but no one knows yet what it actually is. What we can see is the effect it has on galaxy speeds, structures and evolution.
Knowing that so much of our universe is unknowable sits comfortably with me. I find a pleasing parallel between what we don’t know about the universe, and what we don’t know about the mind. Creation for me is about experiencing unknown territory, but it is also about trying to perceive my own mind. Something unknowable, destabilizing, and strangely beautiful compels me to create. It requires me to work and live in a state of not knowing, even while I am making plans, manifesting choreography, and writing program notes. Working and living in a state of not knowing is hard for me. I’m trying to connect to the shadows in order to illuminate something: bringing images to light by feeling around in the dark.
In my past three creations, I’ve worked with a characterization of the shadow itself; selecting this as an image of anonymity and mystery, and finding a movement language for it. The shadow personifies both absence and presence; it is an echo of us, distorted and intangible. It is fixed, finite, yet runs over terrain like water. A shadow does not walk, it slides silently with us in perfect unison, dimensionally translated, effortless and benign. Our instincts and intuition — our shadows — seem wiser and faster than us. In looking for a movement language that suits the shadow character, we’re working on a combination of edges, energy, and fluidity. Sharp shapes, distorted and defined, are combined with pure flow, and punctuated with sparks of glitchy muscularity that connote unrest.
In dancing, I’m always looking for a way to move between experiences of intellect and instinct. I work deliberately and consciously to create space (both within the choreography and within the larger structures of the work) for the risks and rewards of improvisation. The more I create, the more I recognize the need for this space in the work. Dark matter needs some room.
By covering our bodies completely, including our faces and hands, I’m hoping to give the viewer a chance to see the dance more abstractly. Being faceless and sexless is a way of extricating the dancer from the dance. This is potent for me. It makes me think of the purity and grace of a marionette. Heinrich Von Kleist, in his essay “on the Marionette Theatre” writes: "Grace appears most purely in that human form which either has no consciousness or an infinite consciousness. That is, in the puppet or in the god."
What the audience will see onstage is just my impression of what working with the unknown looks like, feels like, to me. It is a “passionate exercise” of doubt.
Biographies:
Crystal Pite – Choreographer and Performer
Vancouver-based choreographer and performer Crystal Pite has created works for Cullberg Ballet, Netherlands Dance Theatre 1, Ballett Frankfurt, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (Resident Choreographer 2001–04), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Alberta Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and several independent dance artists; most recently Louise Lecavalier.
Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and Ballett Frankfurt. In 2001, she formed her own company, Kidd Pivot, and continues to create and perform in her own work. Kidd Pivot tours nationally and internationally with productions that include Dark Matters (2009), Fault (2008), Lost Action (2006), Uncollected Work (2002) and Double Story (2004), created with Richard Siegal. Kidd Pivot is the recipient of the Alcan Performing Arts Award for 2006.
Crystal Pite is an Associate Dance Artist of Canada’s National Arts Centre and Associate Choreographer of Netherlands Dance Theatre. She is the recipient of the 2008 Governor General’s Mentorship Award.
Eric Beauchesne – Performer
Born in Bécancour (Québec), Eric first encountered dance at the age of 16 when he made his performing arts debut in a student musical. After graduating from l'Ecole Supérieure de Danse du Québec, he participated in many productions with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Le Jeune Ballet du Québec and The Banff Festival Ballet. In 1994, he left for Europe where he became a member of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe and later the Stadttheater Moenchengladbach in Germany. From 1997 to 2004, he danced with Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal with whom he has performed works of more than fifteen choreographers including James Kudelka, Mia Michaels, Dominique Dumais, Patrick Delcroix and Crystal Pite. In 2004, he became an independent artist and has had, since then, the privilege of performing with La Fondation Jean-Pierre Perrault, Paul-André Fortier, Sylvain Emard Danse, Lina Cruz, ezdanza, Aszure Barton&Artists, Proartedanza, Van Grimde/Corps Secrets and Louise Lecavalier. Eric has been part of Kidd Pivot’s projects since 2004 as a performer, but has also recently worked as artistic assistant for Kidd Pivort’s 2008 creation and as repetiteur for Cullberg Ballet.
Peter Chu – Performer
Peter Chu, originally from Cocoa Beach, Florida, began his dance training as a competitive gymnast and cheerleader. He evolved into a dancer at Dussich Dance Studio. Upon receiving his BFA degree from the Juilliard School, he was awarded The Hector Zaraspe Prize for Choreography. He has danced with companies such as BJM_Danse, EZdanza, Aszure & Artists, and was a performer in the A New Day show starring Celine Dion in Las Vegas, NV. He has also been fortunate to perform with music artists such as Bette Midler and Elton John. Now pursuing a career as both choreographer and performer, Peter formed, chuthis., a project based company. In 2008, Peter was awarded the choreographic position for the New Works Festival (Perry-Mansfield) in Steamboat Springs, CO.. This past year, Peter has been involved with many exciting and creative projects such as Naomi Stikeman’s Çaturn, as both a choreographer and a dancer. Çaturn, consulted by Robert Lepage, was premiered in Montreal at theatre Usine C.. Peter can be seen on the ARTV series Meneuse de Claques (Cheerleaders) for ZONE 3 as a choreographer. He has also created a site specific work for the San Diego Dance Theatre at the US/Mexico border. Currently, Peter is making work for Sarah Williams' upcoming solo evening show in Montreal. Peter has been fortunate to perform in four of Crystal Pite’s creations and is truly enjoying his time working with the Kidd Pivot crew.
Yannick Matthon – Performer
A versatile interpreter, pedagogue and choreographer, dance has been a focal point in his life now for over twenty-two years. His career has been atypically eclectic considering the classical formation he received (he studied the French technique with renowned teacher Daniel Sellier and the Vaganova syllabus with Max Ratevosian, himself a pupil of Pushkin). Pedantic and free-spirited, it is these two traits of character that are primordially responsible for the shaping of Yannick’s career and teaching. Aside from working as a classical and contemporary dancer with the Alberta Ballet and Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, respectively, Yannick has had the privilege to work with many other contemporary companies including Aszure Barton (ASzURe&Artist), Battery Opera, Crystal Pite (Kidd Pivot), Dominique Porte (Système D), Day Helesic (MovEnt), Edgar Zendejas (ezDanza), Karen Jamieson (KJ Dance), Robert Battle (Battleworks Dance Company), The Holy Body Tattoo, Victor Quijada (Rubberbandancegroup) and Wen Wei Wang (Wen Wei Dance). Yannick just returned from a residency in France, where he worked with choreographers Su-Feh Lee and Benoit Lachambre on Body-Scan, on a piece that was presented at the Festival Des Antipodes. Presently of no fixed address, this Montreal native will remain on the road for at least another year touring North America, Europe and the Middle East with Rubberbandance group, Body-Scan and Kidd Pivot.
Cindy Salgado – Performer
Originally from Sunnyvale, California, Cindy is currently living in New York. She joined Kidd Pivot in January of 2009 for the creation of Dark Matters. She is a member of Aszure&Artists and has performed with Aszure Barton on projects like Busk, a recent creation debuted in Sarasota, Florida, Earth, a collaborative performance in Laikipia, Kenya and Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Hell’s Kitchen Dance Tour. She performed in the Elton John and Friends Benefit Concert on Broadway in a piece by Andy Blankenbuehler and has worked on preproduction with Mr. Blankenbuehler for The Wiz, In The Heights and 9 to 5. Cindy has worked for Mia Michaels as both a performer and an assistant on projects like So You Think You Can Dance, Delirium (a Cirque du Soleil touring show), and an Anna Vissi concerts in Greece. As a Juilliard School Graduate of 2005, Cindy was honored to be a recipient of the Princes Grace Award. She has taught and choreographed for dance schools throughout the US, and has been a guest teacher at Santa Clara University. She is a cofounder and teacher for Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP), an outreach organization that provides arts programming for underserved children in New York, South Florida, South Africa, and India.
Jermaine Spivey – Performer
Jermaine Spivey was born in Baltimore, Maryland USA. After graduating with a BFA in dance from The Juilliard School in May 2002, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal where he danced with Ballet Gulbenkian from 2002 to 2005. In 2005, Jermaine joined the Cullberg Ballet and performed with the company until the summer of 2008. Since then Jermaine has been happily performing with Kidd Pivot as well as Rumpus Room Dance and the Hofesh Shechter Dance Company.
Rob Sondergaard – Lighting Designer
Robert Sondergaard has been a lighting designer for the past 15 years and has worked in many genres of the entertainment business. He has designed for Film (Catwoman, Deck the Halls), Television (21st Annual Gemini Awards, Anne Murray: Friends & Legends), Theme Parks (Legoland California, Legoland Windsor, Dollywood), Dance (Kidd Pivot, Ballet BC), Ceremonies (United Nations World Urban Forum, 2007 Canada Winter Games) and Music (Rankin Family Canadian Tour, Barrage Vagabond Tails World Tour).
During the past 6 years he has been involved with many of the major projects associated with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics including Director of Design for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Paralympics; the nationally televised One Year Countdown Celebration; the Opening Ceremonies for the BC-Canada Pavilion in Beijing, China; the launch event for the Vancouver 2010 Mascots; and Imagine 2010 – Launch of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics emblem.
Robert is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada. He lives in Port Moody with his wonderful wife Philomena and their two girls Riley and Bree.
Linda Chow – Costume Designer
Linda’s work for Kidd Pivot has included Uncollected Work, Lost Action, Fault, Decembering, and A Picture of You Falling. She has also collaborated with Crystal on Arietta for Ballet British Columbia and Emergence for the National Ballet of Canada.
Jay Gower Taylor - Set Designer
Jay Gower Taylor started out in theatre as a professional dancer where he enjoyed an international career spanning more than twenty years. Parallel to his dance career, Jay has developed his skills as a designer and builder. Some of his first opportunities designing for theatre were with Dancemakers, collaborating with Serge Bennathan on Absences, The Invisible Life of Joseph Finch, and the film Quand les grandmeres s’envolent for CBC’s Opening Night. More recently, Jay designed Bennathan’s MANGA and the play version of Finch, Crystal Pite’s Frontier for Nederlands Dans Theatre, Emergence for the National Ballet of Canada, and Fault for Kidd Pivot, and Electric Company Theatre’s live-cinematic interpretation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s NO EXIT.
Owen Belton – Composer
Owen Belton graduated from Simon Fraser University in 1993 with a degree in Fine and Performing Arts (concentration, Music), and studied music composition with Barry Truax and Owen Underhill. In his work, he uses both acoustic and electronic instruments, often in combination with computer processing techniques such as granular synthesis. A technique that allows composers to alter sounds, granular synthesis has become a signature characteristic in many of his compositions. Over the last ten years he has written music for many dance companies, including Netherlands Dance Theatre, Cullberg Ballet, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal [bjm_danse], Ballet BC, Ballet Frankfurt, the National Ballet of Canada, The Stuttgart Ballet and Kidd Pivot. In addition to collaborating with Crystal Pite on over a dozen works, he has also created scores for choreographers such as Matjash Mrozewski, Donald Sales, and Chick Snipper. He also works as a sound designer and composer for theatre and film.
Jeremy Collie-Holmes – Technical Director
Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, Jeremy started playing in technical theatre from an early age. He graduated from Victoria University in Wellington with a BA in Theatre and Film and a BCA in Management. Since then he has combined his love of travel with his career. Jeremy has worked as a Production Manager, Technical Director and various other technical roles for festivals, venues and companies in New Zealand, Australia, The United Kingdom, Europe, Cruise Ships and now Canada. Most recently he has toured Canada with Judith Marcuse Project’s production of Earth=home, and worked on Vancouver’s International Children’s, Jazz and Folk Music Festivals. He is now very happy to be calling Vancouver home, but still gets back to New Zealand whenever he can for a little bungee jumping and time with family and friends.
Brent Belsher – Company Manager
This is Brent’s third year on tour with Kidd Pivot. He is a consultant specializing in working with a variety of arts organizations. His introduction to the arts was through his time with Ballet British Columbia as manager of artistic operations beginning 12 years ago. Over the past four years he began work as a consultant and in addition to working with Ballet BC he has worked with the National Ballet of Canada, Judith Marcuse Projects, Rubberbandance Group, Margie Gillis, and the Borealis String Quartet among others. Brent also works as a meeting planner. Prior to his becoming involved in the arts, he worked for a tour company leading groups on adventures all over the world.
Julie-anne Saroyan - Stage Manager
Julie-anne graduated with a BFA in Dance from York University in 1993 and then attended the Banff Centre as an intern in dance stage management. Julie-anne has had the pleasure of working with many dance artists including Ballet BC, Lola Dance, Serge Bennathan, Margie Gillis, Emily Molnar and Coleman Lemieux & Compagine among others. She is co-artistic producer of MovEnt, where she has produced numerous installments of the Dances for a Small Stage series in Vancouver and Ottawa. Julie-anne has been working with Crystal Pite for over ten years. She continues to tour nationally and internationally with Kidd Pivot. Julie-anne wishes to thank the entire Pivot team for a rockin’ good time.
