Last night my daughter and I had an opportunity to take in the premiere showing of PRISM thanks to Lisa Mennell of The Cultch. It exceeded both our expectations. Walking into the Historic Theatre on time for the show to start at 7:30pm, we found our seats and the lights dimmed. Suddenly, the spotlight opened on a cluster of five performers huddled together in the middle of a mirrored triangle positioned centrally on stage. The stage set, lighting, and clothing designs were simple, yet, highly effective. The five vertical mirrors acted as echoes of the performer’s bodies creating a Picasso effect for the viewers. Various angles of the troupe would be displayed in each choreographed movement. The clothing choices of monochromatic primary and secondary palate colours created a brilliant visual display as the performers weaved their bodies back and forth; in and out together.
The Performance
My daughter commented at one point, “This reminds me of the contact dance, I do every week, mom!”. For what little I know about this new form of dance movement amongst Millennials, I had to agree. We were hypnotized by the exquisitely refined intertwining of movements as the lights shone down on the red, yellow, blue, green, and orange bodies. The one-hour performance, no intermission, ended with a standing ovation. The dancers successfully manipulated the mirrors and their bodies to finalize the show with the audience reflected in the final dance montage. It was brilliant!
The Experience
After the show, Samantha and I went back to the Cultch’s lounge. Shortly afterward, the performers and choreographers entered the space for conversation and feedback. Talking with Elon Hogland, (choreographer/dancer) Emmanuelle Le Phan (choreographer), and Valmont Harnois (dancer), I heard about their many years of hip hop, butoh, martial arts, and performance art. All of these have culminated in this current tour. It truly was a Kaleidoscope, for the audiences’ senses as well as the performer’s experiences. Ultimately, the small amount of time and money I spent would resonate with me long after the show ended.
Final Words
Speaking of time, this will be the shows’ second-to-last stop before they travel back home to Quebec. Make sure to capture this brilliant spectacle of performance art at the Cultch Historic Theatre in Vancouver, BC, which features them to October 27th. They will finalize their tour in Kelowna, BC on October 30th at the Mary Irwin Theatre.
In early 2025, See Change Makers will talk to Elon and Emmanuelle of the Tenacle Tribe in detail about PRISM and other endeavors, so stay tuned.
