Connections//Collisions Cabaret
Connections//Collisions
New interdisciplinary works curated by Josh Languedoc
TICKETS ARE ALMOST SOLD OUT! A limited quantity will be available at the door.
MZD’s CONNECTIONS//COLLISIONS Cabaret, curated by Josh Languedoc, is happening on March 2! Featuring a variety of artists, this series welcomes audiences to experience a series of new art pieces.
Cabaret Theme: Unveiling
Featured artists:
Kathleen Hughes
Janita Frantsi
Ania Telfer
Shrina Patel
Jacqueline Ohm
Bukunmi Oyewole
Hebert Poll Gutierrez
Ian S Mozdzen
DJ ShakiñaRay
Disclaimer: This Cabaret Contains Nudity
CURATORIAL STATEMENT//Josh Languedoc
When these cabarets first were beginning to take shape, I envisioned them becoming a space where artists can find one another, share their disciplines, and create something new and exciting that blends their different practices together. This latest cabaret, titled “Unveiling,” is perhaps the clearest example of this dream coming to life.
When Ania Telfer approached me about painting live onstage and collaborating with dancers, I immediately sought out to find artists that could be good collaborator partners. At that same time, Kathleen Hughes and Janita Frantsi told me they were interested in doing a dance piece where projections are imposed upon their bodies while dancing. Shrina Patel also expressed interest in collaborating with a visual artist, and Jacqueline Ohm was interested in creating sound designs for movement pieces. And so, we organized a zoom meeting together where we all connected. The common interest with these artists sparked very fast, and within no time, these artists set out a plan to create several large-scale pieces together all on the common theme of “canvases.”
And so, the “Unveiling” cabaret was born. For this theme, canvasses are crafted live in front of an audience. Paint goes onto a canvas. That painting is projected onto the larger canvas of the stage. Bodies become canvases with projections going onto them. Movement becomes a canvass meant to be captured by the eye. All exist in presenting the complexities of layers, and what happens when these layers build onto one another, and unveil from one another.
This cabaret will feature amazing solo performances from Cuban storyteller Hebert Poll Gutierrez, Montreal dance artist Ian Mozdzen, photographer Bukunmi Oyewole, and two pieces co-created by the brand new “Outside the Frame Collective” – Ania, Janita, Kathleen, Shrina, and Jacqueline. This cabaret is definitely not to be missed!
Event details:
March 2
$25 | $20 MZD Members
Doors | 7 PM
Show | 7:30 PM
Mile Zero Dance, 9931-78 Avenue
Get tickets in advance online! A limited quantity will be available at the door.
Upcoming Cabaret dates:
March 2
April 27
“We’re in a pivotal time right now. So much history is whizzing by us at such a fast pace. So much our bodies are absorbing. There is no better time to create art and be a part of the change!
Mile Zero Dance is hosting a new incubation Cabaret called Connections//Collisions, curated by Josh Languedoc. In these challenging times, the body knows all and the body can express what text cannot.
Featuring a variety of artists, this exciting new series will welcome new audiences to experience a series of multiple new art pieces.”
Thank you to the Edmonton Community Foundation for supporting the new cabaret series at Mile Zero Dance.
Presented with the support of the Edmonton Arts Council.
Image | Connections//Collisions Cabaret, December 2023, Photo: Mat Simpson
Featuring
Josh Languedoc
This series curated by Josh Languedoc
“Originally called The Dirt Buffet Cabaret, this new cabaret is all about breathing new life into art and our current world. As we navigate a radically rapid changing landscape, art is the best way to respond to the world around us. Often, the body knows the truth. This new cabaret series, with alternating themes each time, showcases new and daring works by a variety of artists. Meant to be an incubation process for artists to explore themes of societal change and embodied empowerment, this cabaret will feature movement pieces, solo pieces, and cross-disciplinary explorations between artists."
Kathleen Hughes
Kathleen Hughes, originally from Edmonton, Alberta, began her love of dance with ballet training at an early age. She was later introduced to Modern dance while attending a dance program at Grant McEwan College. Her love of creating dances has brought her to produce and co-produce, choreograph and perform in many dance productions for Niagara Dance Company, KHDA and several independent projects.
Janita Frantsi
Janita Frantsi is a contemporary dance artist originally from Finland and now based in Amiskwacîwâskahikan. During her time in Edmonton, Janita has worked as a dancer with several companies, such as KO Dance Projects, Mile Zero Dance, and Edmonton Opera. She has created works for the SkirtsAFire Festival, Good Women’s Creative Incubator, MZD’s Magpie Collection, Nextfest, Orchesis Dance, Madrigal Singers, and Choir Alberta and has also performed at the Edmonton Fringe, Play the Fool, and Walterdale From Cradle to Stage festivals. Some of Janita’s latest work has been with dance and film, with her most recent film, One With, receiving the Best Edmonton Film Award at the International Festival of Winter Cinema 2023. Janita has a Master of Arts in Dance from the University of Alberta that continues to inspire her to explore new spaces and ways for dance to exist in our world.
Ania Telfer
Ania Telfer, a Baha’i, intuitive, multidisciplinary artist, third-culture kid, second-generation Canadian, of Polish descent, was born in Toronto and currently resides in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). She studied painting in Italy, holds a graduate certificate in expressive arts and a minor in photography. Recipient of a 2019 grant from the Edmonton Arts Council, Ania is committed to expanding creative horizons and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations. Her artistic journey encompasses painting, installation art, immersive experiences, and much more, with a recent exploration into collaborative ventures involving multimedia, theatre, and dance. Ania's work as an arts-based mental health therapist informs her belief in the transformative power of creativity, intertwining healing, spirituality, and artistic expression. Through her practice, she aims to invite viewers into realms of wonder and self-discovery, evoking profound moments of joyful possibility and perception. Ania’s dedication to pushing artistic boundaries and nurturing collaborative networks reflects her vision of art as a catalyst for personal and societal transformation.
Jacqueline Ohm
Jacqueline Ohm, a dedicated visual and sound artist, has cultivated her practice over the past two decades. Although not formally trained, she has carved a path in both mediums, guided by a commitment to remain curious in her work and authentic in her approach. Jacqueline is inspired by the mundane and profound, harvesting ideas from daily life and her philosophical conversations with friends. Prior to becoming a mother in 2012, Jacqueline collaborated with numerous photographers across North America and Europe, and since motherhood she exclusively works with local film photographer, Sandy Phimester. Under her musical guise, Conjvr, she explores the realms of electric guitar and loop pedals, writing songs about her work in academia, archetypes and her travels. Recently, she's rediscovered her musical roots through classical piano, finding delight in spontaneous composition. In the past year, Jacqueline has been building on her illustration portfolio by experimenting with animated shorts to accompany recent musical work.
Shrina Patel
Shrina Patel, is a South Asian, Gujarati dance artist, choreographer, emerging playwright, actor, and the Artistic Director of Shaktiflow. She has set herself apart as a Performance Artist who consistently works in ground-breaking spaces. A 2023 recipient of the Elizabeth Sterling award for her Choreographic work in the category of Younger Audiences, Shrina speaks through her expansive East to West dance vocabulary to hold conversations of somatic unearthing through movement. “Movement of the body leads to the movement of the ideas in our mind state; I’m here to make people feel and move past thinking. That’s when we can really start healing.” In 2019, she produced, directed, and choreographed Shaktiflow’s first show entitled Sacred Spaces at the Arden Theatre, and her work has been showcased in collaborations with Citadel Theatre, Alberta Musical Theatre Company, and Alberta Theatre Projects to name a few. Shrina lovingly creates and currently resides in Amiskwacîwâskahikan Edmonton, Alberta.
Bukunmi Oyewole
Bukunmi Oyewole is a travel and documentary photographer whose works primarily spotlights present day realities in Africa, so that future generations can experience Africa through his pictures. One of his many dreams is to travel round the world, capturing astonishing moments with his camera.
Hebert Poll Gutierrez
Hebert Poll Gutierrez is a Cuban Canadian author, storyteller, poet, and playwright with 19 years of experience currently based in Calgary. He believes in the power of stories and theater to shape realities. Art is his strategy to defend his triple cultural identity: His identity as an artist, a Cuban, and Afro-descendant.
Ian Mozdzen
Ian Mozdzen has been activating the stage for over 20 years with dance and performance. Original performance creations have caused international stirs and taken Ian across Canada and around the world. In addition to a signature presence in Winnipeg’s performance scene, Ian has been repeatedly presented within Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Rhubarb Festival, and additional engagements include Toronto’s Dance: Made in Canada, Montreal’s Edgy Women Festival & Art Souterrain, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers’ subscription series and Vancouver’s Dancing on the Edge Festival, with additional performances in New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, Greece, Sri Lanka and India. Ian is honoured to have created/performed with the likes of seasoned artists like Tedd Robinson, Doug Melnyk, Tom Stroud and D-Anne Kuby, as well as coach performers, orchestrate/program local dance and assist artistic directors within the University of Winnipeg’s Theatre Department, Young Lungs Dance Exchange and Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers.
DJ ShakiñaRay
Misty Dawn aka ShakinaRay is Nehiyaw & European mix from Woodland Cree First Nations. Her love for music and the mystical arts has her making love with life as a DJ, Poetic Liberator, Dancer, Singer, Drummer and a Safe Space Creeator; Intuitive Guide, RMT, Neurofascial Reset Specialist, Quantum Healer and Light Worker. She is devoted to the mystical, cultural and healing arts and is now fully exploring her 'Artist' more passionately. She loves to create heart coherent spaces that fuel and ignite liberation, beauty and spirit. She is a catalyst into oneself, a promoter of self love and is surrendered to living life as a sacred ceremony.