ARTS EAST

Imaginative, immediate, innovative, intense, energetic, exertive, exciting, evocative, curious, chaotic, compelling, creative… These some of the words scattered across my notebook as I scrambled to capture the spirit and sheer physicality of last night’s opening performance of Coming Together/ Attica , a powerful two-in-one presentation of contemporary dance at the David Mack Murray Studio in Halifax. A moving, minor-keyed musical mélange by members of Symphony Nova Scotia – led by principal violinist Robert Uchida – opened the evening’s events, setting a moody and brooding tone for the surreal soiree. Discordant drones, squeaks, squeals and a flurry of stops and starts evoked a spectrum of emotions, inviting the audience to explore their own hearts of darkness. The stringed quartet then merged with seven other musicians as a half-dozen dancers took the floor for Coming Together , the first piece of the program. In pairs, and then on their own, bodies bobbed and burst, jerking a...

Native Haligonian Rebecca Lazier is a Senior Lecturer at Princeton University and the artistic director and choreographer of TERRAIN, a NYC dance company. This week she returns to her hometown to present two works - Coming Together and Attica – at the David Mack Murray Studio at the Dalhousie Arts Centre in Halifax.   How and when did you get involved with dance? I started dancing here in Halifax when I was five. By the time I was 7 I was taking classes at several of the studios in town so I could dance more. From 10-13 I trained with Clare Bader of Halifax Ballet Theatre and then went to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. I moved to New York at 18 to attend The Juilliard School - I haven't really stopped since I was five. Are they the same reasons you do it today? Yes and no. When I was young I was enthralled with the sheer joy of movement and the challenge of perfecting movement. Some of the reasons I dance, choreograph and teach today are certainly the same as those early inspira...

Nova Scotia performer Amy Reitsma is no stranger to the problems of her profession – funding being at the very forefront of necessities. To that end, the local thespian is raising much- needed cash to further her career aspirations to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the U.K. via an fundraising drive. As part of her efforts, Reitsma – along with a number of her notable peers, including Jeremy Webb, Martha Irving and Bill Stevenson – will partake in an evening of old-fashioned fun on Monday night at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax. The soiree will also feature a silent auction. Recently AE spoke with the aspiring actor about the event and about Atlantic Canada’s growing theatre arts. When and why did you get involved with theatre? I started getting involved when I was 9 years old. My mom had many friends at the old Neptune Theatre, so we used to go to plays and musicals quite a bit in my youth. I always loved acting and watching theatre, but wasn't bitten by the bu...

Strike Out Homophobia is a fundraiser for The Youth Project with all funds being used for The Youth Projects education programs. The event takes place this Sunday from 1pm-4pm at Fairlanes Bowling in the Halifax Shopping Center. Halifax writer Lee-Anne Poole is hosting the festivities. How and why did you get involved with Strike Out Homophobia? I worked on The Youth Projects last fundraiser. Their Annual Fundraising Brunch and Auction, the board of The Youth Project saw the need for another fundraiser to specifically help with the education and outreach programs The Youth Project offers and so we all got back together to brainstorm on what event that could be. What is the event's core agenda & goals? It's a bowl-a-thon! Its primary goal is to raise money for an extremely worthy cause and to have fun doing it! The Youth Project is a huge resource to schools, teachers and educators. Students don’t often learn about sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom unl...

Steele Story by Anthony Arsenault Flashback; It's 1991. I'm sitting in a junior high class, listening to my friend tell tales of how he would make it big in Nashville someday. Every one sort of chuckles, but determination and strong resolve could be seen on his face even then. I didn't know then if he'd be successful, but I hoped he would. Flash forward 22 years, and that young aspiring country singer is on the cusp of launching a career that already seems to have no limits. His name is Steele, and like the metal, he was unyielding in his determination, and it has paid off. I had a chance to have a little Q&A with my friend Steele. I hope you all enjoy it You have been interested in country music since you were young. What or who was your earliest influence? What was it about that influence that drew you in? My mom introduced me to country music. My dad is a fisherman and was always at sea and when he was gone my mom played her guitar and sang songs by Patsy Cli...