Choreographer | Noam Gagnon / Vision Impure
Name of piece | being
Venue | Firehall Arts Centre
In being, choreographer and performer Noam Gagnon crafts a moving portrait of impermanence, loneliness, and quiet beauty within the ever-changing rhythms of urban life. Inspired by the concept of still life, this intimate solo invites audiences to see the overlooked—the emotional and physical spaces that exist in the in-between, the silence, the stillness. Gagnon reflects on the disconnection and anonymity that shape modern life, while seeking moments of human presence that resist vanishing.Through movement, sound, and silence, being becomes a meditation on what it means to live fully—even within fragility, even within pause.This work is part of a larger body of work exploring the complexity of human connection, mortality, and presence in contemporary urban life.
Choreographer and Performer: Noam Gagnon
www.visionimpure.org
Noam Gagnon is a renowned Canadian choreographer and dance artist who has brought Canadian dance to the global stage. As co-artistic director and choreographer of The Holy Body Tattoo, his work has gained international acclaim. His piece our brief eternity toured major venues like the Sydney Opera House and London’s Barbican, winning the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Ensemble Performance. Circa, which won the Alcan Performing Arts Award, was performed over 100 times worldwide. His ambitious piece monumental premiered in 2005, touring Canada and the U.S., and was remounted in 2016 with a live score by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, hailed as a “revelation” by The Guardian. The show toured major festivals in Vancouver, Adelaide, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Edinburgh, and New York.In 2006, Noam founded Vision Impure and continues to reshape the dance landscape with intimate and powerful works. His creations include The Vision Impure (winner of The Isadora Award), Pathways, and This Crazy Show. Noam is an Associate Dance Artist with Canada’s National Arts Centre and is frequently commissioned by artists and companies.
Lighting Designer: James Proudfoot
James Proudfoot is a lighting designer based in Vancouver, Canada. He is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, where he received his initial theatre training. Self-taught in the realm of dance lighting, he has contributed designs to many artists and companies over the past 25 years. James is grateful to live and work on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəyə̓ ə̓ m (Musqueam),Sḵwxw̱ w̱ ú7mesh(Squamish)and Selí̓ í̓ lw̓ w̓ itulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Music:
Paint the Land ~Faye Mallett's (House of Rain)
Faye Mallett - vibraphone, drums, keyboards, vocals
Lindsay Cuff - trumpet, violin, guitar, harmony vocals
Braden Jones - bass, drums, harmony vocals
Jesse Griffith - guitar, pedal steel, dobro
Stefan Smulovitz: Viola and Violin
Stefan Smulovitz is a true innovator known for his creative use of technology and mastery of sound manipulation. He skillfully uses violin, viola, theremin, electronics, and his game-changing software Kenaxis, to create vast sonic worlds. Stefan’s craft has been honed creating nearly 100 live film scores, innumerable dance and theatre scores, and hundreds of live performances with top improvisers from around the world. Always open to exploring new ideas he has collaborated with film, dance, theatre, poets, writers, visual artists, and theoretical particle physicists. His latest album Bow & Brush can be heard on all major streaming services.
