Paras Terezakis doesn’t believe in religion, he believes in humanity.
The Greek-born, Vancouver-based choreographer and artistic director of Kinesis Dance Somatheatro is on a journey to find utopia – an odyssey akin to the James Joyce Ulysses quote: “Think you’re escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.”
One way he’s expressing that is with In PENUMBRA – a work that delves into humanity’s insatiable desire for utopia, through Terezakis’ own journey through the dark side. As it celebrates a 30th-anniversary landmark, Kinesis Dance will perform the world premiere of In PENUMBRA at the Scotiabank Dance Centre Mar. 1-4, as part of the Vancouver International Dance Festival. (Other highlights include San Francisco’s acclaimed troupe Alonzo King LINES Ballet; a Canadian premiere from Japan’s Dairakudakan and Denmark’s Kitt Johnson; West Coast premieres from Toronto’s Kaeja d’Dance and Montreal’s Compagnie Virginie Brunelle; and a world premiere from Karen Jamieson and Margaret Grenier.)
The work, translated to mean a shadow within a shadow, evokes the grey area between light and dark, says Terezakis – similar to the shadow formed by the eclipse of the moon. “In the search of this utopia, and in between the shade of this dysfunction, [are some] moments of bliss, some moments of happiness. Seeing the world around me, seeing my own dark places of being, it made me search for a utopia.”
Terezakis immigrated to Canada in 1977 and has since committed his career to producing performance art that tackles the topics and emotions of the human condition. “I love my Greek culture. Greeks are impulsive. We talk with our hands, we talk with our bodies, we are passionate. Coming to Canada was my odyssey, my journey, to prove myself. To speak in another language, to assimilate with my [heritage],” he recalls.
The movements of In PENUMBRA are intricate yet disjointed, almost jarring to the untrained eye. It’s as if Terezakis choreographed his own personal dance with darkness; befriending the shadows of his self-discovery in the name of complete creative vulnerability. The result is an emotive and ambitious 60-minute piece that evokes apocalyptic themes, carried by five contemporary dancers.
“Darkness, for me, has another component. Darkness is something that makes us more aware. Sometimes we are more free in darkness than we are in the light. I use this as part of my creative process, as well as I work a lot with mythology,” says Terezakis.
Along with Terezakis’ experimental choreography, In PENUMBRA also incorporates audio-visual components into the performance with provocative video, industrial and haunting music, and bold condensed LED lighting. The dancers – costumed in pale monochromatic colours – are cunning in their strength and attention to detail, presenting sharp movement that propels the human condition.
“In PENUMBRA is a celebration for my [company],” Terezakis says. “For 30 years I have been exploring radical possibilities – we were the first company to do open rehearsals to showcase our art. And now, dance is no longer in little a box. Anything goes.”
The Vancouver International Dance Festival is on now until Mar. 25. In PENUMBRA runs Mar. 1-4 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. Tickets from $25 at vidf.ca.
