Alvin Tolentino has performed in venues that would likely make other Canadian contemporary dancers cringe.
As artistic director of Co. ERASGA, the Philippines-born, Vancouver-based dance artist has made a point of performing his work in his country of birth whenever possible – like he did with his critically acclaimed Colonial earlier this year.
“They have theatres, but they’re falling apart, and I’ve had to adapt,” says Tolentino in a recent phone interview. “I’ve had to have three or four technical people help me to make sure there was a stage for me to perform on. There’s not enough lighting gear. It’s an experience.”
Despite the challenges, touring his stirring choreography – a highly physical mix of classical Filipino and contemporary Western dance vocabulary – throughout the Philippines is a priority for Tolentino. For many in his audiences, it’s their first exposure to contemporary dance.
“There’s really no infrastructure for dance education, unless you’re really wealthy and you can go to a ballet school,” says Tolentino. “To be able to share with them the kind of production that I do that comes from the West is really important. There are a lot of young artists that have seen my work and have said, ‘Wow, I’ve never thought that dance could be staged like that.’”
In this way, Tolentino is an ambassador for contemporary dance. And just as he’s taken his contemporary works to Asian audiences, he’s now assembling a group of fearless dance artists with roots in Asia to share ideas – and perform their work – right here in the 604.
The event is Undivided Colours, billed as a gathering of performances, ideas and conversations by acclaimed Canadian and Southeast Asian dance artists including Peter Chin from Toronto, William Lau from Ottawa, Indonesia's Didik Nini Thowok, Thailand's Pichet Klunchun, and Tolentino.
Undivided Colours is comprised of two distinct halves: a couple of performances, as well as a series of moderated discussions exploring art and gender, reflection and forward thinking, and diversity, duality, body and dance.
“This is not about artists coming to a festival, presenting their work, and leaving,” says Tolentino. “This is an opportunity for people to talk about their practice, for us to have a glimpse into what it is that they do, what’s in the back of their mind, what’s the history, and what’s their culture.”
Although the featured artists originate in different countries and are rooted in divergent cultural traditions, they’re united by a passion for bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary, according to Tolentino – and how these artists approach this work, and why they make the choices that they do, are questions worth exploring, especially in a so-called global age.
“Their works are hybrid in a sense that they include cultural aesthetics and ideas that are really rooted in other genres,” says Tolentino. “And like them, I’m really interested in what’s happening in the work of multiculturalism, and the exchange between tradition and contemporary.”
Undivided Colours runs Nov. 7-9 at the Roundhouse Community Centre. For tickets and schedule information, visit CompanyErasgaDance.ca.
