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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Olivia Davies / 778-887-6193 / livdavies@gmail.com
Conversation Moves Memories at Toronto’ Majlis Art Garden
Vancouver May 15, 2014 – –
She was born to one family and raised by another. When asked where she came from, she would avert her eyes and quickly say that she was from Ottawa, hoping that the conversation would end there. Over the years, she became more comfortable with her adoption into a French-Canadian family and even though they bore no physical resemblance she would proudly call her adoptive mother, “Mom”.
“Who are you”, the counsellors would ask her each time she visited the healing lodges, and “…where do you come from?” The tears would roll along with the story of how she can be to where she was then, before them, asking for their help in finding her way. Traditional medicines grounded her in the present. The aroma of burning sage, tobacco, and sweet-grass healed her spirit as did the time taken for ceremony and silence. The sound of the drum pulled her taut, and, like a finely tuned instrument, she began to harmonize with her surroundings.
As an independent dance artist of mixed heritage, Davies weaves stories of transformation through Contemporary Aboriginal Dance and Theatre. In “Conversation”, she shares the story that transformed her life: the discovery and honouring of her ancestral roots.
– 30 –
Friday, May 23rd, 2014 at 8:00pm - one night only
$15-20 at the door, cash only
Majlis Art Garden
163 Walnut Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 3W3
Collaborators:
Created and performed by: Olivia C. Davies
Directorial Assistance: Kimberly Bruce
Toronto Stage Manager: Corrie Sakaluk
Music appearing courtesy of Daega Sound and Brescia Birdthroat Bloodbeard
“Conversation” premiered at the BC Buds Spring Arts Festival 2014 in Vancouver, BC.
Synopsis
Conversation is a multi-media dance-theatre production that tells the story of Davies’ personal legacy. It incorporates traditional and contemporary dance vocabulary, story-telling narrative, folk music, electronic soundscape, projected image, and set design to create an experience of magic and mystery. Mythic characters of her ancestral lineage are resurrected in the performance space through the use of gestural language, dramatic expression, and play.
Artist’s Bio
Olivia C. Davies is an independent dance artist of mixed heritage who weaves stories of transformation through Contemporary Aboriginal Dance and Theatre. Davies combines movement, music, and projection to weave the threads of memory and understanding into a unique tapestry of recognition. She has worked with Raven Spirit Dance, Body Narratives Collective, and co-founded MataDanZe Collective where she developed repertoire and facilitated movement workshops in Canada and Venezuela. Her independent contemporary choreography has been showcased in fashion shows, music videos, gala presentations and other avant-garde collaborations including duets with live accompaniment and story-telling solos. Davies formally trained at York University
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