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Dancing on the Edge
Festival Of Contemporary Dance 2021
Two | Wen Wei Dance

WHEN & WHERE July 9 & July 11, 2021 at 7pm | Firehall Arts Centre (Theatre)

Choreographer, Creator & Director Wen Wei Wang Performers Justin Calvadores, Calder White Music Stefan Nazarevich Cinematographer Daria Mikhaylyuk

Reviewer Michael Pink

Wen Wei, a talented Canadian Choreographer, presented a captivating dance performance entitled TWO, on July 9th at the Firehall Theatre to celebrate the popular Dancing on the Edge festival.

Lead dancers Justin Calvadores and Calder White were emotional and expressive. Calvadores is adept at upper body turns and twists that are smooth. White has a talent for hand movement that dramatize each dance step. Combined,they earned applause as masters of movement.

The dance piece was choreographed by Wen Wei and composed by Stefan Nazarevich with the moody video piece assembled by Daria Mikhaylyuk.

The opening featured a video with the lead dancers, Calvadores and White in various dance movements on a beach and in a forest. The sky was always cloudy and the music somewhat muted and even sad. This set the tone for an emotional dance experience that calls upon the audience to reflect on the theme presented of human connection which is increasingly lost in the impersonal social media age. It was effective.

The live dance portion opened with the dancers each highlighted in their own spotlight and moving expressively to the music.

Wen Wei Wang was born in China and arrived in Canada in 1991where he started dancing with Judith Marcuse Dance Company. After forming his own dance company in 2003, the company has created many dance works including Ying Yun, Dialogue, Made in China, 7th Sense, Cock-Pit (Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award winner), Under the Skin (co-created with the Beijing Modern Dance Company), Three Sixty Five, Unbound (Isadora Award for Excellence in Choreography winner), One Man’s, and Tao. Wen Wei has performed in Canada and around the world.

For a dance pair to hold the audience attention and remain captivating for the entire performance is a testament to the artistry of Wen Wei and dancers White and Calvadores.