It was great to see a well-filled Vancouver Playhouse on the May 29th opening night of MOVETHECOMPANY’s 20th Anniversary Gala, with another crowd booked in for the second, closing show. Artistic director Joshua Beamish brought in a few leading dancers from major international ballet companies to up the glamour and give Vancouverites a welcome dose of pointe shoes and elegance—ballet is a hard sell in this city, and companies have stopped touring here, leaving many bereft. The earthiness and quirks of contemporary dance were also much in evidence—all five pieces were choreographed by Beamish, who straddles both worlds.
The highlight of the May 29-30 mixed bill was the two pas de deux. Harrison James (who divides his time as a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada and San Francisco Ballet) partnered first Frances Chung and then Stephanie Petersen with grace and care. In 2018’s Lollapalooza, set to the brash orchestral score of the same name by John Adams, James and Chung entered fully into the spirit of Beamish’s jazzy ballet stylings.
Harrison James and Frances Chung in Lollapalooza. Photo: Jack Tupper
Chung, who trained locally at Goh Ballet Academy and is a long-time principal with San Francisco Ballet, has the steely strength to toss off the bustling choreography, with its multiple accents from head, hips and shoulders, her wisp of a chiffon skirt and pink pointe shoes showing off powerful ballerina legs. Lollapalooza ends—after just seven minutes—as, perched aloft on James’ shoulder, Chung smiles and thrusts one shoulder forward, a small movement she imbues with huge sparkle that equals the musical burst of horns and trombone.
In Stay (2015), James partnered Petersen (formerly with American Ballet Theatre and the Australian Ballet). The eight-minute piece, set to music by Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm, opens with a slow thrum of sound that establishes the moody tone. So do the cool grey-blue costumes—trousers for the once more bare-chested James; long-sleeved top and briefs, and pointe shoes, for Petersen. Her easy leaps onto his sturdy shoulder; his hand lingering down her leg; his swoons to the floor; her guiding him up: these were some of the quiet moments that brought hints of emotion to the choreography.
Cast of Trap Door Party. Photo: Jack Tupper
The two contemporary pieces included an excerpt from 2007’s Trap Door Party, which featured one original dancer, Amber Barton, who skilfully tossed off the acrobatic floorwork. Kneepads helped, as they did for the other five performers, their moves driven by the insistent beat of Aphex Twin’s Blue Calx.
Marcato, a 22-minute piece from 2011, featured five bare-chested men (it was an evening of bare male torsos), all in black trousers, except for one in scarlet briefs. Marcato is a musical term indicating the need for emphasis, and the choreography rather over-emphasizes every move, fortified by Kevin Keller’s Middle Eastern-tinged score. Bodies drop heavily into poses, chests undulate firmly, hands are emphatic and arms semaphore through space.
Cast of Endless Summer. Photo: Jack Tupper
In the closer, Endless Summer, Beamish used a light balletic touch, set to a popular medley by California’s iconic Beach Boys. The cast of 11 pretty much filled the Playhouse stage, a mix of dancers mostly from or formerly with Ballet Edmonton, Ballet BC (which is strictly contemporary these days) and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, along with James and Petersen.
With surfboard props and red, blue and a bit of white beachwear costuming (and pointe shoes for the women), the piece is a playful ode to American surfer culture. Beamish, in his curtain speech, pointed out that he made it in 2022, before the current political situation. Fair enough, but given Trump’s continued threats to Canada, a bit of Canadiana might have been more apt.
Kelowna-born and raised Beamish has laid roots in the United States, having cultivated a presence in New York since at least 2013, when he was one of the young choreographers commissioned by New York City Ballet’s Wendy Whelan for her first independent project, Restless Creature. He was just in his mid-twenties. Currently, his website describes MOVETHECOMPANY as “binational … with two not-for-profit structures.”
It’s hard to imagine how a small company that creates project by project can sustain presence in Vancouver and New York, even without factoring in the present tense politics between Canada and the U.S. But Beamish clearly has the chutzpah to attract top talent to his cause, as in the May gala’s line-up of international guests, a rare treat for Vancouver audiences.
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