Copyright 2000 by Edward Willett

On December 8 and 9, New Dance Horizons presents Crocodile Tears, a program of duets by the husband-and-wife team of Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux.

New Dance Horizons was founded in 1986 by dancers Robin Poitras and Dianne Fraser to organize dance within the province and bring contemporary dance to Saskatchewan. "Ever since we've been trying to fill that mandate of getting people interested in and creating a discussion about contemporary dance in Saskatchewan," says Felipe Diaz, New Dance Horizon's publicity director.

Crocodile Tears, co-commissioned by New Dance Horizons and CanDance Network, is the latest fruit of that effort. Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux are individually renowned as performers and choreographers, but in Crocodile Tears, the emphasis is on togetherness, not individuality, as they celebrate their love for each and other and for dance with a series of duets created especially for them by some of their favorite artists.

There are four duets in all, presented in three different programs of three duets each, Friday at 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m., at the University Theatre, Riddell Centre, University of Regina. (Crocodile Tears is part of the University of Regina's Faculty of Fine Arts Subscription Series.) Tickets range from $6 to $15; call New Dance Horizons at 525-5393 for more information, or e-mail them at n.dance.h@sk.sympatico.ca.

Métis-sur-Mer, by Margie Gillis, was inspired by Gillis's experiences on the beach in Métis-sur-Mer, as well as her in-studio explorations with Lemieux and Coleman. Two Sisters, by award-winning New York choreographer Tere O'Connor, probes the light and dark side of sibling relationships, while Michael Montanaro's Trilogy explores the unseen bonds between man and woman. Finally, Street of Crocodiles, inspired by British animators The Brothers Quay and the illustrations of author Mervyn Peake, is a tale of an impossible coupling, thwarted by external forms and geometric differences. It's set to the music of Olivier Messiaen's Fête des belles eaux.

Bill Coleman's work has been featured in Bologna, Edinburgh, Dublin, Germany, New York and Toronto as well as Regina. He is presently dancing at the Fondation Jean-Pierre Perrault in Montreal. Performing in Crocodile Tears is only part of what he's been doing in Saskatchewan. New Dance Horizons brought him in a little early to act as an artist in residence, as part of its learning and teaching series.

Coleman's presence has also been tied into New Dance Horizon's third series, INTEMPCO (IN TEMPorary Company), which is dedicated to creating new works, usually with the help of visiting artists. The best-known example is probably the Pelican Project, featured at Globe Theatre's Lanterns on the Lake event in August. Other recent creations have been Floating in Land and Welcome Back Buffalo Bill. "Usually the projects are cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary," Felipe explains, combining video, film, dance, theatre, visual arts and other disciplines.

"Bill Coleman was the subject of an award-winning film by Laura Taler, called Heartland," Felipe says. "We screened the film in Saskatoon at the Broadway theatre and at the Regina Public Library theatre." Coleman did a performance after the screening in Saskatoon and participated in a discussion after the Regina screening..

Coleman's visit has also included a series of workshops called The Pelican Project Welcomes Back Buffalo Bill. "Bill Coleman was part of Welcome Back Buffalo Bill," Felipe says, "so we organized a workshop where we had a powwow dancer and Bill Coleman work in conjunction with kids and youths to explore those cultural crossing-points where contemporary dance meets powwow dance."

That workshop was held Friday, December 1, in Piapot and then Saturday and Sunday in Regina. "They were quite successful and very good for the community outreach that we do," Felipe says. "A lot of the kids that we reach are from less fortunate circumstances, even street kids. This is a chance for them to do something that's basically free, and allows them to explore their creativity. It's an opportunity for people who have had few positive experiences in their lives to participate in something fun and positive and be really excited about it. Those youths were really fabulous to work with and really very energetic."

The day before that workshop Bill Coleman did an improvisational workshop in Saskatoon with a semi-professional dance group, Felipe added.

But Bill Coleman's not the only one giving workshops in conjunction with Crocodile Tears. "To facilitate their rehearsal experience here they've invited David Earl," Felipe says. Earl, a winner of the Governor General's Award, has an international reputation as a dancer and choreographer. "He will be here helping them rehearse and develop their performance for the weekend. He will also be holding a workshop in town for advanced dancers on the grand technique, developed by (modern dance legend) Martha Graham."

Why does New Dance Horizons believe it's so important to promote contemporary dance? "I think that dance is another form of cultural expression that benefits us as a culture," Felipe replies. "Contemporary dance is the latest development of a long-standing mode of expression. You can say things in dance that you can't say through the written word or through a drawing or through a theatrical performance.

"Bill Coleman dance moves very slowly when he dances, but you can see that he's studied the way the human body moves, and he understands how we move as humans. When he slows it down you can really concentrate on what, say, a thigh muscle is doing or his calf muscle is doing. It's really beautiful to watch him go through this very slow, very patient gesture. To me, that communicates a lot about the human body and who we are as people. And that in turn informs our general culture and benefits our society."

Posted September 22, 2004