frugalar: November 2008

Audrey Tautou in French Elle Magazine

Britney Spears in Rolling Stone Magazine

Toronto Dance Theatre @ The Fleck

Choreographer Christopher House is back with his new production, Dis/(sol/ver) - what is with dance companies and playing with the cap locks/keyboard symbols? - running at the Fleck Dance Theatre, formerly Premiere Dance Theatre, from Nov. 18 until Sat. Nov. 22

It's a georgeous production to look at with warm overhead lighting and earth tone textured banners hanging floor to ceiling in the background.As far as the dance itself, I had a chance to see in it's entirety last night.Really interesting performance as couples come together repeatedly during the piece only to have one partner disolve in the arms of the other by melting slowly to the floor.Over and over the elusive embrace fails while dancers come together to link up in a weaving line that spins off more disolving couples.It's really quite beautiful, reflected in the intensity with which the audience was watching. Absolute silence.It's as if you are seeing people's romantic history replayed in fast motion. False starts, tentative or awkward moments, relationships that last for a brief time and then disolve, as the dancers cross the stage in random patterns intersecting, coupling, moving on.I'm not nearly qualified to critique, other than to say that as an average enthusiast I found it very interesting.

Of course, at the photo shoot, I was watching it through a viewfinder, where your major pre-occupation is making compositional sense within a defined rectangular area while maintaining a focusing point on the subject. But even with all the distractions, it looked good.

And shooting dance is always entertaining.

For this one they did two run-throughs of a two minute segment of the show.Hoping for greatness here is like expecting a front page sports shot from just two sequences of downs at an Argos football game.

Same amount of chaos, same 'where the heck is this going next' seat of the pants thrill ride.

Of course dance company's are as media savvy as any other arts organization, it's just the high cost of having the theatre for rehearsal means they have to be brief with the photo ops, as they have other business to get through in preparation for opening night.

I did the shoot two ways.

First time through - where I'm half shooting it, half watching to see what the overall form of the piece is going to be - I was right up at the lip of the stage, at floor level, an angle I really like for group shots, especially if they come really close to the camera.The second run-through I was back more and standing. I was going to switch to the 50-200mm and follow just one dancer through the piece, but decided to play it safe and stick with the 12-60mm.Toronto Dance Theatre is one of the best dance companies in the city, Dis/(sol/ver) is a new, unseen work, and the cost of admission is as low as $20 per ticket.As a date night contender it's a production that will stimulate your senses, spur discussion afterwards, and within the newly renovated Fleck Dance theatre you'll be treated to a classy evening all round.

All photos shot with the Olympus E3 @ 1600 ISO and copyright Torontowide.com

Coco Montoya at The Diesel Playhouse

Heidi Klum InStyle

Daniel Lanois at Massey Hall

Probably best know as U2’s producer, but an excellent musician/ composer in his own right, Daniel Lanois played Massey Hall Friday Nov. 14th.

The concert was recorded for future broadcast by CBC Two, and I can only assume that was the reason for the unwieldy apparatus in front of the artist as he was double miked with a large studio microphone – if memory serves me right it's an RE20 – which didn’t make shooting him any easier.This setup was a real distraction in most of the photos.At Massey Hall you are only allowed to shoot from the back of the room by the sound board. Since their sound man always seems to line the singers mic up with the centre aisle, there is always a problem with getting a clear shot of the artist you are photographing as the microphone is in the way for much of the performance.But the setup Daniel Lanois was using was like some kind of funky bathroom fixture that was in the way a good part of the two songs we were allowed.

Speaking of sound boards.I turned around to get a good look at the sound board they were using and couldn’t believe how small it was.About the size of a school desktop.

Now a sound board is usually a massive thing about ten feet long. It actually consists of modules, each the same, that contains a fader for volume and various EQ, compression and effects buttons.Stacking them side by side leads to the massiveness of most sound boards as, with the large number of tracks running simultaneously during a show, many of these modules are needed.

However, the sound man at last night’s show (and I forgot to ask his name, doh!) explained that they were using a state of the art digital board that stacks the rows of faders vertically on top of each other like pages in a book, about 8 inputs to a page.To access an instrument’s track one just scrolls, almost like an iPod Touch, through the digital pages on a screen. All of the controls themselves are touch points on the screen.This allows for a very compact board with all the functionality of the full size version, including memorized settings for each track on every song.You could practically pack it away in the back seat of your car, something you’d never attempt with your average 48 track board.

It was very trick, and I would have done a photo of it for you, but only took the 50-200mm to the concert and would have been able to show you a button or two at best.

ROM's Material Ball: Diamonds

The New Rejuventated AGO

Harbourfront's World Stage

The "enfant terrible" of Canada’s dance scene, Dave St-Pierre, brings his groundbreaking dance creation, LA PORNOGRAPHIE DES ÂMES (BARE NAKED SOULS) to World Stage at the Fleck Dance Theatre this week until Saturday.In a series of fierce, corrosive scenes, a group of dancers rush headlong through a waltz in 26 movements, mixing all kinds of musical genres into one dance spectacle.St-Pierre describes the work as a "hymn to mankind, a celebration of his beauty and ugliness, his depth and superficiality."

It’s beginning to feel like it’s ‘all nude, all the time’ for this year’s World Stage. First Daniel Levaille’s company gets their kit off, then solo artist Kitt Johnson, now Dave St.Pierre's company of a dozen or so dancers.

World Stage used to be strictly a theatre festival. In recent years it morphed into a theatre/dance hybrid. I was wondering if it had changed again as all the performances so far have been dance.

But I was assured by a Harbourfront spokesperson that there is lot’s of theatre coming in the new year.The preponderance of dance in the front end of the schedule is a combination of the artists touring schedules dictating the dates, and Harbourfront’s celebration of Quebec culture as part of Quebec City’s anniversary year.

This was a difficult shoot.During the rehearsal for this section (the dressed rehearsal) the lighting was very even and focus was easily achieved.But when the dancers got into costume (nude), the lighting for the show was used which consisted of a bank of very bright lights from behind rim-lighting the performers, and strobing frontal light accompanying a driving speed metal rock score.The lighting ratio between the two key light sources easily outstripped the dynamic range of digital sensors.And it was very difficult to get a focus lock with auto focus, not enough light to be reasonably sure of focusing manually.

Really it depended on luck whether the frontal lighting would be on the subject during the millisecond of exposure or not.Not and you get a silhouette – against a black background. Kind of like the black cat in a coal mine.

But for the few frames when the lighting co-operated there were some dynamic photos. However with five frontally nude dancers, three female and two male, this is one of the few frames where all the naughty bits are covered to just squeak under the bar for nude depiction on Torontowide.

It’s the second bare naked dance shoot I’ve done in the last month.Interesting how ordinary the lack of clothing becomes in only a short time. Five minutes into the rehearsal and you’re hardly aware of it anymore.Photographing dancers this way really conveys the body’s musculature, and the contortions these artists force themselves through.As a live spectator I’m not sure it adds too much to the experience, but as a photographer I wish I could do shoots like this again as some frames are just beautiful - only under more controlled lighting conditions next time.

Olympus E3 w/ 12-60mm 2.8 @ 1600 ISO minus one stop.

Scarlett Johansson - Wizard Magazine December 2008

The Duhks at Hugh's Room

Opera Atelier: The Abduction From The Seraglio

Tafelmusik Orchestra in the foreground with the artists of the Atelier Ballet on stage.

Last night I had the opportunity to shoot the dress rehearsal for Opera Atelier's The Abduction From The Seraglio at the magnificiently restored Elgin Theatre, the perfect setting for an opera.

Opera Atelier is on a roll having scored a critical and commercial success with Measha Brueggergosman's debut in an opera role last year, and with this, the season's opening production, they look to be well on track for another successful outing.Generally Opera Atelier stick with early operas featuring the trials and tribulations of mythical figures and gods, but with Abduction ... they are mounting a commedia dell 'arte written by Mozart that is quite funny throughout.

All of the main characters do a good job of keeping the pacing fast, and the acting light-hearted. And of course, the singing is excellent.

Gustav Andreassen as the jailer and Carla Huhtanen as the English Maid

The Abduction From The Seraglio tells the tale of a noblewoman and her English maid who are abducted by pirates from their ship in an almost slapstick manner. The two men who love them hatch a plan to rescue their ladies from the royal harem of the Pasha.However romantic tensions between the women and their captors add some spice to the narrative as this light-hearted opera moves to it's dramatic conclusion.

Pasha Selim, played by Curtis Sullivan, with his Harem.

If you've never experienced opera before, this production would make a good introduction.Tafelmusik choir and orchestra provide an excellent sonic backdrop, the production moves at a brisk pace, there are many funny moments, and every so often the Atelier Ballet breaks into intricate spontaneous dance numbers.In other words, there's something for everyone.With English spoken dialogue on stage, and surtitles above allowing you to follow the German singing parts, The Abduction From The Seraglio runs two hours and twenty minutes with one 20 minute intermission.

Konstanze, played by Amanda Pabyan, sparks desires in the Pasha.

Bathed in the warm glow of Atelier's signature lighting, this lush production plays at the Elgin Theatre Nov. 8, 9, 11, 13, 14,15. Tickets range from $30 - $130

All photos were done with the Olympus E3 and Digital Zuiko 12-60mm 2.8 and 50-200mm 2.8 lenses.Copyright Torontowide.com

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