Aerial Allusions is another international dance show at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festiva, traveling to us from San Francisco, via Ottawa and New York, with traces of creator Azana Pilar’s many travels around the world.
Azana Pilar is an aerialist, working for years in bars, nightclubs and private events, while working a day job in construction. The work she brings to the Toronto, Aerial Allusions began its run in New York in February of this year and moved on to the Ottawa Fringe Festival. She is a nomad, traveling and working wherever she goes and in a variety of fields. Her sideline in construction has informed Aerial Allusions, incorporating tools and ladders, merging her vast experiences into fresh forms.
Aerial Allusions draws on dance, physical theatre, clown and aerials to explore relationships between couples.
“It seems like a lot of people I know are jaded and disillusioned by their relationships and I wanted to express my perspective through physical theatre. Jaz (castmate Jason Morneau) and I found that we both had things we wanted to say, and decided to begin this project.”
Azana creates through trial and error, an approach which is not rejected once the performances and touring begin. The performers continue to plumb the possibilities of the material they’ve created.
Though Azana is the choreographer, she clearly has a collaborative spirit.
“Jaz and I have very different ways of working, so it has been a learning process.”
Azana also stresses the importance of music as a first step for choreography. She spends a lot of time seeking out the right music, sound that fits with her particular perspective on the subject matter.
Azana has been performing for quite a while now but Aerial Allusions is her first major self-production.
“I decided that I finally needed to take the leap and put my work on stage. I needed to force myself to start to produce. I have been going on and on for years about how I want to be creating, and decided to just go for it.”
“Aerial Allusions is not a ‘dance show’. Deep questions are asked, there is philosophy, there is confusion, love and hate. The medium is mostly physical…it is a combination of various performance styles and I feel it’s a dynamic way to perform. I try to burst through the constraints of [traditional] theatre, or [traditional] dance and fuse many ways of expressing on stage.
“I am fueled by my frustration, and my admiration of humanity. I feel like I am driven by a passion I cannot ignore, and that this is an important step in getting it out.”
And I think that’s why we all take part in the Fringe. It really is important to get it out, on its feet, into the world.
By: Azana Pilar
Company: Azana
Company origin: San Francisco
Director: Azana Pilar
Choreographer: Azana Pilar
Cast: Azana Pilar and Jason Morneau
Show length: 50min.
Warnings: Nudity, Graphic Violence, Mature Language
This performance is accessible for non-English speakers
venue
show times
July 06 08:45 PM
July 07 04:00 PM
July 08 09:45 PM
July 10 02:15 PM
July 11 01:45 PM
July 12 07:30 PM
July 14 09:15 PM
at-the-door tickets ($10)
advance tickets ($9 + $2 service charge)
Available up to three hours prior to the start of a performance: Online at www.fringetoronto.com
By Phone at 416-966-1062
July 2nd – 15th, daily, 9:30am – 6:30pm
In person at the Festival Box Office
July 4th – 15th, 12 – 10pm @ The Fringe Club, 581 Bloor St. W.
Value Packs:
5 Pack ($45) – savings of $510 Pack ($82) – savings of $18!more info: www.fringetoronto.com