We explore what each individual body considers to be 'organic' to itself, and how the most natural-feeling of movements are intrinsically linked to our environment.
Re[Start]
June 24th and 25th
at
The Alumnae Theatre
Studio Theatre
Half Light Dance Project was created in 2019 by Emily Rapley and Lilly Giroux. They met while training and performing within the Toronto dance community. Emily and Lilly have found that through their diverse and outwardly diametric movement and techniques and similar artistic goals, they excel at creating visually dynamic performances that are deeply meaningful for audiences. Half Light Dance Project exists to challenge and connect with the audience. It is important for our body of work to be accessible to the viewers while our artists stay invested in the creation. We are curious about our audience's thoughts and interpretations, and are determined in creating an open dialogue between artists and audience. We want our work to be as raw and authentic as possible, to help bridge the normative gap between artists and the wider public. We often encounter a disconnect between the performer's interpretation and assessment of their work as well as the audience's lived experience, both during and after the performance. Audiences can sometimes feel they cannot speak authentically to what they saw in the performance. Our goal with Half Light Dance Project is to encourage holistic understanding of the work while leaving room for individual thoughts and opinions. Growing up in a community as diverse as Toronto allowed us to exist within disconnect, in both art and life, and we want to create a platform where artists and community members can come together to challenge their way of thinking and open up to each other.
Since its inception in 2019 Half Light has had the privilege of performing live, virtually, and hosting online workshops. They performed live in 2020 at Entwined Together at Woodbine Beach under the direction of the Playground Project. In the fall of 2020 they ran their first online workshop and had their last one (for now) in the Spring of 2021. Erica Sobol, David Norsworthy, Alvin Collantes, Kylie Thompson and Kirsten Sullivan were some of the amazing artists that led classes during the online workshops. Fall 2021 Half Light was ready to travel to Philadelphia to perform live for KRISP Performance Collective but due to travel restrictions they sent in a virtual performance for that show. Half Light is in the midst of creating their first full length show that will be presented in Toronto, June 2023!