Alisha Weng

Cramped Quarters, Energetic Investigation, and Six Hundred Red Notebooks

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MascallDance explores modern living in quirky The Three Cornered Hat

Photography by Alisha Weng
Text from press release by MascallDance

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver BC 2015. Photo by Alisha Weng for VANDOCUMENT

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre. Photo by Alisha Weng

A profoundly powerful study of movement, space and human interaction, MascallDance’s The Three Cornered Hat features the diverse talents of contemporary dancers Lara Barclay, Amber Funk Barton, Dario Dinuzzi, Billy Marchenski, Darcy McMurray, and Chris Wright.

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver BC 2015. Photo by Alisha Weng for VANDOCUMENT

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre. Photo by Alisha Weng

A gutsy and energetic investigation of the spaces in-between, The Three Cornered Hat is a fast and, at times, frenetic performance with dancers constructing different works out of over 600 red artists’ notebooks. Unconventional, quirky, and humorous, the work explodes in cramped quarters on stage to mimic modes of modern living.

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver BC 2015. Photo by Alisha Weng for VANDOCUMENT

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre. Photo by Alisha Weng

The Three Cornered Hat premiered in July 2014 to critical acclaim at the Dancing on the Edge Festival. Improvised research was conducted in unexpected venues, with 25 performances at local and international arts events, documenting the creative process at every turn. With its deeply collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, the work has brought together artists from varied disciplines, including set design by architect Bill Pechet, video by Candelario Andrade, story by slam poet Barbara Adler, lighting design by John Macfarlane, and an electroacoustic soundscape composed by Stefan Smulovitz.

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver BC 2015. Photo by Alisha Weng for VANDOCUMENT

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre. Photo by Alisha Weng

PRESS QUOTES

“The Three Cornered Hat is hilarious, uncanny, and conceptually stimulating, but it’s also a sensory delight.” — Alexander Varty, The Georgia Straight

“… a colourful and dynamic dance” — Eury Chang, The Dance Current

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver BC 2015. Photo by Alisha Weng for VANDOCUMENT

The Three Cornered Hat at Scotiabank Dance Centre. Photo by Alisha Weng