Anima / Darkroom Artists / Co-Choreographers: Lucy M
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ANIMA / I O H N A H P O D © DARKROOM O T O H P , R R A T S LUCY M. MAY / 7STARR 7 R E C N A D DETAILS Title of the piece: Anima / Darkroom Artists / Co-choreographers: Lucy M. May & 7Starr Direction & Production: Lucy M. May Country of origin: Canada (Montreal/Laval) Duration: 60 minutes, no intermission Spectators: 50-300 Languages: English and/or French People traveling: 4 (1 dancer on stage, 1 backstage musician, 1 lighting engineer/technician, 1 artistic director/tour director) Departure city: Montreal THE WORK Anima / Darkroom is the result of a collaboration between Lucy M. May, choreographer, contemporary dancer and rookie Krumper, and 7Starr, an internationally recognized dancer and leader in the Krump scene, who has grown and advocated for Krump culture in Canada for the past fifteen years. Their choreography has interwoven with contributions from lighting designer Jon Cleveland, sound designer and composer Patrick Conan, Krump producer Big Rulez, and costume designer Pax. Directed by Lucy M. May, Anima / Darkroom was shaped with the counsel of artistic advisors Alexandra “Spicey” Landé and Ellen Furey, and outside eye Valérie “Taminator” Chartier. Anima / Darkroom's main source of inspiration is the trans-personal exchange that often takes place on several planes of dialogue in a Krump session—emotional, physical, political, spiritual. The human hunger to be in communion with one another, whether through art or in daily life, through sadness or joy, drives the work. Via the Krump lexicon, its culture and language, Anima / Darkroom speaks to the energies —trust or hope perhaps—that permit us to bridge the gaps that seem to separate us from one another. The short distance between the perceived soloist and the audience is a short-hand for this separation in Anima / Darkroom. Proposing the black box as a meeting place, a place to connect and pay attention, Lucy M. May has applied philosophies and approaches developed through her prior work Vivarium and Esemplastic Landing to the ecology of the theatre. The performer (onstage) interacts with the languages of the lighting designer and the composer (offstage). A four-channel sound-design encircles the audience. Seeking communion through comedy and tragedy, explosiveness and vulnerability, silence and hype—Anima / Darkroom pursues a mission to overcome whatever gets in the way of our togetherness. 7Starr and Lucy connected in this project through a shared motivation to privilege these experiences: the reciprocity of being seen and heard by one another. L I U O T S A I L E © S O T O H P , R R A T S 7 R E C N A D CHOREOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHIES 7STARR © GUILLAUME BASTIEN + LUCY M. MAY © MICHAEL SLOBODIAN Lucy M. May is a Contemporary dance artist based in Tiohtiá:ke / Mooniyaang / Montréal since 2003. Attracted to the porousness of collaboration and the vastness of dancing, Lucy develops choreography for stage, screen, and unusual locations. Her creations, such as Anima / Darkroom (2019), in collaboration with the Krump artist 7Starr, and Vivarium (2014/17) often ask how environments thread their way through human movement. She deepened her research in New Brunswick, her native province, during a land-based project entitled Esemplastic Landing (2016-17). Between 2009 and 2016, Lucy was a member of Compagnie Marie Chouinard, creating roles for twelve works and performing across five continents. As a freelance dancer, she has recently worked with such artists as Susanna Hood, Alejandro de Leon, Frédérick Gravel, Ariane Boulet, and Helen Simard. She is an affiliated artist of Margie Gillis’s Legacy Project since 2014 and has been entrusted with two solos, The Complex Simplicity of Love and Give Me Your Heart Tonight. She is a graduate of EDCM in Montréal, and studied at Rotterdamse Dansacademie and has been mentored in Krump under the dancer Jigsaw aka Ozcar the Grouch since 2018. Her work has been programmed in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Sweden, and the UK. Vladimir ”7Starr” Laurore is a pioneer of the Canadian Krump scene. In 2005, he co-founded the first Krump crew in Canada, Bzerk Squad. 7Starr is also the creator of Gutta Zone, the first and biggest major Krump event in the country. He has been a guest competitor and judge on both national and international platforms in major competitions such as The International Illest Battle in Paris, European Buck Session in Germany, The Phitted Talk in the USA, and Royal Rumble in Switzerland, to name a few. He has worked with Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize, and Moment Factory among others, not to mention his TV appearances and performances. 7Starr is also recognized for his community involvement, conferences, and teaching in elementary & high schools, universities, charity organizations, and community centres. Currently, he is president of the Montreal Krump Alliance, a non-profit organization that specializes in promoting Krump culture across Canada. In 2017, he received the Victor Martyn Lynch Staunton Award given by the Canada Council for the Arts for outstanding artistic achievement by Canadian artists. In 2018, the Black Theatre Workshop awarded him the Gloria Mitchell-Aleong Award for emerging professional artists for his exceptional ability in the performing arts. In 2020, he was a finalist for the Prix du CALQ – Artist of the Year in Laval, and winner of the “Prix découverte” awarded by Les Prix de la danse de Montréal, also debuting his Krump music career. He has worked with producers such as DJ Shash’U, Braze, Mozarf, Kid NY, and Playa. Lucy & 7Starr met in the Montreal Krump scene. Anima / Darkroom is their first collaboration. DESIGNER BIOGRAPHIES LIGHTING Jon Cleveland is a Montreal-based Lighting Designer/Visual Artist. Working in theatre and dance he has worked with The Segal Centre for The Arts, The National Arts Centre, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Tangente, Cabal Theatre, Scapegoat Carinivale, Susanna Hood, Lucy M. May, Rabbit in the Hat, Malik Nashad Shapre, and Kim-Sanh Chau among others. His design for Tragic Queens with Cabal Theatre was nominated for a 2017 META award for outstanding lighting design. When not designing, he Tours as TD and head of lighting with the Tashme Project and Lara Kramer on tours around Canada, Europe, and the South Pacific. SOUND DESIGN & COMPOSITIONS Montreal-born Patrick Conan is a drummer and percussionist who has been playing music professionally for more than 20 years. Since 2013, he has composed music for contemporary dance works by Nate Yaffe, Sarah- Ève Grant-Lefebvre, and longtime collaborator Lucy M. May. Patrick has played as a musician in numerous projects and toured Canada, the United States, and Europe. Notable past acts include Tricky Woo, Sackville, The Carnations, and Valleys. Current projects include Sam Shalabi's Land of Kush and Traces. His compositions use software manipulation, field recordings, and found sounds. He completed his studies in Classical percussion at Vanier College in Montréal. COMPOSITIONS Big Rulez aka God’s Hand (Marion Arinloye) is a France-based creative professional with 10+ years experience in visual marketing & music composition, with an Audio Engineering Certificate from Saint-Denis Lycée Suger. His music production, beat-making, and audio engineering and sound design has been used in television and theatre/live-stage productions. He has worked with Compagnie Makiato, the Madrootz Association and with upcoming artists. A Krump dancer himself, he has released over 25 albums as Big Rulez. COSTUMES PAX is a multidisciplinary performing artist and creator. She has been an innovator of the hip hop dance community . She is a fashion artist and magazine designer . She is the founder of A.MUSE, a cross media production company whose mission is to showcase culture and art. She is continuously committed to education and community building, focused on creating platforms for self- expression. 7STARR ©DO PHAN HOI PRAISE d n a l e v e l C n o J © “7Starr is an extraordinary performer, shape-shifter of excellence, a master of his craft. Lucy M. May has created the perfect frame in which to gather our focus, to honour and illuminate this unique genius. [...] The audience tumbles into a world of raw honest strength and compassion. One finds oneself held by revealed truth and in awe of human experience. It is storytelling of authenticity and power. The work resonates and remains with me, and still has me marveling weeks later. [...] Seamless and radiant.” — Margie Gillis, Canadian choreographer "The piece was so powerful it moved a man like myself that unexpectedly! I had no idea that Krump, or any dance for that matter, can affect me like that! [...] The entire production was very smart, the timing, music, dancing was top notch and true art! [The artists' work made] me feel proud of my own personal journey and I’m 100% sure it can make others feel the same.” — Slick Dogg, Popping OG MEDIA EXCERPTS "A totally raw creation [...] Each staccato gesture on stage reveals the very essence of this dance which seems so violent, but which is, deep down, a cry from the heart to be heard. » — Journal de Montréal * "The performer is endlessly engaging, in speech and in silence, in movement and in stillness,and even in absence. This is a chance to witness something truly special. [...] A unique emotional experience that cannot adequately be put into words." — Violette Kay, Montreal Theatre Hub "Channeling to expand, marking to unleash, revealing oneself to share: with respect, these two artists take a deep look at their contrasting scenic styles. An hour of shared introspection that opens many new perspectives." — Charleyne Bachraty, Les ArtsZé * "While the show is worth seeing just for the atmosphere, 7Starr's talent and drive are to be commended.