In its first outing with Vancouver dance presenter DanceHouse, Montreal’s RUBBERBAND will perform Ever So Slightly, a hybrid mix of urban hip-hop and contemporary dance.
Choreographed by RUBBERBAND’s artistic director and choreographer Victor Quijada, Ever So Slightly is Quijada’s meditation on the momentum of change, the many elements that lead to change, and the breaking point that makes either positive or negative shifts possible.
“We are thrilled to welcome RUBBERBAND to the DanceHouse stage for the very first time,” says Jim Smith, artistic and executive director of DanceHouse. “Quijada’s signature movement vocabulary, informed by his hip-hop, contemporary, and classical training, results in a perfect fusion of spontaneity and refinement, boldness and grace. Over the past seventeen years with RUBBERBAND, Quijada has developed a unique and dynamic aesthetic that has shattered choreographic stereotypes. We are delighted to share his distinctive vision with Vancouver audiences.”
The company’s first major work to feature its full ten-member company of artists, the choreography is accompanied by a live electronic soundscape from composer and DJ Jasper Gahunia. A longtime collaborator with RUBBERBAND, Gahunia is a television and film composer, and resident DJ for hip-hop artist K-OS. Joining him on stage is violinist, William Lamoureux.
Founded by Quijada in 2002 following a career performing in hip-hop clubs and professional dance companies, RUBBERBAND was created as a vehicle to fuse the form and rigour of contemporary and classical ballet with the ideology and movement vocabulary of hip-hop culture. Since then, the award-winning Quijada has created over a dozen works for RUBBERBAND and developed a professional training program that prepares dancers for the choreographic requirements of the company.
Today, the company tours intensively in Canada, as well as throughout Europe, Mexico, and the United States. The company was most recently seen locally during its 2019 tour of British Columbia with its retrospective work Vic’s Mix.
DanceHouse presents RUBBERBAND’s Ever So Slightly plays at the Vancouver Playhouse on March 21 & 22. Visit dancehouse.ca for tickets and information.