Local dancer leaves footsteps around the globe
From premiering shows in the Czech Republic to creating new works for an Italian dance troupe, Forest Hill-based Heidi Strauss is living an international existence.
The independent contemporary dancer/choreographer always seems to have her passport ready, frequently jetting off to parts of Europe to dance in either her own or other companies’ productions.
The more stamps on her passport she gets, the more she grows as an artist, Strauss says over the phone from Prague in late March.
Strauss was in the historic city last month to premiere Adelheid Solos, two separate solo works she choreographed and performed.
Loosely translated from the German saying of “exalted nature”, the production incorporates the remounting of Das Martyrium, Strauss’ 2002 multimedia exploration of Joan of Arc’s life with Czech lighting and sound designer Jan Komarek, and her new work, ohne, which looks at the different forms of loss and expectation.
Videos by multimedia artist Jeremy Mimnagh complete each dance.
“It’s about expectations that aren’t being met, about growth and identity,” Strauss says about ohne, which along with Das Martyrium will receive its Toronto showing April 24-26 at Harbourfront Centre’s Enwave Theatre.
Strauss, who co-founded the Four Chambers dance project with fellow dancer/choreographer Darryl Tracy in 1999, adds the two dances are inherently different.
Ohne, which is the German word for “without” uses a lot of light and is more contemporary in nature, while Das Martyrium, which Strauss says she’s refined since its premiere six years ago, deals with darkness and classical elements.
One thing the two have in common is how they look at people’s relationships and histories, whether it’s their own intimate history or the history of a famous figure, such as Joan of Arc, Strauss explains.
“It’s a questioning of our own experiences based on what we expect,” says Strauss, adding her international lifestyle has given her a chance to explore ideas that aren’t solely Toronto-specific.
After Adelheid Solos, she’ll begin a residency at Toronto’s Dancemakers developing new works, before heading to Italy to tour with that country’s renowned contemporary troupe, Deja Donne.
“I find working in Europe takes me away from how busy my life is in Toronto,” she says.
It’s not to say her Prague trip was uneventful, but getting the chance to focus on just one project at a time allows Strauss to investigate all aspects of that production.
“As an independent dancer I have to do a lot of side projects to make a living and that takes a lot of energy from my own projects,” says Strauss, who in her 14 years as a professional dancer/choreographer, has choreographed for The Canadian Opera Company and danced for Fujiwara Dance Inventions and Tribal Crackling Wind.
“With a residency I can direct my energy to one idea and edit that idea until I’m perfectly happy with it.”