quiet, inauspicious beginnings

On Monday afternoon, October 24th, Roxana kicked off in the rehearsal studios of 509 Parliament in Toronto. The 509 is headquarters for Danny Grossman Dance Theatre, whom Moze worked with in Dance for Modern Times. It is also home to the Canadian Children's Dance Theatre and other arts organizations. The next day, on Tuesday, I headed in to observe. The large sprawling converted movie palace is almost always running over with Cabbagetown youth of all colours and sizes, trimmed out in their dance gear. Not far from these studios is the home of the Toronto Dance Theatre, where I once studied myself as a young girl for years. When I walked past it later that night, quiet and darkly lit, I was thrown into a sea of memory. Up a steep and very narrow stairway... or in this case a short flight of steps to a large room in which I was always the youngest. I remembered the yoga salute to the sun that began each class.

On this, the second day of rehearsals for Roxana, choreographer Roberto Campanella worked with Greta Hodgkinson (Roxana) and Christopher Body (the Pawnbroker) on a sequence in which Roxana considers selling a cigarette case for rent. The pawnbroker is a regular at the burlesque where she dances nightly and is smitten. The dancers and choreographer all know each other well and this afternoon was diligent but low-stress, plenty of time for stretching and laughter. In fact, they were done soon enough that Roberto had time to continue working out a part of the dance that involves Roxana's friend Amy, who will be played by Sheila McCarthy, also in the scene. He and Je-An Selas, his assistant, walked through some possibilities.

Later, outside on Parliament, director and choreographer shared some ideas for the Chez Paree number that will open the movie and which is being rehearsed later in the week. The question is how to visually introduce the four dancers, including the main character, in the most visually expressive way and in keeping with the vision for the number. Will there be tables?, Roberto asked about the burlesque house set it will be shot on. Moze considered some possibilities and then said he wanted to think about it more. Meanwhile, little girls eagerly entered and departed around us, an unconscious picture of the flow of time. Any one of these young hoofers may one day work with one of the gifted men I was standing with!