SUNYA

2013 / 60 MINUTES

” Extremely poetic, inspired, hypnotic and moving. A sublime piece, a subtle invitation to travel that is as sensual as it is spiritual … Beautifully touching. “

– Aline Apostolska, La Presse, 2013

Every sound stems from a gesture, but in an abyss of silence, does movement still occur? All expression comes from a memory. When there are multiple memories, how do they resonate? What happens when two artists team up? What happens when a choreographer and a composer at the crossroads of cultures join forces?

A co-production between Sinha Danse and the Constantinople musical ensemble, Sunyà (meaning “zero” and “number” in Sanskrit) refers to the fundamental paradox of being, of language, of movement… The movement of exile, the movement of hybridized art. Four dancers, three musicians and a visual artist all under the guidance of Roger Sinha and Kiya Tabassian create a common language. From the universal quest for identity to a collective epic comes a creative gesture, a dreamlike echo of a world reconciled.

Press kit

Booking

YAËLLE AZOULAY, RÉSONANCES AGENCY

DANSE@AGENCERESONANCES.COM
TEL +1 514-521-4445
MOB +1 514-912-9235

Calendar

November 19 – 21, 2015 – NextSteps, Fleck Dance Theatre, Toronto (Ontario)

November 10 – 14, 2015 – The Cultch, Vancouver (British Columbia)

November 6, 2015 – Crimson Coast Dance Society, Port Theatre, Nanaimo (British Columbia)

About the creators

Constantinople

Composer

Taking its name from the ancient city that straddles the East and West, Ensemble Constantinople burst onto the scene in 2001 under the guidance of Kiya Tabassian, his brother Ziya, and later, by Pierre-Yves Martel. These internationally acclaimed musicians are veteran musical explorers. They take inspiration from mediaeval manuscripts, Mediterranean and Eastern oral traditions, improvisation and New World baroque. They boldly experiment with genres and other artists.

constantinople.ca

Roger Sinha

Choreography

Roger Sinha was born in England of an Armenian mother and an Indian father. He grew up in Canada where he graduated from the Toronto Dance Theatre, drawing inspiration from his cultural background to develop his unique language of movement and personal choreography. He draws his vocabulary from contemporary dance, martial arts, ballet with subtle hints of Barata-Natyam, Indian dance. “Sinha is a creative powerhouse whose onstage presence is as generous as it is captivating”- Voir, 1995.

Full biography here

Credits

Artistic Direction / Roger Sinha & Kiya Tabassian in collaboration with Jo Leslie / Choreography / Roger Sinha / Musical conception / Kiya Tabassian in collaboration with Pierre-Yves Martel / Dramaturge / Jo Leslie / Visual designer and interaction design / Jérôme Delapierre in collaboration with Roger Sinha / Dancers 2015-2016 / Thomas Casey, Tanya Crowder, Marie-Ève Lafontaine, François Richard & Roger Sinha / Creative dancers / Thomas Casey, Tanya Crowder, Ghislaine Doté, François Richard & Roger Sinha (understudies: Marie-Ève Lafontaine & Mark Medrano) / Musicians 2015-2016 / Kiya Tabassian (setar and voice), Patrick Graham (percussion), Pierre-Yves Martel (viola da gamba) / Rehearsal manager / Sarah Williams / Wardrobe / Denis Lavoie / Decor / Roger Sinha with the help of Ziya Tabassian / Lighting design / Caroline Nadeau / Calligraphy / Moshen Zarrabi

Sunyà was a part of the Segal Centre for Performing Arts / Dance Series Choreographer-In-Residence program, as well as the résidences de création à la Maison de la culture Frontenac and the Cinquième Salle at the Place des Arts.

Sunyà was premiered as a co-presentation by Danse and La Place des Arts de Montréal from April 17 – 27, 2013 at La Cinquième Salle. More information

Sunyà was also presented in Montreal at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, Maison de la culture Frontenac, Maison de la culture Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie and the Salle Pauline Julien. It was also presented at the Théâtre de la Ville in Longueuil, the Maison des arts in Laval, the Théâtre Centennial in Sherbrooke and the Sir James Dunn Theatre in Halifax.