MOTUS O DANCE THEATRE Confessions of a Professional Dancer

Amusingly self-described as “Part dance/part theatre/part triathlon,” MOTUS O is uniquely committed to making modern dance a lot of fun . . . and even comprehensible! One of Ontario’s most cherished and accomplished dance-theatre companies, MOTUS O is celebrating its 33 amazing years with a cross-Canada tour. This is also, sadly, their farewell tour as the three co-founders of MOTUS O are of an age that it just makes sense for them to be stepping back from the rigours of creating and performing high-energy dance works. They leave behind a remarkable legacy, one created by the synergy that erupted when an Australian sheep shearer (to be honest, he did also come to Canada to study dance, theatre, and mime), a gymnast, and a former national figure skater combined forces in 1990. Specializing in family-friendly shows, the multiple award-winning MOTUS O has always combined athletic choreography, innovative staging and costuming, exciting music – and a decidedly wacky sensibility – to boldly reinvent classic repertoire, from Alice in Wonderland and A Midsummer Night’s Dream to The Little Match Girl and Carmina Burana.

They have created over 70 full-length and short productions, many of which have toured North America, Britain, and Australia. Their final show is called Confessions of a Professional Dancer and will doubtless have a poignant, autobiographical flavour as it offers a glimpse into the world “behind the curtain” of a professional dancer. MOTUS O has performed in Golden several times – so much so that Kicking Horse Culture’s artistic and executive director, Bill Usher, has come to regard them as friends. “Their performance here may well be their very last show as a company,” says Usher. “They’ve been entertaining audiences and delivering fantastic workshops to folks of all ages for decades. It was a no brainer to have them come back and finish off their season here.”