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Frewer to turn the stage to Dust for International Dance Day

Ladner dancer Francesca Frewer is set to take the stage during International Dance Day this weekend with her latest original piece.
Francesca Frewer
Ladner dancer Francesca Frewer is set to take the stage during International Dance Day this weekend with her latest original piece Dust.

Ladner dancer Francesca Frewer is set to take the stage during International Dance Day this weekend with her latest original piece.

Along with partner Erika Mitsuhashi, Frewer will present Dust, a thought-provoking contemporary dance solo that incorporates live sound, new media and striking designs to investigate themes of volatility, change, decay and the unbound.

Inspired by the poetry of Anne Carson, Dust uses movement, text and powerful visual effects to reveal the gradual undoing of the performance space, and of the performer herself.

Performances will be held on Sunday, April 28 and Monday, April 29 at 6 p.m. at the

Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie St., Vancouver). Admission is free.

“I've been working on this piece with my collaborator, Erika Mitsuhashi, for the past year now. Our initial inspiration for the solo came from an interest in trying to embody wildness or the uncanny,” said Frewer.

“We're interested in ideas around decay, permanence and the irreversible, and we're trying to incorporate these themes into the piece in different ways. It's been really exciting working with the different mediums, and trying to integrate them all so that each part feels essential to the whole.”

A graduate of Delta Secondary, Frewer is a contemporary dance artist now living in Vancouver who has performed at home and internationally.

“We were lucky to be able to do a residency in Berlin in September, where we worked with the composer and the textiles artist we're collaborating with in the new show,” she said. “Now that we're in our final stage of creation, we're focusing on the performance side, and trying to keep taking risks as we get closer to the show. It's been a fun process and we're really grateful for the support we've had along the way.”

Initiated in 1982 by UNESCO, International Dance Day is marked annually on April 29 with events across Canada and around the world. The date commemorates the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, regarded as the founder of modern ballet.