Stage Door News
Toronto: Danceworks presents Zata Omm’s “Eden Planted” February 5-8
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Reversing the fall of humanity and restoring the Garden of Eden in the technological age - DANCEWORKS presents the World Premiere of ZATA OMM’s EDEN PLANTED. This brilliant production is produced and performed by Toronto based dance company ZATA OMM, and led by the award-winning William Yong. Through the lens of technology and dance, this production contemplates the reconstruction of paradise, and the concept of perfection. Premiering at Harbourfront Centre Theatre, February 5 - 8, 2020.
EDEN PLANTED is an expressive exercise embracing futurology and science fantasy, coupled with innovative integrations of dance, and projections. The work envisions augmented creatures who pursue what they deem to be perfection, in their re-engineered world, built from the ashes of our technological age.
“This creation of EDEN PLANTED builds upon the body of earlier works both in concept and in form developing a series of cautionary futurology. Eden Planted will further technological risk-taking and the challenges we like to create for ourselves and fellow artists in producing ever more visionary dance works.” - William Yong, Zata Omm
William Yong (Creator, Choreographer, and Set Designer) has been Artistic Director of Zata Omm Dance Projects for the last decade. He has created more than 80 dance and theatre works worldwide that have been presented by World Stage, DanceWorks, Fall For Dance North, Montreal’s Tangente, and more. William and his works have received seven Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations, and William is also a three-time finalist for a K.M. Hunter Artist Awards. William won the “I love dance/J’aime la danse” Award for Innovation and the Dora Mavor Moore Award 2019 for 'Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble’.
Performed by Connor Mitton, Sahara Morimoto, Anisa Tejpar, Kaitlin Torrance, Andrew McCormack, and Naishi Wang.
Lighting design by Noah Feaver, composed by Joshua DePerry, visual direction by Lisa Mann, set design by William Yong, text by Stephen Trigg, and video projection design by Afaq Karadia.
ABOUT DANCEWORKS:
DANCEWORKS began as a collective of independent dance artists in 1977 and has grown to become Toronto’s leading presenter of independent dance. Strong in the belief that dance has the power to illuminate, engage, and transform all who participate, DanceWorks offers seasons of eclectic, exhilarating choreography programmed to intrigue, challenge, and enthrall.
ABOUT ZATA OMM:
ZATA OMM is ‘Zen And The Actualization Of Modern Movement.’ Zata Omm Dance Projects is a not-for-profit charitable contemporary dance organization. The award-winning organization is a site for research focusing on the integration of dance, technology, and broader culture, in a state of constant development with ongoing artistic research. Zata Omm’s objective is to create multidisciplinary contemporary dance works using meaningful integration of dance, technology, and other art forms on stage in order to provide an alternative way of seeing our world, which facilitates our exploration and understanding of the human condition.
EDEN PLANTED
When: February 5 - 8, 2020 at 8:00 PM
Where: Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W, Toronto, Ontario
Price: Tickets range from $36 - $42, with group rates, senior/CADA, students, and arts industry discounts available. To purchase tickets, please visit www.danceworks.ca at 416-973-4000.
Photo: Scene from Eden Planted. © 2020 David Hou.