Ottawa Fringe 2016: Raw Footage – mission accomplished as three artists create trustworthiness, honesty and beauty.

Raw footage is comprised of three dance pieces performed by Cathy Kyle-Fenton, Mary Catherine Jack and Nicola Henry. It is a real treat for dance lovers who like to immerse themselves in a beauty of dance moves and to be carried away by the imaginative narrative. Artists dance beautifully, showcasing their talent, strength and creativity while portraying women who struggle with their personal perception of loss, beauty and life defining light.

Cathy Kyle-Fenton is dancing partly to the faint sound of guitar and partly to the complete silence – at the beginning the only sound heard is tapping of her own feet accompanied by the rhythmic sound of her breathing. Silence adds to the drama of the story about woman who recently suffered a loss of someone close and beloved. Pain is clearly written on her face. Every move tells about battle to accept the reality in hope that they will meet again.

Mary Catherine Jack is a true comedian in a role of a woman who is not a youngster any more, and has hard time to accept the plain facts: sagging skin, wrinkled face and not so firm body. She portrays the wont-to-be sexy seductress in a naturally humorous way while preserving control and gracefulness of dance.

Nicola Henry enters the stage lighted only with the candles on the floor. She is following the light, struggle to reach candles, try to rearrange them. Her inner fight and a wish to surround herself with a life giving light is real. By the end, just before her body collapses in a complete exhaustion, her moves get chaotic. Those elegant and beautifully controlled transitions and contrasted emotions coupled with the music set in the rhythm of a beating heart create a magic on the stage.

Although those three dance pieces are simple and short, they open up our minds and stir our imagination. As the stage is almost bare, the entire focus is on dancers, so that the success of the show lays exclusively on their ability to perform and animate the audience. This mission is completely accomplished, as those three artists managed to create the atmosphere of trustworthiness, honesty and beauty.

raw footage plays at Studio Léonard Beaulne :

Friday, June 24 – 5:30pm

Saturday, June 25 –3:00pm