Thirst is a contemporary dance performance that uses water as its guiding principle to direct the choreography, the music composition, scenography and video projections. Water is the life force of all things – Thirst reflects on the perilous crisis of water as a global issue and focuses on the transformation of its three states; solid, liquid and vapour through bodily systems governed by water. Thirst contemplates a liberated world enhanced by global consciousness.
Since 1998, Suzanne Miller & Allan Paivio Productions has worked toward a hybrid, poly-cultural repertoire of new dance and music unique to Canada. The distinctive character of the company derives from an ongoing series of cultural and artistic exchanges that feed our creative process.
Collaborating since 1985, Suzanne Miller and Allan Paivio envelop their audiences in a total theatre that combines hypnotic choreographic sequences with electrical aural landscapes. With sound and movement they merge every facet of the performance experience into an integrated encounter with the sublime.
Their career as a choreographer and composer team has evolved over the past two decades. Productions in the theatre and site-works have toured throughout Canada, the United States, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Venezuela and most recently in the Middle East.
You can watch a video of the performance here.
Choreographer – Suzanne Miller
Composer – Allan Paivio
Dancers – Suzanne Miller and Magali Stoll
Collaborators – Sophie Daubisse, Karsten Kroll
Set Design and Costume – Suzanne Miller
Rehearsal Director - Catherine Lavoie Marcus
Technical Director and Lighting Design – Karine Gauthier
Photo Credit – Francois Bergeron
Comments
SaraC
November 25, 2014This is absolutely beautiful! I actually really wanted to go and see the performance when it came, but I wasn’t able to. From what I understand, this dance gave us a chilling and real insight into the importance of water in our lives and how, whether we want to believe it or not, it is a divine thing. The sad truth is that we humans are killing the divine with out insatiable thirst and greed for it and we must make a change to ensure that it does not completely disappear.
kpayne
November 26, 2014I really enjoy this article, to read a passionate piece on water is a nice change. Water is a very important part of our lives, it sustains life for all creatures. I watched the performance that goes with this article and I think that it is really good. Water is really divine in how it influences us in our daily lives, whether you’re an artful and scientific individual. Just by reading this article I have become inspired to maybe write something about or has been influenced by water. It is a shame though that people today take water for granted and don’t understand it’s importance. But as long as their are people who write article like this, there will always be people who will fight to preserve the water we have.
Meganwd
November 30, 2014I really enjoyed this piece! I actually saw the video of the dance described, and was quite surprised by the extent of its success in bringing out strong emotions. I would have thought that though I would have appreciated the dance, it wouldn’t have left me with any strong sentiments. I thought that I was so subjected to this topic of human consumption, and the lack of fresh water on Earth, that the piece would cease to have a lasting impact on me. For whatever reason, maybe this being the form that the message took (as it is a choreography), or simply the talent of the dancers it is composed of, the piece definitely evoked strong emotions in me.
I find that you did an excellent job in outlining the issues, and this piece was, to me, a sort of completion to the video. You also shed light on some aspects of the dance that I didn’t grasp while watching it!
jmkho
November 30, 2014This piece is fascinating because it presents water in a beautiful way which made me reconsider the way I view water. It is so easy to forget how essential water is to life, and the power that it holds. Though I did not see the performance, your description of it brings to life for me the dance that we ourselves play with water. I have seen and experienced firsthand how fortunate we are in Canada to have clean fresh water yet we take it for granted every day, while people around the world struggle to survive without the same access that we have. Water is powerful, the control lies in humanity’s hands and our ability to find a balance in using it.
Ryan57
December 6, 2014I really enjoyed this article; I can feel the author’s passion towards the dance performance and water through her words. Unfortunately I was unable to go see the dance in person but I did watch the recording of in online. I found her description and analysis of the performance extremely accurate and it pointed out some amazing details that I missed while I was watching it. Personally my favorite part of the article was at the beginning when she was describing Thales of Miletus and how he was the first scientist to really understand how essential water is for all life on the planet. I found that was the perfect intro into an article discussing the value and importance of water. Additionally the authors closing statement where she mentioned Nietzsche’s prophecy was especially moving and powerful.
RodMM
December 15, 2014I thoroughly enjoyed this reading due to the fact that it displayed the importance of such a simple element to our everyday lives, even though we take it for granted so often. It gets one to think of how little we could accomplish without it. Rarely can you turn your head and see something in which water was completely absent during its creation, sustenance or disposal. Even with this knowledge, there are still millions of people without access to this resource, even during a day in age where we are so technologically advanced and have become more globally conscious. The Thirst dance performance was very captivating because it was able to capture the wide range of significance which water has in our lives. Due to its abstract nature, it forces one to think a little bit more critically and this then causes us analyze our relationship with water and in turn hopefully change our attitude if need be. Finally, the idea of no matter how small an action or thing is, it can have a large and ripple like effect on numerous aspects of life.
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