High Voltage Modern Dance in ‘Hero & Heroine’ and ‘Audible’

Credit: 605 Collective

Audible, by Vancouver-based modern dance group The 605 Collective, is on at East Van’s Cultch theatre through Saturday, November 13.

Arresting modern dance performances Hero & Heroine and Audible worth the rainy bike ride to the Vancouver East Cultural Centre

It was dark and it was raining—hardly a deterrent, even if we were on our bikes. Our opening night seats in the fourth row at The Cultch were waiting. And it was a double-bill modern dance performance that we were en route to see!

Hero & Heroine by The Response Dance Society

The dancers in Hero & Heroine demonstrate an enviable stamina—one that endures the physical 30-minute show, where Amber Funk Barton and Josh Martin are the only bodies on stage. As if passing through cycles of love and hate in a dream-like condition, they explore one another, moving together in some sequences; in others trying to free themselves from unrequited strongholds.

The intimacy of the venue allows the audience to observe that even their stomachs are rising and falling at precisely the same time, during the rare moments the choreography permits them to lay side-by-side, motionless, except for their breath. The Response Dance Society achieves absolute unison.

Audible by The 605 Collective

Next up, five dancers take the stage for the second performance, characterized by tumbles, rolls, lifts and the occasional sound bite. Aptly named Audible, the 605 Collective presentation is, again, highly expressive, energetic and athletically performed. It’s also sprinkled with subtle comedic undertones and dancers who literally throw themselves across the stage.

The final touch was a post-show bite to eat, catered by The Reef restaurant, a spicy Commercial Drive neighbour. Clearly, this is a fine way to spend a rainy evening in November.