Mark Allan
Special to The Record
Be prepared for the quirky, profound, bold and poignant when MOTUS O Dance Theatre presents One Hit Wonders on Nov. 2 at the Sid Williams Theatre.
The production gets its name because it’s composed of pieces originally commissioned to be performed once, explains one of the company’s three co-artistic directors.
“You hear about musicians who have one hit on the radio, then you don’t hear about them again,” Jack Langenhuizen chuckles in an interview. “I took that concept of pieces … commissioned from organizations with governments, sports cultures and that sort of thing.”
One of the One Hit Wonders was commissioned for the 2015 Pan Am Games in Ontario.
“It was a big crowd-pleaser, so we thought that would be a good one for a general audience.”
The Ontario-based company’s trio of artistic directors didn’t try to create continuity between such disparate performances compared to the 21 themed shows MOTUS O has produced since it formed in 1990.
“We’re not trying to run a theme through them … so you’re going to see quite an eclectic range of some very contemporary works to some … fun pieces. You’re getting a collage of material.”
How about continuity between three co-artistic directors with diverse backgrounds? The website for MOTUS O, which is Latin for the method of movement, describes the trio as “an American gymnast, an Australian sheep-shearer and a Canadian figure skater.”
“There are definitely challenges, and benefits as well,” states Langenhuizen, a former national-level Canadian figure skater. “If you can get through the challenges, you can reap the benefits over the years.”
Langenhuizen admits that he, former American gymnast Cynthia Croker and Australian James Croker are “three people with three different perspectives and three different opinions. When we began the company, we thought we’d just throw our idea into the pot, then we’d create this lovely work.”
Not exactly.
“You deal with your own perception of what you think is good, and chop down that barrier and allow for other perceptions … or you get to these impasses.”
After doing their first show together and dealing with “many speed bumps,” they found a formula that works.
“Basically, whoever conceptualizes a piece, they get the final say even if we still work with collaboration and give our input. If whoever conceived the idea still wants to go down a different path, we give them that allowance.”
The benefits Langenhuizen referenced stem from the diversity of its artistic visionaries.
After teaching master classes in jazz dance, voice and flute, Cynthia Croker has directed many productions internationally.
James Croker came to Canada to study dance, theatre and mime at Guelph University and the former Academy of Performing Arts School in Cambridge, Ont.
MOTUS O’s general manager, Langenhuizen has extensive dance experience in styles that include jazz, tap, ballet, musical theatre and ballroom.
The company has been touring across Canada, the USA and in other countries for more than 25 years.
Besides markedly different reactions from province to province, smaller communities tend to appreciate the company’s presentations more than audiences in large centres, Langenhuizen has noticed.
“Rural communities for sure … their appreciation level is much higher than in urban centres” because large-city residents have more choice, he theorizes.
Recent MOTUS O awards include the 2016 BC Touring Council’s Artistic Company of the Year Award and the March of Dimes Community Partnership Award. Previous honours include being named Touring Artist of the Year in Ontario and Atlantic Canada.
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MOTUS O Dance Theatre performs Nov. 2 in Courtenay as part of the Sid Williams Theatre Society’s 2017–2018 Blue Circle Series. For details and tickets, visit sidwilliamstheatre.com, phone 250-338-2430 or visit 442 Cliffe Ave.