Slow Dancing

Begins at dusk everyday from June 6-15.

They appear to be still photographs: luminous shots of dancers in mid movement, projected on three outdoor screens, each several storeys high. Alone, the unexpectedness and monumental scale of these images would compel the eye. But keep looking, and suddenly you become aware of their breathtaking extra dimension. Hovering at the limits of human perception is the haunting beauty of a stillness that moves.

To achieve these unique studies of the human body in ultra-slow motion, artist David Michalek used a special high-definition camera running at 1,000 frames a second. Shot at such speed, a five-second gesture expands to fill 10 minutes of screen time, opening our eyes to a strange world of almost suspended animation.

Michalek's subjects, richly diverse in age, ethnicity and dance form, are acclaimed dancers and choreographers from around the world: artists who work in styles and traditions ranging from Japanese court dance to Afro-Brazilian capoeira, from flamenco to hip-hop, from classical ballet to hoop dancing.

New Portraits of Canadian Dancers

For this Canadian premiere, Luminato (with the support of SuperNova Program Development Fund donors Sandra and Jim Pitblado) has commissioned two portraits to be added to the 43 already in the show. These new portraits will feature Cree hoop dancer Sandra Lamouche, a recent graduate of the Native American studies program at the University of Lethbridge, and Toronto dancer, choreographer, teacher and film director Clarence Ford (producer and choreographer for On the One: Luminato Funk Festival)

Co-commissioned by Luminato, Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County, Walton Arts Center of Northwest Arkansas, and Sadler's Wells, London.

Toronto Star May 31, 2008 - Motion pictures