Rituæls

Jan. 29, 2027 to Jan. 30, 2027

Fringe Theatre Arts Barns (Westbury Theatre)

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Organized by: Brian Webb Dance Company

Rituæls is a grand artistic gesture bringing together works from the Middle Ages to the 21st century by Hildegard von Bingen, Arvo Pärt, Michael Tippett, Nicole Lizée, Bryce Dessner, and Jocelyn Morlock. Through music and movement, this programme reflects the intricacies of human connection, embracing the beautiful and painful of our coexistence. The use of continuous, at times motionless, sound ties each tableau to the next, creating a common thread that accompanies us through a succession of emotional phases: the spiritual, the intimate, the fragile, the dismayed, the grandiose, the humble, and many more. Throughout this journey, we follow the commanding performance of Stacey Désilier (dance) in an impassioned choreography; a supreme presence who embodies all of the above.

The music begins with a murmuring drone, from which the monodic chant of medieval composer Hildegard von Bingen slowly appears. From there, seamlessly into the music of Arvo Pärt before experiencing the serene, yet intensely detailed world of Nicole Lizée inspired by stop-motion animation, within which “the impossible becomes possible — souls emerge from where once there were none.” The journey between and beyond darkness and light guides us through the music of Bryce Dessner.

Michael Tippett’s Lament expresses grief using Purcell’s aria Ah! Belinda, during which a solo violin comments with a barely recognizable variation on an Irish popular tune of the Renaissance, while Jocelyn Morlock’s Exaudi, also an expression of grief, includes hope: “the music moves us from an inability to comprehend our loss to passionate cries of anguish, to acceptance and angelic reassurance.”

Fringe Theatre Arts Barns (Westbury Theatre)

10330 84 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB, T6E 2G9