Toronto Premiere
In this solo show, the stunning UK-based dancer Liam Francis opens up about the challenges and emotions of stepping into singular roles created by his dance heroes, including Merce Cunningham, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Kate Prince.
Program
A young Liam Francis was first inspired to dance after watching Kate Prince’s Into the Hoods, captivated by its electric hip-hop style. Soon after, he encountered Merce Cunningham’s RainForest and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun. Each of these aesthetic revelations marked a profound turning point, after which nothing felt quite the same.
Years later, Francis would find himself performing these masterpieces, discovering along the way that he had the right to love postmodern dance as deeply as he loved hip-hop.
In Lyre Liar, Francis traces the encounters that shaped his singular style and the unlikely intersections between them. With the support of a striking feathered companion, he creates a performance that is part dance portrait, part lecture-demonstration and part autobiography, illuminating both the joy and the burden of a life shaped by learning through imitation.
Liam captures how it feels to stare up at your artistic gods – the ones who inspired you to be here and do this – and then try to climb the mountain and walk among them. This is the experience of every artist you will see at our festival and Liam lays it bare to stunning effect.
– Robert Binet, Artistic Director & Co-CEO, Fall for Dance North
