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Culture Dance

Body language

BEFORE DURING AFTER choreography by Tanya Crowder, Malgorzata Nowacka, Maxine Heppner, Susan Lee, Tedd Robinson, Claudia Moore, Lincoln Shand, Roberto Campanella, Karen Kaeja, Keiko Ninomiya, Allison Rees-Cummings and Andrew Scorer presented by EDGEdanceworks and the Chimera Project at the Winchester Street Theatre (80 Winchester) through February 9, Thursday to Saturday 7 and 8:30 pm, Sunday 6 and 7:30 pm. One program $12-$15, stu/srs $12. Two programs $22-$26, stu/srs $22. 416-204-1082. Rating: NNNNN

Relationships are always a dance,a delicate interplay of personalities and ideas. No one knows this better than Tanya Crowder and Malgorzata Nowacka, co-curators of Before During After, the second annual festival of dance duets.The two first met several years ago after a dance class. They immediately hit it off.

“We have a great dynamic. I rip through things like a bulldozer,” laughs Nowacka, “and Tanya’s the considerate one, making sure everything gets done on time.”

It was Nowacka’s idea to start the festival as a way to showcase their own work — and others’. This year’s series includes pieces by such acclaimed choreographers as Maxine Heppner, Karen Kaeja, Tedd Robinson and Claudia Moore, performed by a who’s who of indie dancers.

After the success of last year’s fest, Crowder and Nowacka were overwhelmed with applications.

“It was hard to decide,” admits Nowacka. “I know how hard it is to submit work to a festival and not get in.”

Through a lengthy process of discussion and the occasional argument, the two managed to pare down the list.

“We don’t always agree, but it’s a good thing to have more than one perspective,” says Crowder. “We’re different, but we complement each other.”

Before During After features duets by 10 T.O. choreographers, in two separate programs inspired by Valentine’s Day themes — the first about love, the other about temptation.

Knowing that all the pieces were duets, the idea of relationships was obvious.

“When you watch a duet onstage, you can’t help but see a relationship forming between two people,” observes Crowder.

Nowacka says she gets a thrill dancing with only one other person, her focus totally on him or her. For her piece, In One Short Breath, in the Temptations program, she and her duet partner, Tim Spronk, need to be focused to survive.

“At any point one of us could die,” says Nowacka with her trademark laugh. “He could literally break my neck. Last week I almost broke his elbow.”

Crowder, on the other hand, has chosen to explore a softer side of relationships in her piece, to {two}. Slower in pace, to {two} takes a look at the initial stages of love, the first meeting, the growing familiarity and the uncertainty of a new situation.

“But it’s not movie love'” she smiles. “There’s a sensuality to it, but I also looked at the frustration, the reality of a relationship.”

On the topic of their non-dance relationships the two couldn’t be further apart. While Crowder talks easily about her marriage, Nowacka stays tight-lipped about anything personal.

“You learn a lot about yourself in a relationship,” says Crowder. “It’s put in perspective what I want out of life. It makes me think more about my work. I want to take more time with things and not just crank out a certain number of pieces a year.”

Nowacka stares out the window for a while before erupting again in laughter.

“Love,” she says, “is difficult and annoying. I obviously have my work in the Temptation half for a reason.”

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