DanceHouse & Vancouver New Music present

La La La Human Steps

New Work by Édouard Lock

DanceHouse, in association with Vancouver New Music, presents La La La Human Steps, performing New Work by Edouard Lock at the Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts, January 21 & 22, 8pm. These Saturday and Sunday night performances are the second in DanceHouse’s four-production season.

The bold kinetic style and physical complexity of Edouard Lock’s creations have made La La La Human Steps one of the most recognized contemporary dance companies in the world, routinely selling out performances globally, with collaborators as diverse as the Paris Opera and Frank Zappa. In a technically challenging new work to mark the 30th anniversary of the company, Lock takes inspiration from two iconic operas; Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice.

Lock enlists the techniques of classical ballet to deliver choreography that is both precise and hyperkinetic. The infinitely complex dance movements, timed to the microsecond, meld the two tragic love stories into a single seamless poetic work. The twelve-member dance company also touches on themes of mortality and fleeting time.

With music by Gavin Bryars and Blake Hargreaves performed live by a four-member ensemble, and lightning-speed turns and point work from the dancers, this New Work is a multi-media experience that has garnered rave reviews for the excitement, technical precision, and unique vision of the company. New Work is co-commissioned by The National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Canada; The Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; DeSingel Internationale Kunstcampus, Antwerp, Belgium; The European Center for the Arts Hellerau, Dresden, Germany; ImPulsTanz-Vienna International Dance Festival, Vienna, Austria; and The Esplanade Theatre, Singapore.