Dancing against violence

A women’s shelter seems like an unlikely place to cultivate choreographic inspiration, but UQÀM masters student Sameena Mitta has found otherwise. For three years, she gave dance classes to women in New York who were victims of conjugal violence—sessions she says allowed participants to explore their experiences through their bodies instead of going through therapy.

Mitta worked intensively with three South Asian women in particular, and assembled a physical vocabulary by observing their gaze, gestures and habitual movements. “Every day I would take notes, do movement analysis and put it into a choreographic creation,” she explains. “I put it into this big lump and wanted it to speak. And it all kind of came out through video and choreography.” REturn is the final lump—her quartet dedicated to this trio of women.

Mitta says this choreographic process has given her much more than just a dance piece. “It’s brought me to a deeper level of understanding and I’m able to give real emotion to the process of the creation.” Catch the final stretch of her thesis at the Piscine-théâtre (840 Cherrier) Sept. 21–23, 6:30 p.m. and Sept. 24, 2 p.m., free. —Marites Carino

Keeping it corporeal

Concordia’s FOFA (Faculty of Fine Arts) Gallery officially kicks open its doors today, Sept. 21, with the exhibition Body Notes, featuring figurative works by Caroline George, Sophie Jodoin, Theresa Sapergia, Marc Seguin and Marion Wagschal. This spanking new gallery, located in the Arts and Engineering building (1515 Ste-Catherine W.), will be presenting an ongoing series of curated exhibitions focusing on the artistic and research practices of Concordia’s faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Outside the gallery there is the FOFA sculpture court. Every two years a new installation will be commissioned for this location from a student in the graduate program. The inaugural piece “Zoom!” is by Montrealer Randall Anderson. The sculpture presents a body in motion, though on closer inspection, you’ll notice there is no body. The missing form is made visible by a layer of matter that appears to have blown up against it in a gust of wind, revealing the shape of a striding figure below. Body Notes runs until Oct. 13, info: 848-2424 ext. 5467. —Christine Redfern

From the Dark side

Hawaiian Kimberly Dark first made a splash back in the ’90s as “the poet that wasn’t boring.” She’s parlayed her spoken word chops into a touring dynamo, currently burning up the GLBT theatre festival circuit with her one-woman show Stripped and Teased.

“My first full length theatre show was basically a series of performance poems,” says Dark. “My work has evolved since then and includes stories and audience interaction, but is still very different than traditional theatre.” Shows start tonight, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m., and continue to Sept. 26, at Théâtre Ste-Catherine (264 Ste-Catherine E.) $12–$15. Dark also performs a more intimate spoken word set at Zeke’s Gallery (3955 St-Laurent), Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., $5–$10. —Vincent Tinguely

Digital art superstars

The first-ever Advanced Digital Art Production Techniques (ADAPT) conference is a highly ambitious two-day show devoted to computer graphics for film, television and gaming. On Sept. 23 and 24, some of the industry’s brightest minds will be at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (1255 Jeanne-Mance) to give speeches and partake in workshops with local digital art wannabes. Speakers include Syd Mead (Blade Runner), Emile Ghorayeb (DreamWorks) and Jason Spencer-Galsworthy (Wallace & Gromit).

“We’re focusing on the training of artists in movies and games at a high level,” says conference co-founder and Montreal-based online magazine CG Channel editor-in-chief Jean-Eric Hénault. “We think Montreal has the clientele and the atmosphere for an event of this magnitude,” There are three different packages: the $420 (U.S.) 2D and 3D tracks, and the $30 (CAD) exploration track, which grants access to the conference floor, job fair and exhibition floor. The exhibition floor is also open to everyone. More at www.adaptmontreal.com. —Erik Leijon

Is it Art?

TOP SHELF! In eager anticipation of the upcoming NHL season, we bring you a few samples from John Poch and Chad Davidson’s funny, astute and decidedly Zen-like Hockey Haiku: The Essential Collection (Thomas Dunne Books, $12.95).

Pimpled recklessness:
a winger with bad acne—
it’s Langenbrunner.

Eddie Belfour swills,
pees Boston Bruins yellow
in a holding cell.

This next line rocks you:
Nikolai Khabibulin.
That last line rocked you.

ArtsHole

Sticking to poetry...“they removed a tumour from my brain/ ... and I’m afraid your phone number/ was in it”

That zinger from Gérald Godin, one of over 100 writers participating in Quebec’s most illustrious poetry festival you’ve never heard of, the Festival International de la Poesie, now in its 22nd year. The event brings scribes from all over the globe to Trois-Rivières to celebrate and share in their metaphor-fuelled quest for truth and beauty. Over 10 days, the skies will rain onomatopoeias and said rivers will overflow with over 400 activities, spread among 90 cafés, bars, restaurants, art galleries and other sites.

The event kicks off on Sept. 29, with the presentation of the $15,000 Grand Prix Quebecor du Festival International de la Poésie award to one deserving Quebec poet, and continues until Oct. 8. Check out the program at www.fiptr.com.

ARTISTAT: Number of exhibitions that printmaking workshop and gallery Graff (963 Rachel E.) can claim as their own as they celebrate 40 years of serigraphy, lithography, etching, engraving and digital imaging with Hyperliens, running until Oct. 7: 400+

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