Dancing with herself

>> Berlin-born Isabel Mohn explores personal space with My One and Lonely

by MARITES CARINO

“I grew up in a city that was restricted by a wall,” says choreographer Isabel Mohn, a 27-year-old Berlin native who moved to Montreal seven years ago to pursue her dance studies. My One and Lonely, Mohn’s first full-length solo production, plays with the idea of space and its limits.
The piece had its beginnings in Japan, where Mohn, a LADMMI graduate, spent last summer studying with Butoh instructor Kazuo Ohno. “In Japan there are so many people who live in a limited space,” she says. “The Japanese have this physical proximity with one another, yet at the same time respect the personal space of others.”

Mohn explores these ideas through this autobiographical solo. “I wanted to play with the idea of being alone, yet wanting to be with someone,” she explains. Using this paradox, she creates a playful, androgynous character searching for an identity while trying to fit in, both physically and figuratively. By separating on-stage space with bricks and suitcases, Mohn creates limits, and, although she is the manipulator of these objects, she is also manipulated by them.

Mohn seeks out proximity with her public in two ways. First, through venue choice: the Théâtre de l’Esquisse has a limited seating capacity, which makes the audience feel closer to the performer. Having studied theatre and mime in Germany, Mohn says she also wants to engage people through laughter, but warns that “it’s not ‘ha ha’ humour, but the more ‘wink-wink’ kind.” When the work finishes its Montreal run, Mohn hopes to bring My One and Lonely to Japan and Germany. “Because this is a solo, I’ve worked alone on this piece for a long time,” she says. “I can’t wait to share it with an audience.”
Hip hop to D-Day

If you know what locking and popping are, you’ll feel right at home watching Répertoire, a show put on by American hip-hop company Rennie Harris Puremovement. Rennie Harris, a Philadelphia native, brings five of his high-energy choreographies to Montreal. Ambassador of hip hop dance, Harris and his 11-member company have brought hip hop moves from the streets to the contemporary dance stage.

In other news, pull out your dancing shoes: it’s International Dance Day, April 29. To mark the event this year, the Regroupement québécois de la dance, who represent professional dancers and dance companies, moves into cyberspace. A must for danceophiles, the new Web site will feature an electronic newsletter, links to local dance companies and artists, and “Oùquandanse,” a handy calendar of performances. Let your fingers do the dancing at www.quebecdanse.org. :

My One and Lonely at Théâtre de l’Esquisse, May 2–5 at 8 pm, 527-5197

Répertoire at le Centre Pierre-Péladeau, April 26–27, 8pm, 987-6919