DANCE:
Stepping out

Take in the fresh air with tango, Fringe, water and more

by MARITES CARINO

Yes, it's that time of the year again when the more traditional dance venues shut down for the season. You may be envisioning a bleak summer ahead, slumped, remote in hand, glued to late-night TV reruns of Billy Elliot or Save the Last Dance just to get your dance fix. But it doesn't have to be that way.

This week marks the start of the festival that, without fail, marks the beginning of summer and lets loose eccentric characters all over the Main. The 14th annual Fringe is back (June 10–20) and this year dance has a bigger presence than ever before - so big that Studio 303 is giving a new award for the best dance production to go to that one dazzling company of the dozen-plus acts signed up this year.

Highlights include Las Vegas choreographer Louis Kavouras, who brings his multidisciplinary, existential work Joe… This Infinite Universe, and Michigan-based choreographer Aimee McDonald, who takes a look at the hell of being human in Come Here to Me. From the globe's far reaches comes Dances of India, a Japan-India co-production that creates a place where gods and goddesses come alive. And speaking of Japan, Fringe-favourite Shakti brings The Woman Who Dances With the Wolves, where she takes on the creatures - in a show for mature audiences only. Also, don't miss her one-night-only adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, Shakti of Green Gables. Tokyo-based choreographer Egiku Hanayagi presents The Crane and the Crow, a humorous take on Aesop's fable. And there's so much more, so keep your eyes peeled for Fringe reviews in these pages next week.

Hola argentina

The Montreal International Tango Festival runs from July 14–18 at various venues across the city. If you're tempted to tango among the tulips, Tango Libre kicks off its annual Tango in the Park at the end of the month in Outremont's Parc Saint-Viateur. Every Sunday, rain or shine, teachers guide novices through those sultry moves.

Now for some aquatic moves, over at the Just for Laughs Festival check out Waterwall by Italian company Materiali Resistenti Dance Factory, who use an intriguing mix of acrobatics and water in their street act (July 15–24).

Sad soul porn

For those who will be strutting the streets with pride during Montreal's annual parade, if you're keeping an eye out for Flexx, the outdoor dance extravaganza, it's not around this year. Instead, stop at Usine C (July 28) during the festivities for La Pornographie des âmes, a provocative piece by Dave St-Pierre that takes a raw look at violence, heartbreak and death.

Montreal summers are all about free dance in the parks and one of the biggest cultural venues is the Théâtre de Verdure in the heart of Parc La Fontaine. As usual, programmers have booked a busy lineup starting with Les Sortilèges. Their show Attache ta tuque! takes the traditional jig on an international voyage, July 2–3. At the end of the month, things flare up with Caravana Flamenca's Ay Flamenco! (July 30). Then, the following night, choreographer Roger Sinha brings us repeat performances of Burning Skin, a solo work that looks at personal experiences of growing up in Canada, and his energetic work for four, Thok (July 31). And if you missed performances of Ohad Naharin's sassy Minus One, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens brings it back August 4–8.

By the way, Montreal is not the only place where dance is at this summer. A quick trip to the Laurentians during the Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur proves just that from July 30–Aug. 8. Margie Gillis makes a trip north for her performance (Aug. 3) celebrating her 30-year anniversary in dance. Then contemporary dance troupe the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet takes the stage on Aug. 5 for a Quebec premiere. If you want to head up, but don't have wheels, don't fret. This year, festival organizers are offering a shuttle bus service to get spectators to and fro.