East of the Sun, West of the Moon is a mythological Norwegian folktale exploring the timeless themes of love, human error and redemption. Lillie, the play’s heroine, is propelled into a journey in pursuit of saving a Prince, who by day is a White Bear – under the spell of an ugly troll. With the help of the Winds, a kindly Hag, magical encounters, and her own strength, Lillie thwarts the Troll, breaks the spell and brings the Prince safely home.

The story of East of the Sun, West of the Moon is set in the Northern wilderness of Scandinavia, mirroring the geography of Northern Canada. The re-imagining of this folk tale breathes new life, humour and relevance into a very old story. Weaving both movement and spoken word, this work inspires and empowers both the young and the young at heart. East of the Sun, West of the Moon was adapted by Canadian playwright Eleanor Albanese and Motus O dance theatre; original music by Peter Jarvis and Paul Tedeschini.

Motus O dance theatre has toured Australia, the USA and Canada with its innovative physical dance style that portrays the human experience through humour and pathos.

Petrouchka is the classical story of a Wizard and three marionettes – the handsome but cruel Strongman, the beautiful Ballerina and the unlikely hero named Petrouchka. Petrouchka, performed to the original music by Igor Stravinsky, is in love with the Ballerina but his clumsy attempts to impress her takes him on an outrageous adventure that unfolds with no end of calamity. Join Petrouchka as he outwits the Strongman, tames a bear, dances with a feather, juggles bowling balls, goes fishing and in a spectacular finale saves the Ballerina’s life. Petrouchka may be small and awkward but his enthusiasm for life enchants and inspires us all!

STUDENT WORKSHOPS:

Students receive a memorable and engaging arts experience based on participation, creativity and energy.
The Motus O dance theatre artistic team guides students through exercises illustrating the movement genre – ‘contact improvisation.’ It is created by two or more bodies working together in mutual support. This exciting workshop utilizes leverage and balance, with a lot of give-and-take between partners encouraging innovative expression.

TEACHER WORKSHOPS:

Motus O dance theatre’s directors are available for workshops providing teachers with basic to advanced teaching tools that will help them instruct the dance/drama curriculum. Tools can be provided through the forms of dramatic dance and/or contact improvisation.

DRAMATIC DANCE – introduces creative movement dealing with a fusion of mime, drama and dance for the purpose of storytelling.

CONTACT IMPROVISATION – learning movement which is created by two or more bodies working together in mutual support, utilizing leverage and balance. These skills are excellent for creating original movement vocabulary.