Maria Kong; photo by Guy Prives

Look for awe-inspiring dance, insightful theatre, first-rate comedy, and engaging music at the 15th Annual Chutzpah!, featuring international, Canadian, and local artists from February 19 to March 15, 2015. Performances will take place at the The Imperial, Electric Owl, Red Room, Scotiabank Dance Centre, Wosk 2nd Stage, and at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre.

Chutzpah!’s 15th Anniversary programming will kick off at Vancouver FanClub with Israel’s internationally-lauded dance company Maria Kong in their first North American appearance, performing BACKSTAGE. This multiple art experience combining dance, a live rock band, theatre, video, and interactive media technology is not to be missed.

Dance will feature prominently throughout the festival with Vancouver’s own multifaceted, award-winning choreographer/dancer Shay Kuebler (co-founder of the 605 Collective) with his new dance company, bringing the world premiere of GLORY to the Norman Rothstein Theatre. 

Tomasz Rossa, ODC, Bodytraffic
[BODYTRAFFIC]

Chutzpah’s multi-year international resident dance company, BODYTRAFFIC, returns to the festival. This hot, young contemporary company will bring to the stage four Canadian premieres by renowned choreographers Victor Quijada, Kyle Abraham, Joshua L. Peugh, as well as a new work by Chutzpah! fave Richard Siegal.

Alert Bay’s ‘Namgis T’sasala Cultural Group will bring traditional Kwakwaka’wakw dances to the festival for the first time, sharing dance, music, and storytelling in a free daylong celebration.

Israel’s Idan Sharabi and Dancers will return to Chutzpah! with a much anticipated full-length work. Opening for Idan is Vancouver’s Vanessa Goodman with a world premiere featuring seven of the city’s most notable dancers. 

This year Chutzpah!PLUS dance will co-present – together with The Dance Centre – the world premiere of BC choreographer/ writer/painter Serge Bennethan’s new work, Monsieur Arbutun.

Daniel Kahn and The Painted Bird
[Daniel Kahn and The Painted Bird]

Musical Highlights

– Ethiopian-fused Reggae band Zvuloon Dub System (Israel) with Brooklyn’s up-and-coming psych-rock-fused R&B band Twin Wave
Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird: a unique mix of punk cabaret and radical Yiddish song (Germany)
– World premiere of Paul Alexander’s Remembering Steel Skies Raining Tears featuring the Borealis String Quartet, Eric Wilson, and Boris Sichon (BC)
Les Yeux Noirs (France), co-presented with Caravan World Rhythms
Diwan Saz, a multicultural Jewish, Muslim, Bedouin, and Arabic group of world musicians performing ancient music from Central Asia, Turkey, Persia, and the Holy Land (Israel)

Ester Rada
[Ester Rada]

The 2015 Chutzpah! PLUS music concert will feature singer-songwriter Ester Rada (Israel) whose music gracefully combines Ethiopian Jazz, Urban funk, Neo Soul and R&B, with mixed undertones of black grooves all deeply reflecting her Israeli-Ethiopian heritage.

Comedy at the Chutzpah!

Wendy Hammers in RIPE, her part stand-up confessional, part booty shakin’ biography — a funny and moving new one woman show
You’re Funny, But You Don’t Look Jewish, performed by American-Jewish comedians Samson Koletkar, Mike Capozzola, and Joseph Nguyen (USA)
Kafka and Son, adapted from Franz Kafka’s Letter to His Father by Mark Cassidy and Alon Nashman, performed by Alon Nashman (ON)
Sisypesan Theatre’s physical theatre in the round’s MARATHON, a soul-searching metaphor on the Israeli lifestyle (Israel)
– Emerging Canadian playwright Tamara Micner’s What You’re Missing, directed by John Cooper (BC)
 
According to Chutzpah!’s Artistic & Managing Director Mary-Louise Albert, “This is going to be a great anniversary year with a focus on world premieres by BC artists and the continuation of our established, excellent and well warranted reputation of bringing numerous outstanding international music, dance, theatre and comedy to our audiences!”
 
Single tickets for Chutzpah! are $20 to $36 and can be purchased online at chutzpahfestival.com, and via phoning the Chutzpah! Box Office (604.257.5145) or Tickets Tonight: (604.684.2787). Chutzi Packs will allow patrons the chance to pick four shows of their choice for $85.

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.