BY KIRSTEN BOLTON
For ArtSpring
With the days becoming shorter and shorter, what happens in the dark is very much top of mind this time of year.
This is the theme of Shannon Litzenberger’s imaginative dance work World After Dark, which explores what comes to life when nightfall comes and the world transforms into something very different than by day.
Billed as a contemporary, multi-media, multi-sensory experience with “a unique type of dance that resists familiar labels,” World After Dark invites audiences into a world of mystery and wonder.
The inspiration for creator and choreographer Litzenberger was the award-winning, non-fiction book Acquainted with the Night, written by prized Canadian author and poet Christopher Dewdney. The book is a series of essays — each one representing a different hour of night between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. as if he was looking to explain the concept of night to people from another planet where it did not exist.
From the science of the cosmos to the neon birth of nightlife, from the biology of nocturnal creatures to the mythology of the night sky, Dewdney’s compelling poetic musings about the mysteries of the night are brought to life in Litzenberger’s evocative mix of dance, theatre and poetry.
World After Dark premiered at Harbourfront Centre Theatre in Toronto in 2019 to rave reviews and continues to be recognized on its Canadian tour.
With roots originally in rural Saskatchewan, award-winning Litzenberger has become known for creating imaginative performances at the intersection of dance, theatre, and literary and visual art. She has also become known as an experienced facilitator who designs workshops on movement, creation, collaboration and leadership within the artistic, educational and corporate sectors.
Following the World After Dark experience on Saturday, Nov. 23, she and co-facilitator Marie-Josée Chartier are remaining on Salt Spring to offer two community workshops at ArtSpring.
On Monday, Nov. 25, the lively “Leadership as Practice” is aimed at helping leaders develop more awareness about themselves and the connection between conscious leadership choices and creating more aligned working cultures. The workshop is limited to 25 registrants. It is free to attend with a donation encouraged.
On Tuesday, Nov. 26, artists and creatives in any field will benefit from “Strategies for Creation Through Embodied Movement and Voice.” This workshop will explore embodied practice, collaborative play and improvisational strategies to break artistic defaults and slumps to imagine new possibilities.
Tickets are available online and through the box office.
World After Dark is proudly sponsored by Joan Farlinger and Salt Spring Coffee.