Altération
2025-05-03 20:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-04 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Halifax) | Breaking Circus, 2164 Amalamek Wy, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 2WB3K 2W4, Canada
Kira Arts / Aly Keita
Co-presented with Live Art Dance
How do our lives intertwine? How do we manage to form prosperous balances? What happens when they break down?
ALTÉRATION addresses the transformations that punctuate our lives and our ability, as human beings, to influence both our own destiny and that of others. Aly Keita depicts a humanity that oscillates, on an intimate and societal level, between stability and uncertainty, anchoring and uprooting, change and resistance, renewal and repetition. The relationship with the other and the complexity of ties lead to the need to hear and rebuild our relationship with ourselves and with our environment. Exploring the meaning of relationships in our society in a wide-ranging way, both interpersonal relationships and those with other-than-human beings, this work opens the way to the construction of possible new links that are formed through ecological and spiritual dimensions. Here, life takes the form of a cycle of transformations. Memories of past experiences and scars – in other words, alteration – are transmuted into a vital breath through reactivating movements, both individual and collective, that revitalize our bodies and rekindle our inner power.
“Aly Keita’s artistic proposal finds its strength in the originality of its non-temporality, its immediacy, its treatment of identity, which is defined by the idea of encounter, of encounters, breaking down the realistic and formal framework linked to a single art form. In this sense, this multi-arts work is as much a choreographic piece as a circus piece; a musical work as well as a work of visual art in movement.” – Martin Bellemare – Note d’intention

Kira Arts
Kira is a word in Sousou, the language of Guinea, meaning “path“. It evokes the idea of life as a path we walk, where we gather and unite. Founded in 2023, Kira Arts creates stage works that bring together different artistic practices on an equal footing and promote intercultural dialogue between artists. In this way, we cultivate an inclusive and diverse practice environment based on knowledge sharing and collaboration. Our artistic approach focuses on mediation as a field for research and creation. We select our collaborators based on their affinity with our shared interests and their artistic vision. For us, it is essential that artists possess a deep understanding of the body, rhythm and movement. We believe in the uniqueness of each body and the value of each individual, elements that can mutually enrich a shared creation. We encourage artists’ autonomy, advocate their freedom of expression and value their authenticity in interpretation. Our approach is not to reproduce exactly what the choreographer experiences; we invite artists to embody the multiple possible interpretations of a single event.

Workshop!
Come dance with us after the show! Join Aly for his workshop on May 4th:
> African Rhythms and Melodies in Action – A Bodily Experience

Credits
Choreography: Aly Keita
Composer: Aly Keita
Music: Karine Bouchard & Ricardo Angel Soriano
Sound: Aly Keita
Dancers:
Nicolás Áravena Miller
Rameez Karim
Aly Keita
Evelyne Laforest
Anna Protsiou
Production Manager: Raffaela Siniscalchi
Technical Director & Lighting Designer: Manon Pocq-Saint-Joan
Visual & Dramaturgical Consultant: Monia Abdallah
Dramaturgical Consultant & Advisor: Martin Bellemare
Outside Eye: Mistaya Hemingway
Producers: Kira Arts | Aly Keita

Co-Presented With

With support from

African Rhythms and Melodies in Action – A Bodily Experience
2025-05-04 17:15 - 18:15 | Breaking Circus, 2164 Amalamek Wy, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 2WB3K 2W4, Canada
Come dance with us after the final showing of Altération! Join Aly for his workshop at Breaking Circus
This rhythm awakening workshop emphasizes the bodily experience of rhythm through movement, singing, melody, and physical coordination.

Led by multidisciplinary artist Aly Keita, this workshop invites participants to explore the fundamental relationship between body and rhythm using a selection of recorded soundscapes and musical tracks. It offers an immersive experience in West African cultural elements, helping participants develop rhythmic awareness through voice, movement, and guided exercises.
Through singing, dancing, and coordination exercises, participants will sharpen their ability to feel and express rhythm physically. They will explore the dialogue between movement and music, focusing on rhythmic precision, play, body posture, and expression. The workshop encourages a deep connection to rhythm through improvisation and group dynamics.
Participants will also experiment with creating rhythmic patterns in groups, responding to recorded African rhythms, and engaging with the music through dance. The workshop will conclude with a collective expression circle and a question-and-answer session.
Drop in registration at the door.

Offert en français et anglais! Offered in French and English!

Banner photo by Tee Porter.

Archive of Loneliness
2025-05-09 20:30 - 21:00, 2025-05-10 20:30 - 21:00 | The Bus Stop Theatre Coop, 2203 Gottingen St, Halifax, NS, Canada
Archive of Loneliness brings light to the isolation of seniors and how the end of life deserves our attention just as much as the beginning. Drawing from first person audio recordings of a family member living isolated in long-term care, Archive of Loneliness embodies the spatial and corporeal tones of loneliness.
The sound score and audio story arranged by Jackson Fairfax-Perry dances throughout the space alongside two performers to create a deep thoughtful swim into the waiting and in-between spaces of loneliness, amplifying the sub-linguistic states of despair and the desire to connect.
Discounted tickets are sold as a Double Bill with Flower Bed

Creative Team
Creative Direction/Choreography Sara Coffin
Composer and Sound Design Jackson Fairfax-Perry
Performers and Movement Contributions Darryl Tracy and Matthew Lumley
Audio Stories the late John Paterson
The creation of this work was supported by Eastern Front Theatre/Early Stages Festival, Arts Nova Scotia, studio hours through Mocean Dance and Olga Milosevich. Thank you to Brian Riley for the initial voicemail sound extraction and a deep gratitude to the Paterson family for their support and blessing to carry Uncle John’s voice forward into this new artistic expression.
ASL interpretation will be provided for the May 10th performance.
Childcare will be provided for this event. Please use this REGISTRATION FORM.

Biographies
Sara Coffin, Dance Artist, Choreographer
Sara Coffin is an award winning dance artist, choreographer, dance educator and Co-Artistic Director of Mocean Dance. Coffin has been teaching and creating interdisciplinary contemporary dance work for over twenty years. She received the NS Established Artist Award in 2018, her MFA in Choreography (Smith College), BFA in Dance (Simon Fraser) University and BSc Kinesiology Science (Dalhousie). Coffin has created over 30 dance works, her choreographic work has been presented in many prominent Canadian dance festivals and in the United States. Her research interests include interdisciplinary collaboration, technology as an extension of the body, contact improvisation and emergent frameworks for composition/ performance, and the poetic junction between vulnerability, resiliency, and courage. www.saracoffin.ca
Darryl Tracy, Dance Artist
Darryl Tracy is a Toronto-based artist who loves human movement and expression. He is involved in dance, choreography, movement facilitation, conditioning and teaching. He has performed with many Canadian and European choreographers over the last 25 years and has also created 42 works through commissions and self-productions. He was on faculty at School of Toronto Dance Theatre (now the Dance Arts Institute) for over 18 years under the artistic direction of Pat Fraser. Currently, Darryl teaches Anatomy at the National Ballet School Teachers Training Program. He is a neurological rehabilitation physiotherapist in Toronto in the private and public sector. Most recently Tracy co-created a new solo alongside Marie-Josee Chartier entitled “six ways to peel an orange” (premiere date pending).
Matthew Lumley, Actor, Movement
Matthew Lumley is a Kjipuktuk/Halifax-based actor, grateful to work with this wonderful group of artists! Recent theatre work includes Becca (Théâtre populaire d’Acadie), Wood Buffalo (Theatre New Brunswick) Schoolhouse, Macbeth, Elapultiek, Frankenstein, In This Light, Animal Farm, North Mountain Vanya (Two Planks), The Realistic Jones, Heaven Above/Heaven Below (KAZAN Theatre), Hamlet (Below the Salt/Neptune Theatre), The Little Years (Matchstick Theatre), This Is Nowhere (Zuppa Theatre). TV/film work includes Aversion (Emotion Pictures) Sullivan’s Crossing (CTV; upcoming) Normal Scotia (Bell TV1), Extant (HDM), Look At Me (Afro Viking Pictures), Hopeless Romantic (Northeast Films), Polaroid (Dimension Films), Weirdos (Shadow Shows), Mr. D (CBC). Matthew wrote and performed in First Weekend and Surf Gods (airing on CBC). Matthew studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse (NYC) and York University (Toronto). Many thanks to Sara Coffin for inviting me to dance, and to the amazing Mayworks Festival!
Jackson Fairfax-Perry, composer / sound design
Jackson Fairfax-Perry (he/him) is an award winning African Nova Scotian composer, sound designer, musician and musical director living in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia). For years, Jackson has honed his skills as an in demand saxophonist and keyboardist both on the road and locally with artists such as Hillsburn and David Myles, among others. He collaborates frequently with local hip hop and r&b artist Aquakultre, co-writing songs and working as the musical director for his live band. A prominent collaborator with local theatre and dance artists, Jackson has composed and created sound designs for companies such as 2b theatre company, Eastern Front Theatre, Ship’s Company Theatre, and Mocean Dance among numerous others. Recent credits include Matriarchs (Aquakultre, Nocturne), Dance Nation (Keep Good (Theatre) Company, Heist), Sea Unseen (Mocean Dance, The Sable Island Institute), Deepwater (The Villains Theatre) and Downed Hearts (Ship’s Company Theatre, Eastern Front Theatre, Matchstick Theatre).

Banner photo: Daniel Wittnebel

MAYDAY: Confession Publique
2025-11-14 19:30 - 20:45, 2025-11-15 19:30 - 20:45 | Alderney Landing Theatre, 2 Ochterloney St, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4W1, Canada
Confession Publique

“ A sensually complex work, Confession Publique leaves us enthralled before Angélique Willkie’s breadth of talent and her fruitful encounter with Demers’ world.” – Alexie Legendre, Revue JEU

MAYDAY
Tiohtià:ke/Montreal – Kanien’kehá:Ka Territory

November 14th & 15th, 2025. 7:30PM
Alderney Landing Theatre
General Seating – $65.00 Dance Advocate; $45.00 Adults; $35.00 Seniors; $20.00 Students / Arts Worker; Group Discounts Available
Run Time – 75 Minutes
Content Warning: Nudity, 18+ suggested. An Active Listener will be available on site if needed.
This show tackles experiences of racism, sexual violation, and living in an aging body, as well as the power of transformation. It contains nudity and mature content.
Traffic Note: The Parade of Lights is taking place on Nov 15th at 5pm. Please allow time for potential traffic on your way to the show.

Its title serving as a promise, Confession Publique explores ambiguity and paradox, probes the noble and the vulgar, oscillates between grace and brutality. Choreographer Mélanie Demers turns her trusted collaborator Angélique Willkie into her muse. Together, these two kindred spirits explore the act of telling others about yourself without reserve. The result is a hard-hitting solo show, where anecdotes become painful secrets and the body reveals as much as words, if not more.
In this work, the protagonist concentrates on the margins as she takes a deep dive into herself and ourselves. The connection is intimate, intimidating. The performance becomes the setting for questions asked a thousand times over: our relationship to the world, how the environment holds our destinies in its hands, and the power others have to dictate and dominate our life-choices.

MAYDAY
Since its foundation in 2007, an array of charismatic and eclectic artists working with Mélanie Demers has been drawn to MAYDAY as a hub for creative exchange and reflection. Each MAYDAY work is thus the fruit of a collective effort. And not only between the artists: the public enters into the creative process as well, since the physicality, imagery, and sense of rhythm characteristic of MAYDAY’s unique approach only come together as a coherent whole before an audience. Drawing on creative energies from around the world, MAYDAY’s unique works testify to both a spirit of artistic freedom and a deep-seated concern for contemporary issues. Demers’ fascination and the relationship between words and gestures crystallizes in WOULD, a work which won the Prix du CALQ for Best Choreography at the Prix de la danse de Montréal in 2015. WOULD will be followed by the choreographic relay Danse Mutante in 2019, then in 2021 by La Goddam Voie Lactée, MAMA and Confession Publique, and finally in 2022 by Cabaret Noir. Mélanie Demers won the GRAND PRIX de la danse de Montréal, which recognizes her unique mark on her era. MAYDAY tours frequently and has collaborated with many international partners. It is proud to be one of the few Canadian companies to have performed in both North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
MAYDAY tours frequently and has collaborated with many international partners. It is proud to be one of the few Canadian companies to have performed in both North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Credits

Ideation, Direction and Choreography
Mélanie Demers

Performers
Angélique Willkie with the participation of Anne-Marie Jourdenais

Direction of Rehearsals
Anne-Marie Jourdenais

Dramaturgy
Angélique Willkie

Set Design
Odile Gamache

Sound Composition
Frannie Holder

Additional Music
Excerpt from The Fairy Queen, composed by Henry Purcell and sung by Angelique Willkie

Lighting Design
Claire Seyller

Technical Director
Emmanuel Bossé-Messier

Costume Design
Elen Ewing

Production Management
Alec Arsenault

Special Notes of Thanks
Éléonore Loiselle

Teaser Production
Stefan Verna

Co Presented By
