Defiant is a deeply honest exploration of how we battle with ourselves, our pasts and the inequity of life and in the process we become stronger, finding our community. You get to know the characters in this story, they have names, history and they share their individual struggles with raw intensity and truth. 

 

I was very moved by both of the pieces. The performers are much more than dancers and the creators much more than choreographers."  - Lori Endes

 

"Kaeja d'Dance's Crave/DEFIANT opened its run on Queen Street West last night.  A remounting of a previous work by choreographer/dancer/co- artistic director Karen Kaeja, and a new dance by choreographer/co-artistic director Allen Kaeja, the evening explored vulnerability, desire and drive in the intimate setting of the Theatre Centre. Karen Kaeja's  Crave  continues to be a powerful and nuanced exploration of the fraughtness and stuttering passion of modern relationships. The dance re-casts its original dancers, Michael Caldwell and Stephanie Tremblay Abudo but ups the ante by placing a live string quartet conspicuously in the performance space.  The score, by Sarah Shugarman literally comes to life as the haunting voice of Anna Atkinson enlivens strings, keyboard and piano, which seamlessly meld in counterpoint to recorded samples and strings. Sensitive and generous, the work is a glimpse into the exposed frailty of moments that we would hide, even from the person whose love created those moments.

The second half of the evening is Allen  Kaeja's autobiographical exploration, aptly-named DEFIANT.  Like dance paleontologists, we are offered a view back through the layers of the choreographer's movement past, beginning with his origins as a martial artist, and climbing one stratum at a time until we find ourselves on the surface of Allen's c urrent identity as a playful and innovative dance maker.  The work is as much an exploration of his personal - as kinetic past, all of which led to Kaeja's development as a man and an artist.  The company plays the man, each member a chapter in the history, and each body reflecting Kaeja's struggle to master his craft. Frequent collaborator Edgardo Moreno contributes a thoughtful and moody score, with enigmatic traces of Klezmer clarinet evoking the Jewish faith and culture which has driven much of Kaeja's creation. The work clearly conveys the messy and untidy challenge of ordering and re-telling a life, and gives us a stage-side view of the account.

Crave/DEFIANT gives a frank and honest look at what it means to live and grow in human bodies, and to share that experience with the world, and doesn't shy away. And neither should you.  The show is at the Theatre Centre until May 20th"  - Blake Martin