DANCE REVIEW

FIRE IGNITES NANAIMO'S HISTORY

June 30, 2008, Nanaimo Bulletin

Reviewed by: Melissa Fryer

History was never this cool in high school.

Nanaimo’s coal mining days came to life during Whizzbang: Stoked, the culmination of three years of work by local circus arts group Ignited Passions and Crimson Coast Dance Society.

The goal was to explore the emotional and physical scars left on the city after coal mining ceased to be the economy’s driving force.

Like author Gabriel Garcia Marquez seamlessly blends fantasy and reality, the performance brought perception to life.

Pit bosses charged with keeping the rabble rousing miners in check became snarling, growling and grunting wolves.

Ladies and gentlemen stood above the miners on stilts, physically separating the classes. Their wealth was personified in a gold-bedecked dancer.

Snippets of history were interwoven, allowing the viewer to understand the basic idea behind the dance while opening the show to each individual’s interpretation.

During video complementing the dance, historian Lynne Bowen talked of the waves of immigrants from all over the world – Scottish, British, Italian, Chinese and Croatian – who came to Nanaimo to work in the mines. Unable to speak English, they were underpaid and worked in dangerous conditions.

Recordings of miners recollections, the sound of the boss whistle and images of coal-blackened miners were projected on the back of the Port Theatre.

Images of children with shovels underground, explosions lighting up the sky and the haggard, worn look of the workers reminded us of the cruel working conditions in the mines.

Paul Weir and Nadia Hagen form Flam Chen, the pyrotechnic dance company that helped create Whizzbang, along with Carpetbag Brigade, stilt walkers from California. During our interview, Paul spoke of the intrinsic connection people have to fire, which harkens back to the era of cavemen when fire equalled life – cooking, light and warmth.

The fire dancing was spectacular, with poi spinning, sending licks of flames out in every direction while flaming batons left light trails in the dusky night. Rapt attention followed that initial instinctual pull of the fire.

But don’t forget the stilt walkers. The wolf brothers weaved among spectators seated in the plaza, followed by ladies and gentlemen, dressed in period costumes, dancing the Charleston on four-foot high stilts. Flips, holds and turns looked effortless, despite the balance and strength needed to manoeuvre on tall wooden pegs.

The performance also paid homage to the many workers who will never be remembered by name because of their ethnicity. Meijuan Li played the Chinese pipa, the Jacky Li Kung Fu Group performed the Chinese Lion Dance and Tom Jones, Snuneymuxw elder, welcomed all to his people’s traditional territory and performed songs during the event.

The performance was truly a spectacle Nanaimo was fortunate to see.

I hope to see more events like this on a regular basis in our city. Imagine walking downtown on a Friday or Saturday night and coming across a performance of stilt walking and fire dancing or another amazing form of performance art. Hopefully that’s the kind of legacy left by the Cultural Capital events.

Whizzbang: Stoked continues tonight and Tuesday (July 1) in the Diana Krall Plaza, behind the Port Theatre. Gates open at 8:30 p.m. with music and video prior to the main event, which begins at dusk.