TDT ensemble in “The Pool”, Photo by Marlowe Porter
Toronto Dance Theatre consistently showcases compelling, exploratory work. Is it true I haven’t caught anything of theirs since *checks notes*… 2023? Damn. Well, I was certainly stoked to be back in the Winchester Street Theatre for Aisha Sasha John’s The Pool. Bringing seven dancers together, John’s choreography, broken into three distinct suites, allows idiosyncrasies to emerge from each and coalesce in the whole. Varied meanings of pool abound in this celebration of individuals finding joy in each other and their communal play.
It opens almost timidly with the performers (current TDT ensemble: Camil Bellefleur, Brayden Cairns, Millina Fletcher, Megumi Kokuba, Ryan Kostyniuk, Roberto Soria, and Elizabeth Yip) as removed from us as they can be—in a far corner of the vast space, bathed in a gentle mauve by lighting designer Tanya Bregstein. In a prolonged silence, they loiter—not quite bored, but lethargic and waiting, periodically shifting their positions. An atonal soundscape, composed by New Change (Victoria Cheong), propels them out of that corner and into a series of encounters.
These episodes seem to evolve naturally. As pairs link up, the remaining ensemble sits on the fringes, taking turns to deliver a rambling internal monologue into a microphone. Though not directly related to the movement, the words eventually provide projected context and humour. As a pair does laps: “I should jog more.” As a pair shimmies and shakes”: “It’s funny when trained dancers have no rhythm.”
As the piece evolves and their dynamic intensifies, an intimacy forms. Evocative gestures abound: a hug, a butt slap, people crawling all over each other as if working out where one body ends and another begins. I especially enjoyed the power walks with the subtlest hint of a sashay in their stride. Someone crashes on a divan off to the side.
Costume stylist Summer Shepherd has given them a casual sameness: white t-shirt, blue jeans and turquoise socks. The distinct vibes of each provide the variety that exists in defiance of their mundane uniform. Steph George’s makeup gives them low-key faery vibes with an iridescent sheen on their faces.
I dig those puffy metallic hats.
“I just want to jam. Do you know what I mean?” is a governing mantra and an eloquent articulation of the collective ethos here. A live percussionist, Teniola Abimbola, provides a stirring drum beat; as it builds, the performers become more anarchic, their wild darting and flailing bathed in deep red. Towards the end, the piece does stall a little as each performer, one by one, gets a solo opportunity to do their thing. The invitation passed from dancer to dancer is certainly touching, but the segment loses momentum and it starts to feel as if we’re witnessing a line-up of auditionees.
The final moment is a satisfying button on the piece, which feels both a formal conclusion and authentic expression of the dancers’ exhaustion.
The Pool
running March 6 to 8, 2025
Winchester Street Theatre (80 Winchester St.)
running time: 75 minutes (no intermission)
TDT ensemble in “The Pool”, Photo by Marlowe Porter