How to Recognize Joy?:

Guest Artist Maxine Heppner shares three facets of Embodied Joy through her choreography danced by Takako Segawa (live) and Chiou Meimei (video). The work, sections of the full length “Moments in Time”, has been described in the Globe and Mail as “Reaching a new state of mind” and “Exposing the very heart of the human condition”. Ms. Heppner and Ms. Segawa hope that the performance will then open to a discussion about phenomenological experience of Joy.

CREDITS:

Music by: Andrew York, Hedningarna, Sibongele Nene
Choreography: Maxine Heppner   (excerpts from “Moments in Time”)
Danced by: Takako Segawa, Chiou Meimei

Biographies:

Maxine Heppner (University of Toronto)

Maxine Heppner’s artwork focuses on contemporary creation founded in physical expression – be it pure choreography, inter-disciplinary performance or multi-arts projects. A creator, performer, writer, teacher and arts advocate based in Toronto since the 70’s, and throughout North America, East Asia, Europe and Australia in the last 25 of her 40-year career, she is known for large-scale performance works (“audacious”) and intimate chamber pieces (“breath of fresh air”). Recent Toronto projects include KRIMA! (Now’s top 10 shows of 2009), My heart is a spoon (“pulsating with an energy and heartbeat all its own…tremendous” Mooney on Theatre) and Volare (a Toronto Star favorite 2012 site-specific work). Coming in 2014-15 are a studio series “simply dance & music”, “the beginning of a love song for Antonio” with long-time collaborator composer Miguel Frasconi, in memory of renowned visual artist Antonio Frasconi, and “Old Stories”.  As well as her international teaching, Maxine has been faculty at York, University of Toronto and Concordia Universities and 2010 artist-in-residence at University College UofT. Her company “Across Oceans” specializes in creating platforms for the research of collaboration in the arts and humanities. For Show and Workshop information visit www.acrossoceans.org.

Takako Segawa has been working with Maxine for a decade as a principle performer, researcher, and rehearsal assistant in Maxine’s memory, cycles, krima and rage projects, performing and creating in Canada, Greece, Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia. Takako trained first in Japan then in England and has danced with leading companies in England, Italy, and Greece. She twice received the All Japan Kobe Dance Award and was recognized at the Stuttgart International Solo Dance Festival 2005. In Canada, as well as working with Maxine, she has been a visiting artist with Corpus Dance Theatre, Xing Ballet Theatre, Cube3, Buyaku (Keiko Ninomiya), Hiroshi Miyamoto and continues to tour and create projects throughout Japan.

Chiou Mei Mei (video) was a principle dancer for Singapore’s Dance Dimensions Project (ECNAD) from 1998-2005.

Photos: attached are single photos of Maxine Heppner and Takako Segawa, and a single portrait of the two of them.