Ahead of the Curve
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60 minutes / Documentary / English / 2007 Co-produced by Rink Rat Productions and Rock Island Productions Written and Directed by Rosemary House |
Christopher House is Canada’s beloved modern dance maestro, and the artistic director of the popular and internationally acclaimed Toronto Dance Theatre. This intimate exploration of the art of choreography reveals the detailed processes House brings to his work, and stimulates as it entertains with it’s story of an artist and his enduring search for knowledge and inspiration.
In the fall of 2005, in Toronto, the ever-inventive choreographer premiered “The Boneyard”, his sold-out interactive collaboration with alt-pop rockers Joel Gibb and The Hidden Cameras. The Year comes full circle as the dancers go into rehearsal for the Toronto premier of “TimeCode Break” at Harbourfront. With stunning video work by Nico Stagias and music from the very talented Phillip Strong, the full-length piece was hailed by Paula Citron of the Globe and Mail as “a work of such brilliance that it is simply ahead of the curve”. (Paula Citron, Globe and Mail)
The dancers of House’s Toronto Dance Theatre are among Canada’s most talented and accomplished. House regards them as a profoundly important part of his art and creation; their artistry in interpreting and advancing his choreography is front and centre in the film. House also draws his inspiration from travel and the sometimes strange beauty of familiar landscapes; a trip to his home on the island of Newfoundland is framed by choreographic retreats in northern Scotland and the bucolic Toronto Inslands, just minutes away from the arts-centric energy of the towering skyline of his adopted city.
“Ahead of the Curve” is a film about process and inspiration, about dance’s dazzling energy and mystique, about art and it’s wonders. A film about my brother. – Rosemary House, 2007.
