EMMA KERSON

BLUE VALENTINE

February 15-18, 2017

Citadel + Compagnie's Bright Nights and Common People present
BLUE VALENTINE
The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance

A journey into the heart of loneliness, Blue Valentine is an intimate double bill performed by Andrew Hartley and Emma Kerson, featuring two new works: l’inanité des bibelots / love would only slow me down by Simon Renaud and Songs and Tarps by Tedd Robinson.

Collaborators: Susie Burpee, Dan Wild, Charles Quevillon, Ida Toninato, Simon Rossiter, Noah Feaver

Supported by the Toronto Arts Council (2014, 2015, 2016) and the Ontario Arts Council (2014, 2015, 2016).

"Dancing in and out of love." - preview by Susan Walker
"Unlike a lot of other dates, this one won’t let you down." - top ticket on The Star
"They are funny, smart, rebellious in the most endearing way." - interview with Lucy Rupert

KITTLY-BENDER

Performance, choreography, writing, design: Jennifer Dallas
Performer: Emma Kerson
Direction: John Turner

Past work with Kemi Projects: Time Now - Jennifer Dallas (2013); Trinity - Jennifer Dallas (2011)

TORONTO HERITAGE DANCE

September 21 - October 1, 2017

Toronto Heritage Dance presents
2017 SEASON
Winchester Street Theatre, Toronto
In celebration of the founding artists of the Toronto Dance Theatre: Patricia Beatty, David Earle, and Peter Randazzo

Quai Voltaire - David Earle (2017)
Prairie Suite - David Earle (2017)
A Simple Melody - Peter Randazzo (2017)
Recital - Peter Randazzo (2017)

MA DRAMA, THEATRE, & PERFORMANCE STUDIES

ABSURDING THE ABSURD:
USE AND TRANSFORMATION AS RESISTANCE IN PERFORMANCE

As someone who has sought intellectual shelter in academia during the lockdown period of a global pandemic, I have used this experience of physical, geographical, and at times emotional distance from my life as a contemporary dance artist to reevaluate and question the art form’s use. Central to my research is Sara Ahmed’s book, What’s the Use? On the Uses of Use (2019), which offers a critical framework, particularly her proposal of queer use, which I apply to my own specific artistic inquiries as I follow the often complicated yet potentially useful idea of the absurd. I problematize the absurd’s largely white and male-dominated past; however, I focus on adding discourse to methods and manifestations of the absurd beyond theatre-centric canons, to works of dance where use of the absurd can generate ways of being against the dominant sense as forms of resistance capable of transformative action and meaning-making. In this way I apply queer use to the absurd itself. I weave through This Bridge Called My Ass (2019) by Miguel Gutierrez, Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) by Maya Deren, fantasylover (2018) by Alyssa Martin, Sisyphus / Trans / Form (2019) by Dimitris Papaioannou, and Café Müller (1978) by Pina Bausch. Through a feminist lens and Ahmed’s queer use, I explore what it is about these works that engage in some form of repetition, of queer use of objects, spaces, and bodies, and of the absurd as both a feeling and a verb that subverts expectations and seeks a transformation of perception.

to read my thesis in an academic database: ProQuest | or for non-restricted, less stuffy access: CDTPS Database

select images from various projects:

LISTENING ON THE DAY - MICHAEL SEAN MARYE

2014-present

Ongoing research with BC-based Michael Sean Marye questioning listening and documentation through varied mediums.

Past work with Michael Sean:
Small Moves (2014)

L’INANITÉ DES BIBELOTS / LOVE WOULD ONLY SLOW ME DOWN

November 21-23, 2019
Ottawa Dance Directive: Series Dance 10
Ottawa Dance Directive, Ottawa

Choreography: Simon Renaud
Performers: Emma Kerson, Alexandre Morin
Sound Design: Ida Toninato
Lighting Design: Simon Rossiter, Noah Feaver

SHAWBROOK RESIDENTIAL

LE GRAND CONTINENTAL

June 22-24, 2018

Luminato Festival presents
LE GRAND CONTINENTAL
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto

Choreography: Sylvain Émard
Professional Dancers: Emma Kerson, Aria Evans, Andrea Roberts, Benjamin Landsberg, Bonnie Kim, Fanny Ghorayeb, Jane Alison-McKinney, Jordana Deveau, Kathia Wittenborn, Megan Nadain, Michael Caldwell, Nikolaos Markakis, Ric Brown, Shannon Litzenberger

Lighting Design: Andre du Toit
Composer: Martin Tétreault, Johnny Saga
Stage Manager: Jessica Severin
Assistant Stage Managers: Alex Dallas, Tara Mohan
Technical Director: TJ Shamata
Assistant Technical Director: David Costello
Producer: Oz Weaver

Joyous and intoxicating, Le Grand Continental is a world-renowned extravaganza that brings together hundreds of dance enthusiasts to perform a sensational line dancing inspired contemporary dance. 

L’INANITÉ DES BIBELOTS / LOVE WOULD ONLY SLOW ME DOWN

MANITOULIN CONSERVATORY FOR CREATION AND PERFORMANCE