Geography

Premiere: May 1987
Choreography: Bill James
Music: Matthew Fleming
Set Design: Bill James
Lighting Design: Karen Amyot
Costume Design: Kathryn Ricketts

Performers:
Jean-François Arseneau, Anne Barry, Richard Blackburn, Maryse Carrier, Marie-Josée Chartier, Stéphane-Anoine Comtois, Sonia D'Orléans Juste, Marie-Josée Paradis, France Salmon, Roger Sinha
Musician: Norman Liota

About

Geography is a full evening length multidisciplinary work originally mounted in 1987 and performed in the former General Electric plant in Toronto. While developing the choreography, Bill James worked closely with composer Matthew Fleming, who performed the original music live while also appearing in the cast of ten dancers. Based on, and with dialogue and libretto excerted from philosopher-monk Thomas Merton's "The Geography of Lograire", Bill James' Geography explores issues of environmental exploitation and cultural domination of indigenous native peoples by westerners.

In Geography, the audience is guided through three performances, from a group of living archaeological museum dioramas, to a courtroom scene, and finally to a semi-circle seating area fo the concluding segment. The performance culminates with a lyrical and abstract dance performed using ropes suspended from the ceiling, while one dancer is mountain climbing gear.

Quotes

"Bill James takes brilliant advantage of the large space. His visual imagery keeps prodding your mind to think about the issues raised in Geography"
- The Toronto Star 1987