A Simon Fraser University dance graduate has won a coveted spot in an acclaimed dance production - and you'll have a chance to see her fly this week.
The Mascall Dance production of The White Spider is on Friday, Nov. 25 at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in Vancouver.
The show follows a successful provincewide tour and sold-out productions during its premiere at the 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad.
Jessie Kwan, a fresh-out-of-university dancer from SFU, has earned one of five roles in the production.
The White Spider draws inspiration from Henrich Harrer's book of the same name, which chronicles the history of the many failed attempts to scale the north face of Eiger Mountain, as well as the first successful ascent by Harrer's party in 1938.
Choreographer Jennifer Mascall has create the piece with an innovative blend of the movement used in dance and mountain climbing.
"Blending traditional contemporary dance with abstract elements, this challenging work explores what it is about humans that compels us to pursue an act that is at once utterly thrilling, totally punishing and potentially deadly," a press release notes. "The work demands that the dancers climb, rappel, fly and dance on the walls and ceiling of a massive, shifting and ever-changing set."
Also starring are Darcy McMurray, Robert Halley, Marvin Vergera and Thoenn Glover.
The performance is on Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Norman Rothstein Theatre, 950 West 41st Ave. Call 604-257-5111 for tickets, or see www.mascalldance.ca for more information.
