With the popularity of shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars, the world of dance arguably hasn’t had it this good since the days of Astaire and Rogers. On a local level, the Vancouver International Dance Festival is always a good bet for an eclectic sampling of modern dance, and this year’s edition (the 10th annual) is no different. One not-to-miss highlight: a show by Kickstart, the disability arts and culture society. Bill “Crutchmaster” Shannon performs his piece Spatial Theory with a live DJ, using crutches as an extension of his body to produce amazing house and hip-hop dance forms, challenging the conventions of motion and performance. Kickstart, March 20 at Roundhouse Performance Centre; VIDF: various venues, March 11 to 21, vidf.ca
In an airport tiki lounge, Lenore (Linda Quibell) is home. She’s been performing there for years, putting on a cabaret show that incorporates paroled convicts into the act. But when her latest convict, Donald (Billy Marchenski), starts rebelling and people begin to disappear and the planes from the airport are suddenly diverted, Lenore must decide if the show should go on. Donald and Lenore is a darkly comic and seductive play, the latest by acclaimed playwright Tom Cone and produced jointly by Felix Culpa and the Chutzpah Festival. Free sneak preview on March 6. Norman Rothstein Theatre, Vancouver, March 6 to 20 (no show Fridays); seeseven.bc.ca
In 1972 Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit the People’s Republic of China, and 25 years later American composer John Adams wrote an opera about the seminal trip. Adams’s piece highlights the politics and psychologies of East and West with a moving post-minimalist score, digging deep into the personal histories and dramas of the key players. As Nixon and chairman Mao share a handshake that changes the course of Sino-American relations, the opera captures the beauty and uncertainty of uncharted relationships. Nixon in China makes its Canadian premiere at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre as part of the Cultural Olympiad. March 13, 16, 18 and 20; vancouveropera.ca
