Concept, Co-Choreography and Direction by Sandra Laronde
with Co-Choreography by Roger Sinha.
Red Sky Performance at Luminato, Fleck Dance Theatre
June 5-7, 2009

  It is hard to say whether concept overtakes execution in Tono because the concept seems to be vague in the first place. Sandra Laronde’s program note alludes to ancient horse cultures (specifically of the First Peoples of Canada, especially the Plains, and the Indigenous Mongolian peoples) and shamanism as her reference points for this 55-minute piece, but the actual dance blurs the shamanistic references and there is not much in the relationship between humans and horses as shown in the performance. Visually impressive, particularly in Julia Tribe’s set that evokes rugged mountains and rocky plains in deep colours, and her costumes of warm earth tones, Tono loses much of its inspiration in the course of rather banal choreography. Ms. Tribe suspends a wheel above the dance floor but not much is made of this symbolism. Elsewhere, too, a viewer gets the sinking feeling that the actual process and end-result achieve less than promised. The Mongolian half of the dance sestet (Caihong, Morigen, and Wei Jie) has beautiful torsos and expressive flexibility and power. Their extraordinary suppleness with backbends, continuous somersaults, arches, and midair jump turns is offset by the Canadian contingent’s movements (Julie Choquette, Carlos Rivera, Raul Talamantes). However, the equine imagery is disappointingly uninspired: a little pawing of the ground, some shivers of the back, galloping tempi, some straining of muscle and tissue. Regality and controlled power, however, are suggested, particularly in duets involving spins and delicate semaphores. The choreographers follow a thundering stampede sequence with a comic interlude, but the design of the whole piece eventually begins to look like an eclectic mess. Roger Sinha’s contribution is evident in the mudra-style vocalizations and Asian hand gestures, but this Orientalism is jarring in terms of the express concept. There is a wrestling sequence, where the men’s half-nude bodies are eloquently expressive of power, but what this has to do with shamanism is moot. The final climactic sequence of the birth of twin foals is reminiscent of Butoh and, though visually engaging, scarcely suggests Laronde’s intended message of “hope, ancestral wisdom and a vision for the future.”

   Tono was part of the Closing Ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It is certainly a colourfully exotic, cross-cultural work, especially with the participation of the dancers, musicians (in native costumes) and singers drawn from Canada and Mongolia, but it does not really make a strong or rich case for either horse culture or shamanism. 

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