Vena Cava
Vena Cava was my fourth work to the music of Robert Moran. It feels to me now like the apotheosis of my musical/formal experiments up to this time, resulting in a driving work of changing rythms, speeds and groupings. Eleven years after its creation, after being out of repertoire for some time, it was performed in the inaugural Fall For Dance North in Toronto which resulted in five years of national and international touring for Vena Cava!
Premiered Toronto, November 3, 1998
Created with and first performed by Kirsten Andersen, Lara Barclay, Terry Gardiner, Christopher T. Grider, Sasha Ivanochko, Mark Mann, Michael Sean Marye, Graham McKelvie, Naoko Murakoshi, James Robertson, Sonja Stefan and Laura West
Music
Robert Moran, Open Veins
Lighting
Roelof Peter Snippe
Costumes
Lori Trez Endes
Rehearsal direction
Rosemary James
"Vena Cava is not only one of House's greatest creations of pure dance, it is one of the greatest pieces of choreography ever created in this country. It is a true Canadian dance classic... there will always be a place for brilliantly conceived movement performed by supremely talented dancers."
Paula Citron, Ludwig van TORONTO
"House’s choreography, named for one of two large veins carrying blood from the body to the heart, flowed with vital intensity through the wide-open performance space. The dancers...took advantage of every inch, throwing their limbs with abandon into the swirling void. Vena Cava, which dates to 1998, never looked better."
Critics at Large
"House’s 1998 Vena Cava is an understandable choice to close the program: an athletic, large ensemble work with a driving score and a relentlessly fast pace. The dancers hardly pause for a moment, and their presence, clarity and acuity are palpable."
Vandance
"...fleet, lyrical, and expansive."
Toronto Star
Photo of Pulga Muchochoma and Devin Snell by Guntar Kravis / Photo of the company by Danah Rosales