Motus O dance theatre is a Canadian contemporary dance company based in Stouffville, Ontario that began performing in 1990. They draw upon dance, street theatre, mime, slapstick, spoken word and video in their mission to create diverse and accessible works for all audiences. Motus O has created 28 full-length productions.
History Motus O dance theatre began performing in September 1990 as a collective including Cynthia Croker, Jack Langenhuizen, James Croker, Beth Newell, Gary Kirkham and Natalie Radford.Gilderdale, Kate “Dancing on the Dark Side” The Markham Economist and Sun October 31 1992 Weekender page. After performing collections of short pieces at arts festivals in TorontoCitron, Paula “Review of Fringe Festival of Independent Dancers” CFMX Radio (Toronto)1992 August 17Littler, William (16 August 1992) “No-frills festival of dance dares to grow in mean times” The Toronto StarCitron, Paula “fFIDA Festival Wrap Up Review” StepTex tFall 1992 page 22; [StepText ceased publication but see http://www.evidanceradio.com/home/aboutand https://www.library.yorku.ca/find/Record/1177813] they performed their first full-length show, Human Knots, on November 14, 1992 at the Markham Theatre in Ontario, Canada.
The name Motus O is a pun derived from the Latin phrase "modus operandi"Ruffell L, “Energy, imagery and comedy” The Canberra Times 1994 February 16 page 25. (method of operating) and the Latin word "motus" (movement). Hence the "moving way of doing things."Sutton Don, “Dance Troupe Ponders Future” The Toronto Star 1994 March 31
Newell, Radford and Kirkham went on to pursue other interests. Natalie Radford becoming a movie and television actressIMDb (Internet Movie Database) “Natalie Radford” (Retrieved 16 November 2018). and Gary Kirkham becoming a stage actor and playwright. Beth Newell became a counselling therapist, in part, specializing in expressive arts therapy.http://bethnewellcounsellingtherapy.ca (Retrieved 16 November 2018)
Subsequently, Motus O was registered as a not-for-profit charitable company with James Croker, Cynthia Croker and Jack Langenhuizen as co-artistic Directors, choreographers and performers, roles that they continued until their retirement in 2024. Motus O has engaged a Company of additional performers throughout its existence as well as collaborating with writers, playwrights, musicians, composers, videographers and other artists.
Cynthia, Jack and James all taught at the former Academy of Performing Arts School in Cambridge, Ontario and whilst there toured internationally with a number of productions. They had arrived at the Academy from different backgrounds and eclectic performance disciplines.
Cynthia Croker grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and studied dance, as well as training in voice, flute and gymnastics including a vocal program at Concordia College, Minnesota. On top of her other roles at Motus O she also serves as costume designer. Jack Langenhuizen, who grew up in Uxbridge, Ontario was a national figure skater who later studied and taught dance including modern and contact improvisation. In addition to his other roles he is the general manager of Motus O. James Croker was raised on an Australian sheep station and was initially attracted to mime, street performance and theatre. In addition to his other roles at Motus O he has prime responsibility for set design and props.
Style Motus O's multidisciplinary approach has meant that some arts critics have struggled to categorize their works. One reviewer noting “as a dance company, it is better known in the theatre world…” and asking rhetorically “is what they do dance or theatrical movement?”Citron, Paula “Motus O Human Knots Theatre Centre July 22, 1993 Review” StepText Fall 1993 Their works have been described as “lavish and multidimensional; visual feasts of wild costumes, props, video and lighting… dance served up with the production values and character studies of theatre."
Perhaps because of their willingness to combine disciplines they have also been described as “imaginative”,Wheeler, Brad “Going Out/Your Guide to the Week's Entertainment” The Globe and Mail 2009 June 4. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/going-out-your-guide-to-the-weeks-entertainment/article4211459/?page=2 "innovative"Wheeler B, “Going Out/Your Guide to the Week's Entertainment” The Globe and Mail 2009 May 21 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/going-out-your-guide-to-the-weeks-entertainment/article4211459/?page=2 "inventive"Stapley, Bruce Local Dance Company Celebrates 25 Years of Inventive Dance Theatre” Stouffville Free Press 2015 October Issue http://www.stouffville.com/local-dance-company-celebrates-25-years-of-inventive-dance-theatre/ and "always adventurous". The Artistic Directors of Motus O state that the clear communication of ideas is a primary aim with many of their works being “narrative driven” productions.
Motus O's unashamed focus on performances that attract both dance enthusiasts and more general audiences and their effort at clear communication have been appreciated by many critics,Kirchhoff HJ, “Under the Umbrella Opens” The Globe and Mail (Toronto Ed) 1993 July 24 Arts+ C7.Chapman G, “Fringe Fest Low on Hits” The Toronto Star 1993 July 25.Everett-Green R, “Final Moves at the Fringe” The Globe and Mail 1993 August 21 Arts+ C5. one for example describing Motus O as “lending enormous physical energy to its bid to make modern dance comprehensible”. This same attribute has been less enthusiastically received by some dance critics with one for example opining that their background as street performers results in a “tendency to stress the obvious.”Littler, William “No-frills festival of dance dares to grow in mean times” The Toronto Star 1992 August 16 C2.
Many critics have commented upon the athleticism and physicality of Motus O's work. For example, describing the work as “high energy…[and]..physically risky” and “lithe and gymnastic”. Another critic referring to their “eye-bending, unpredictable physicality.”
The troupe lists contact improvisation amongst its dance influences. One critic has described Motus O as “taking a cue from American dance guru Moses Pendleton.” Pendleton co-founded dance companies Pilobolus and MOMIX.
Motus O incorporate comic elements in their work, as well as notable amounts of humor.
The imaginative use of props and costumes has been described as a consistent feature of Motus O's work.
Collaborations Writers, playwrights and dramatists As self described creators of “narrative driven” works Motus O has often collaborated with authors, playwrights and dramatists. Simon Johnston, playwright and author, conceived Motus O's production of Alice, based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and worked with the company to bring it to fruition.Gilderdale, Kate "Motus O takes production of Alice to Port Dover" The Stouffville Tribune 23 July 1994 http://news.ourontario.ca/WhitchurchStouffville/103688/page/16?w=2400&h=1200 Retrieved 19 January 2019. The production premiered at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover, Ontario in 1994.
The author, poet and playwright Patrick Friesen wrote The Shunning, on which Motus O's 1995 production of the same name was based. The production premiered at the Tarragon Theatre, Toronto in October 2005.
In 2014 Motus O collaborated with Marina Nemat, human rights activist and author of the bestselling memoir The Prisoner of Tehran in creating a production based on the book. Marina was imprisoned and tortured in her native Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. She emigrated to Canada in 1991.Marina Nemat Official Website http://www.marinanemat.com/#about Retrieved 20 November 2018 Motus O's approach was “not to dance her story, but to use movement to illustrate her story telling” and “to support Marina's story through movement and not 'hijack' it”. The work has been described as “a moving, surprisingly funny and intensely invigorating piece of theatre that allows her [Nemat] to tell her story to audiences.”Cook A, The East “Saint John's Imperial Theatre Announces Their Twenty Fourth Season” 2017 6 June. http://www.theeastmag.com/2017/06/06/saint-johns-imperial-theatre-announces-twenty-fourth-season/ Retrieved 2018 November 20.
Prisoner of Tehran was performed at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg in 2016 as part of a national tour.Canadian Museum for Human Rights “Prisoner of Tehran Performance and Book Signing” https://humanrights.ca/event/prisoner-tehran?ts=November%2019%2C%202016%20-%201%3A30pm Retrieved November 19, 2018.Global News “Story of Canadian's Imprisonment and Torture Told Through Performance” 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2018 https://globalnews.ca/news/3076852/story-of-canadians-imprisonment-told-through-performance/
Johnny Wideman, playwright and actor, wrote the script for A Fair Tale – The Long/Short History of Fairs, which premiered at Markham Fairground, Markham, Ontario on October 2, 2014.
Musicians, other artists and musical organizations The Royal Conservatory of Music commissioned Motus O to create and adapt Petrouchka for a special production for elementary school aged children in 2002.Bolan, Sandra "Petrouchka Ending 5-year hiatus" The Stouffville Sun-Tribune 12 March 2015 https://www.yorkregion.com/whatson-story/5474277-petrouchka-show-ending-5-year-hiatus/ and Carmina Burana for Carl Orff Canada in 2006. The commissions arose from Motus O's collaboration with Executive Director Angela Elster and the Conservatory's Learning Through the Arts (LTTA) program.Simon, P “What the Arts Can Teach” The Globe and Mail 22 December 2002 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/what-the-arts-can-teach/article758726/Bradshaw J, “Making young Minds Sing – and old ones too” The Globe and Mail 2009 September 26. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/making-young-minds-sing---and-old-ones-too/article4290071/City of Toronto Parks and Recreation Division Press Release “Motus O leads a dance through Wonderland at Toronto Music Garden” 2000 June 16 http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/it/newsrel.nsf/c6f06d99dcddf9de85257aa70063fa81/db2ddd1eadfe574885256df6004631cd?OpenDocument
The Hannaford Street Silver Band commissioned Motus O to create Circus Terrifico in 2009Terauds, J “Ballet's Briskin Kicks some Brass” The Toronto Star 2009 May 21. The premiere performance was conducted by David Briskin, National Ballet of Canada music director.
Peter Jarvis and Paul Tedeschini of Spinfinity were commissioned by Motus O dance theatre to create original music for A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Vincent Cheng, assistant conductor at the Greater Toronto Philharmonic orchestra was commissioned to compose music for Momentum-Perspectives II.
An-Lun Huang was commissioned to compose music for What the Heck-Perspectives III 2011 and Little Match Girl Revisited 2012.
The videographer Jeff Young created a series of works for Motus O's 2017 production Moving Stories.
List of full-length works +1992 - Human Knots2011 - What the Heck? – Perspectives III1994 - Alice2012 - The Little Match Girl Revisited1995 -The Shunning2014 - Prisoner of Tehran1997- Delusions2014 - A Fair Tale – The Long/Short History of Fairs2000- The Little Prince2015 - Chasing the Dream2002 - Petrouchka2015 - Animal Tales2003 -A MidSummer Night's Dream2015 - The Best of Motus O 25th Anniversary Show2005- Variations in Love2016 - From Hand to Plough2005 - East of the Sun West of the Moon2016 - One Hit Wonders2006- Carmina Burana2017 - Moving Stories: Strokes of Insight, Acts of Genius2007 - A Christmas Carol2017 - From Fair & Wide, O Canada2009 - Circus Terrifico2020 - Confessions of a Professional Dancer2009 - Perspectives2020 - 30th Anniversary Show2010 - Perspectives II - 20thAnniversary2021 - 30th + 1 Anniversary Show
Past and present performers