Heart of Matter

 

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Do you have a box of memories under the stairs? In the attic? Folded into the pages of a book?

Heart of Matter is a meditation on memory and the keepsakes that spark our recollection. It is dedicated to objects we keep or forget. This whimsical and poetic dance-theatre work reflects on feelings of opening and closing, and the human experience of holding on or letting go. Heart of Matter appeared for 8 performances at the Toronto Fringe Festival 2019 in the gym space of Trinity Saint Paul's. This 60-minute work featured performances by Frog in Hand's summer company alongside spoken word poet Callahan Connor.

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"Each performer takes a turn sharing a story about an object that means something to them, and the feelings that linger with them as a result... The young dancers in the show are all athletic and strong, performing Snell’s abstract choreography with boundless energy." - Crystal Wood, Mooney on Theatre

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Images by Nettie Seip

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Heart of Matter was originally developed as a commission from the Ryerson School of Performance for Springworks 2018. Thanks to Vicki St Denys, the production team (including Kathleen Preston, Arun Srinivasan, Piotr Mrugacz).

A special, heartfelt thanks to the original cast of dancers: Kara Brown, Tavia Christina, Nicole Decsey, Rachel Facchini, Jamie Fascinato, Bianca Foo, Tara Kisil, Sophia Lajkosz, Melanie Old, Hannah Robertson, Gillian Tierney, Erinn White. See highlights from the 2018 version of Heart of Matter below.

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