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<\/a>Dark Space, one of the interesting numbers on the first night. Photo courtesy of Break The Floor Productions.<\/p><\/div>\n
I\u2019m glad that I made the time to do so because it was most entertaining. And I love that venue!<\/p>\n
Allow me to elaborate a bit on that last statement. On the last day of Moves at the Montalban<\/em>, I brought my friend Marc, who had never been there before. But, as a fan of the show biz legend Ricardo Montalban, (whose loveliness I can vouch for,) after whom this theatre was re-named ten years ago, Marc was curious about the place. We arrived early so I could give him a tour of the fascinating multi-level edifice, including the art gallery mezzanine and the party venue rooftop. That was my first time up there in the daytime, so I had never seen the outdoor top level in so much light before! The artificial turf just popped, (and it was St. Patrick\u2019s Day, to boot, so I loved all that rich green color!) And then the theatre manager was kind enough to give us a lesson in the history of the theatre, which we really appreciated. His name is also<\/em> Ricardo, so I wonder if having that moniker was a pre-requisite of the job!<\/p>\n Lukas McFarlane. (And this is the right direction–he’s horizontal!!!) Photo courtesy of Break The Floor Productions.<\/p><\/div>\n On that final day of the festival, we were treated to three short unrelated pieces followed by an almost-hour-length fantasy contemporary dance by Lukas McFarlane\u2019s company, choreographed by and starring him, in an all-white ensemble that we both loved. Even though his career resume indicates that he\u2019s the darling of Canada and the UK, I was not aware of Lukas before, so I\u2019m happy to be in the know now.<\/p>\n Nick Young, Photo by Lee Gumbs, courtesy of Break The Floor Productions.<\/p><\/div>\n But, as a bigger fan of other<\/em> styles of dance, I was more into the first night\u2019s fare. It was a baker\u2019s dozen of short numbers, curated by tap guru Nick Young, who had been a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance<\/em> a few moons ago. He tapped a couple of solos, one on film to open the show, and a fascinating live one later on. His company, Rhythmatic, performed a couple of times that night, as well. And Nick\u2019s closing remarks to the audience choked me<\/em> up almost as much as they did him<\/em>! That is one appreciative guy, which was nice to see.<\/p>\n I had two favorite numbers that night. The first was a fun jazz-hip-hop fusion by The Gentle Ladies. Their choreography was very upbeat and fun, and I loved that they were all doing the same moves, but each with her own personal flair. And all of their jeans-sweater-white-sneaks outfits were adorable! (I feel awful that no one took any pix of them be<\/p>\n Koko and Kiki. Photo courtesy of Break The Floor Productions.<\/p><\/div>\n And the one ballroom number was absolutely fabulous! It was performed by two<\/em> couples, but I had eyes for only the duo from So You Think You Can Dance<\/em> a couple of seasons ago, Koine (Koko) Iwasaki and Kiki Nyemchek, who were two of the four finalists that year. (More on them in a minute.)<\/p>\n I appreciate how brief the shows were, so that no one could possible get bored or antsy. I doubt anyone would have, anyway, because the audience was populated by dance fans. They all whooped and hollered in exactly the right spots in the numbers! It was fun to be among them.<\/p>\n And after all three shows, the entire assemblage was treated to a fun soiree on the Montalban\u2019s Rooftop. Of course, there was a DJ involved. After all, at least half the peeps were professional dancers, and I have a feeling the other half were recreational ones.<\/p>\n I loved seeing Koko and Kiki up there. I thought they looked especially friendly with each other, and I later learned that they\u2019re an item! How did I not know that?! But I definitely approve.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>