Bryden Rose Garden: Play Analysis

On September 19, I saw the celebration of this year’s autumn equinox “Words, Water & Motion” at Bruce Bryden Rose Garden. The piece explores the traditions of words, songs, and music brought to Canada by immigrants. Preformed by six mature dancers, I felt this artistic choice could express how Canada has grown and matured. One thing that interested me about this performance is the fact that Carol Anderson choreographed it to be specific to the rose garden. The garden has three main sections that the dancers explored, with the audience stationed at the front of the garden; there was an odd sensation that we were distant, yet still close enough to feel connected to the work. With the dancers dressed in all red, there was this beautiful image that they themselves were the blooming flowers. This imagery grew as the dancers interacted with the walls of the garden, leaning on them for support, and the repeated motion of releasing
It was clear that the relationship of the dancers between each other and with the elements/nature were very thought out and intentional. Each dancer had their own way of moving and chose to move their own way, but overall no one seemed out of place. There was a sense of unity in their diversity, which made the dancer’s choice of levels, patterns, and stylistic qualities all fit together. There was a repeated phrase that weaved in and out of the work where the dancers would be spread across the garden and perform a series of poses. The poses were organic and transitioned rather quickly, and it seemed that they were chosen by the dancer in that instant. What made this really interesting is that there were a few shapes that one dancer would make and it would sort of trickle down the line. I couldn’t tell if it was choreographed to be that way, or if it was just a coincidence, but this spontaneous connection between the dancers brought a sense of completion of the