The choreographer creates a steampunk universe with custom movements

Even as a child, dancer Kerwin Barrington was more attracted to choreography for others than herself. Barrington is responsible for the removal of David Fennario's steampunk magazine, Fessenden Follies, whose world premiere will take place Thursday at the Hudson Village Theater.

Clock Master's production is directed by Glen Robinson, with the costumes of award-winning visual and textile artist Tina Struthers and original music by JP Vialard.

Barrington, Robinson and Vialard joined forces from the first moments when it was decided that Fennario's story about the inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden would unfold in a futuristic steampunk universe – a universe that plays with time and is inspired by an aesthetic that refers to both. industrial Revolution.

"I like it," said Barrington about the production. "It's just the most innovative thing."

Using music, songs, lyrics, dialogues and dances, Fessenden Follies tells the story of the Townshipper who grew up to invent the radio. Although this success is largely attributed to Guglielmo Marconi, Fessenden, born in Quebec in Austin, was the first person to broadcast the human voice in 1900.

This does not happen often, but Barrington will also perform at Fessenden Follies.

The piece features three dance solos and a group dance number. Barrington's dances, one of the solos and the other two, are performed by former professional dancer Terry Orlando and artist Adele Reeves, a long-time student of Barrington's dance.

During his choreography sessions, Barrington used a technique called quick creation. It would give a verbal or written directive and the dancers would respond instinctively with movement. In other words, they would improvise.

"I used David's text, they would respond and my responsibility would be to sculpt, to organize what they proposed," Barrington said.

Barrington's solo is interpreted in a poem by Walt Whitman. Part of her inspiration for her approach to word-based choreography has been to see modern Quebec dancer Margie Gillis play the word.

"It has moved so smoothly in the text," Barrington said.

With regard to quick creation and his mix of improvisation and organization, Barrington is a committed fan.

"It's an effective way to give the dancer a voice," she said. "This allows the dancers to easily embody the movement because it comes from them. It's not something I put sure their."

Speed ​​creation was a particularly important tool in the case of Fessenden Follies because the performers called to dance had a very varied history of movement.

"The movement remains within the reach of their abilities. It's something clear, "Barrington said. "And because it's clear to them, they're confident."

Barrington began taking ballet clbades at the age of three. She stopped dancing to raise her children and returned to the community as a young adult. She graduated from Concordia University in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in choreography and spent the following years teaching movement and studying what is called the Axis Syllabus – the study of biomechanics and movement. On three occasions she worked with Robinson on the local and very popular holiday pantomime.

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