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October 1, 7:00 PM - October 2, 7:00 AM, 2022  

Meridian Arts Centre's Studio Theatre

5040 Yonge Street, North York

Part of Nuit Blanche Toronto

FREE to the public

Cab·a·ret · a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, and drama in a nightclub setting. For me, cabaret is a beautiful form of expression that presents endless possibilities for connection between people from all walks of life. And what better way to spend Nuit Blanche than at The Nexus Cabaret. I curated The Nexus Cabaret to centre contemporary performance as a visual artform using interdisciplinary acts of dance, poetry, music, theatre, photography, and digital projection.  The effect is to create magical moments of spontaneity, exquisiteness, and touching collaboration to embody Nuit Blanche’s 2022 theme, The Space Between Us. For this, I bring together some of Toronto’s most exciting contemporary artists, with our marvellous Master of Ceremonies, Nicole Inica Hamilton, weaving together the evening’s performances. 

This immersive performance experience begins with the return of Shannon Litzenberger’s World After Dark, inspired by Christopher Dewdney’s award-winning book Acquainted with the Night. Electric, immersive, rejuvenating, and disarming, Night demands to be met by the intuitive, sentient body, and its mysteries offer respite from the drama of the day. The nights of our generation are aglow with artificial light - is there no trace of darkness left on you? The perfect kick off to Nuit Blanche, World After Dark invites us to reclaim the night within us.

Next, Naishi Wang shares his stunning solo, Taking Breath.  Breathing - an innate action of taking in air and expelling it from the lungs. “Taking Breath” brings the subconscious to the conscious, the passive to the active; questioning how we have taken breathing and the air we breathe, for granted. The piece is a choreographic inquiry exploring the multiple facets of breathing in our lives - What is it like without breathing? What is it like with too much breathing? How does breathing affect movement? How does breathing affect our thoughts? When does breathing start to mean something? When does breathing become communication? When does breathing start to matter? When will air start to matter to us? 

As the night advances, JAYU presents their work in the space where art and human rights connect, where the distance between generations is bridged.  "Afro Anthology" was co-created by Lex & Martin Gomes, written & directed by Mart, illustrated & animated by Lex, with music & poetry performances by Mart & Desiree Mckenzie. 'Afro Anthology' hopes to take the audience on a journey through different stories all told from a Black lens in an effort to showcase that while there are many parts of the Black experience that are shared, to be Black is not to be part of a monolith.  

Next, tap dance griot, Travis Knights, will be engaging in a 'Tap'athetical meditation of sound and movement. He will work with his tap shoes, board, and loop station to create spellbinding, improvisational rhythmic wizardry.

In the final live performance of the evening, Jaz 'Fairy J' Simone invites you to attend ‘The Reception’: A gathering; a performance; an experience. 

 The Reception is an Interactive performance event that invites us to bask in the joy and simple pleasure of gathering and celebrating life. Everything is optional and everyone is encouraged to exist in the space in a way that feels joyful and comfortable for them. There will be snacks, drinks, games, activities, dance party and more. The work functions to dissolve the boundary between audience and performer, prioritizing the power of community; a world somewhere between spontaneous play and a guided experience.  Dresscode: wear whatever makes you feel FABulous! 

Our intrepid MC, Nicole, will then invite you to stay with us for a screening of some of JAYU’s celebrated, experimental human rights films. 

And on your way into or out of The Nexus Cabaret, stop by the Meridian Arts Centre’s other spaces for an art exhibit by JAYU youth artists  -  Leilah Dhore, Jasmine Vanstone, and Theia Ramsammy - and additional digital works. Nuit Blanche 2022 will be a night to remember!

For The Nexus Cabaret

Production Management: TO Live

Lighting Design: Arun Srinivasan

Stage Management: Andrew Gavin Hicks

Assistant Stage Manager:  Amelia Mielke-O'Grady 

Concept, Curation, Development & Co-Production: Timea Wharton-Suri

SEE BELOW FOR THE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS.