Shay Kuebler’s 'Glory' comes to Capitol Theatre
By Contributor
The Capitol Theatre is making is final show of the season a memorable one to attend as Shay Kuebler’s contemporary dancetroupe Radical System Art makes its return to Nelson Friday (April 7) at 8 p.m.
This is the final and most anticipated show of the Capitol Theatre’s season.
Kuebler performed Karoshi here three years ago; a physical, gravity-defying performance by an all-male troupe.
On Friday he is here with a mixed-gender group of six bold and dynamic performers with Glory.
Inspired by the epic battles of childhood and a passion for action films, Glory examines the complexities of violent behaviour and its glorification in our media-drenched culture. As a kid, Kuebler grew up watching martial-arts flicks and the action movies that were booming at the time. It was also an era when video games like Nintendo were on the rise.
But he’s noticed how much more extreme the violence is that we’re bombarded with on-screen.
“With Nintendo, you jumped on an enemy and it blinked. Now kids are playing war games and throwing grenades.”
Kuebler ’s choreography is physically visceral; at one point in Glory we see six bodies pushing in and exploding out, tackling and tangling, grabbing at a single dancer as he pulls and strains, trying to break free of the crowd’s grip.
At another point, two guys catapult a dancer in the air, sending her flying in a sort of supercharged stage dive. It will also find the dancers boomeranging around the floor on harnesses — a way, Kuebler says, of amplifying the movement the way movies and video games amplify violence.
Kuebler’s experiences and his training in the martial arts as well as hip-hop, tap, and contemporary dance, have coalesced in Glory, a multimedia work that has five video and projection elements, as well as a carefully edited soundscape of classical music, metal, old jazz, TV soundtracks, and more.
“Shay Kuebler and Radical System Art’s Glory is one of the best shows I have ever seen, dance or otherwise, and is an excellent example of using multiple art forms together to enrich and enliven dance … create a piece that is accessible to a wider audience, not just for viewers who have trained and studied in dance” says David Clennin, School of Contemporary Arts.
The Capitol Theatre is also excited to present local dancer and choreographer Slava Dovalperforming an excerpt from her solo piece “History Repeating: Her Story Unraveling.” Slava’s performance will be opening the show.
Tickets can be purchased in-person or by phone at the Capitol Theatre Box Ofï¬ce Tuesday-Friday, noon-4:30 pm – (250) 352-6363 – or online at the Capitol Theatre website.
Tickets prices are$30 Adult / $24 Student.
