Crank up the base, slip into a black leotard and unleash your inner beast—Dance Animal is back. After breaking attendance records at the 2009 Fringe, Zoofest and Wildside festivals, this home-grown, bilingual, dance comedy troupe returns to the Fringe with new faces, new moves, a bone to pick with Parliament and a secret plan to conquer the world.
“There was a lot of buzz,” recalls the usually mute Dance Hippo (Vanessa Kneale) of the original show, Dance Animal Presents Dance Animal. “There were so many people involved that everyone was really curious. Our first night…I think we sold a hundred tickets, and the next night we sold out. It was enormous.”
Animal’s infectious energy, sex appeal and local pride ended up earning it the Best of Montreal comedy award at the Fringe and even inspired a few audience members to try out for the troupe’s newest production, Freaks of Nature. While Dance Starfish (Marc Huppler) caught the show at the Centaur Theatre during the Wildside festival and “immediately knew” he had to become an Animal, others tried out for Freaks simply based on the show’s reputation.
“When I’m casting,” explains producer/director/choreographer Dance Tiger (Robin Henderson), “I’m not looking for specific personality types—a cute girl, a strong guy—I’m really looking for the people in the room who catch my attention, for whatever reason.” The cast of Freaks is made up of original Animals and new recruits, which according to Tiger, has worked out for the best. “A new group of characters coming in ups the energy from the old characters because they sort of have to stay on top of their game; they’re jostling for attention on-stage with these new people who are instantly going to get noticed because they’re new.”
Not that the newbies see it that way. “The veteran animals who were in the show last year are all the funniest people I’ve ever met,” explains Starfish, “so I have really really big shoes to fill. They were the ones who made me want to be on stage with them.”
To keep things fresh, Tiger opted for a new format. “It could have been a very safe choice to stick with the exact same formula because we knew it worked—eight monologues, ten dances—but I wanted us all to discover what the relationships are between these Animals. I wanted to show the audience the real love that exists in our group but through our characters.” The end result is a romp that sees the cast land their first big break at the Bell Center. “The Muppet Show was definitely an inspiration for Freaks of Nature, with all those backstage antics. When Dan (Jeannotte – formerly Dance Wolf) and Anders (Yates – Dance Salmon) and I were in our writing meetings, I knew from the get-go that I wanted the theme to be Dance Animal at work.” In addition to a heartier narrative, Freaks features almost wall-to-wall group numbers and new costumes from Dance Gazelle (aka Anja Papenfouss). According to Serpent, who does double duty as the troupe videographer and swing performer, one particular segment stands above the rest: “I won’t say what the song is, but I’m just going to let you know, it’s zombies and it’s hilarious. If you’re going to see the show for one thing, it’s for that moment.”
In truth, Freaks features many memorable new numbers, including a tongue-in-cheek ballet routine (complete with tutus) and one aimed directly at a certain Prime Minister. “Stephen Harper gave a speech about two years ago, when cuts to the arts came in…about how Canadian taxpayers didn’t want to be funding rich, elite artists who just go and spend their time at galas,” recalls Tiger. “It broke my heart because – the way I interpreted his speech—he was suggesting that there was no value or no worth to artists because all they do is dress up pretty and stand around and give each other prizes. That is not my reality. That is not the reality of every single person who is working in my troupe. We work hard. We all have two or three jobs to get our rent paid and then we do theatre on the side. We’re always working. And you add on the fact that we’re anglophone artists in Montreal and it’s even harder for us. We’re constantly fighting to get recognition. So, I wanted to comment on the state of artists in Canada, and try to reflect what our real experience is, or at least what the real experience of Dance Animal is.”
As Freaks begins it’s six-show run tomorrow night at Studio Juste Pour Rire, the Animals are eager to see what might come next. “Dance Animal is what I was born to do,” smiles Hippo. “It’s kind of a bold statement but that’s really how I feel. I’m there till the end. I don’t know what’s going to happen, I have no clue.” Tiger does. “It’s sort of a stepping stone process: get to know Dance Animal through the first show. Next show, get to know us by watching us through our work on stage and backstage…” And then? “I’m not telling. I have to gain the audience’s trust over the first few shows before I can go with my really wild ideas.” Look out, Mr Harper.
To reacquaint yourself with the Animals, check out the troupe’s newly launched site, www.danceanimal.ca. Dance Animal Presents Freaks of Nature runs through to June 20th, tickets are ten dollars each with details available at www.montreafringe.ca.
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Great article James, thanks!!!