Location: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. 12 Alexandre Street. Toronto
Tickets $20, $15 CADA, students, seniors. Group sales and sliding scale available in advance.
Call Buddies box office for tickets 416-975-8555

HELIOTROPE is inspired by a mystical source of images and experiences; and named after a plant whose flowers turn to face the sun. In Eryn's world of fascination with all things moving, these plants are a metaphor of wisdom and courage. Heliotrope is a new work, a sequel to it's sister piece, Elimination of Lateral Violence, created in 1997. Through her investigation of the phenomenal relationship between the androgynous characters of Elimination of Lateral Violence, who battle primitive internal and external landscapes, a solo has emerged. Where "Elimination" was an attempt to penetrate the depths of intimacy, trust, and protection from violence, Heliotrope's solo dancer moves forward in the confidence of being accompannied.

Biographies

SHARON DI GENOVA ( Stage Manager and Lighting Designer)
A native of Montréal, and graduate of McGill University (Theatre Program), Sharon began her professional career in 1981 as an intern in a Broadway touring house in Massachesettes. She worked there, in all aspects of technical theatre on such Broadway hits as AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', CHILDREN OF A LESSOR GOD, and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (to name a few). For tens years following her internship, She worked predominantly in Theatre stagemanaging numerous Canadian premieres including B-MOVIE, THE PLAY ; LOVE & ANGER ; and several years of touring w/ RONNIE BURKETT THEATRE OF MARIONETTES. In 1990 She joined CANADA'S ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET, where she stagemanaged more than 20 productions - and developed an affinity for dance. Since that time, Sharon has toured extensively - throughout North and South America, Europe, and in Asia, the far East, Mexico and Cuba- stagemanaging, tech directing, and/or creating lighting designs for dance companies which include THE ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET, DESROSIER DANCE THEARE, RANDY GLYNN DANCE PROJECTS and since 1997 has toured internationally as Technical & Lighting Director/ stagemanager for THE HOLY BODY TATTOO. She has also worked worked with numerous independent choreographers, and has stagemanged and/or lit several dance festivals (including 6 seasons of FIDA mainstage) In 1993, Sharon co-founded Damn Straight (dance and multi discipline performance venue in Toronto) with ERYN DACE TRUDELL - for whom she has lit and stagemanged more than 10 productions. Together they ran Damn Straight from 1993-98.

Cheryl Lalonde (Set and Costume Designer)
Cheryl has worked in the Toronto arts community as a set and costume designer since 1984. After assisting with many productions for Act IV theatre under mentor Larry Lewis, Cheryl's premiere was with the origional production of Thompson Highway's The Rez Sisters. Cheryl entered the world of dance in 1991 when she bagan an affiliation with Desrosiers Dance Theatre designing Black and White, In Colour, Deboule, The Wind Man, L'Hotel Perdue, and White Clouds. Cheryl has recieved three Dora nominations for her work and in 1997 was honoured with a Dora for her design of Eclectic Theatre's Chutzpah a go-go. In 1995 Cheryl met Eryn and began a relationship wich led to the design of The High Queen's Quartet, Forced Horn, and The Mistress of Magic Sextet. Most recent credits include Stars and Dust for The Alberta Ballet by Choreographer Myriam Naisy, Chasing the Bird and This is Heaven to Me for the Danny Grossman Dance Company, and Checkhov's Shorts for Theatre Smith Gilmour (garnering another Dora Nomination). Cheryl is pleased to be working with Eryn and Sharon again...in a milieu where courage, imagination, and the forces of nature inspire us everyday.

Catherine Thompson (Composer and Sound Designer)
A Toronto-based composer, musician , visual and material artist. She has a great love and has had a long involvement in traditional Irish music both as a musician and vocalist. This past summer 2000 she had the good fortune to take part in Irish language and singing (séan-nos) workshops at Oideas Gael in Co. Donegal in the northwest of Ireland. The séan-nos workshops were taught by Gearóidín Bhreathnach, a truly inspiring singer, story teller and teacher with a deep knowledge of the world that these arts come from.

This interest in Irish music over the years has led her to many different places musically. She has become increasingly involved in composition and performance with a number of modern dance creators and this has become a major focus in her musical life.She recently created the music and performed in Cassiopeia in conjunction with choreographers Peggy Baker, Serge Bennathan, Karen Kaeja and Roger Sinha; danced and produced by Sylvie Bouchard. This piece was presented by Danceworks at the Du Maurier Theatre in 1999 and at the Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa in June, 2000. In addition she has worked with choreographers P. Megan Andrews, Louise Bédard, Susanna Hood, Rachel Kennedy, Susan Lee, Elena Mamais , Naoko Murakoshi, Kate Alton, Heidi Strauss and Darryl Tracey.

As well as making music for dance she has performed in a variety of modes in Toronto, Ottawa, at the University of Waterloo and The Backwoods Music Festival. She has recorded and composed music for Vision TV, Debaghimajig Theatre and Native Earth Productions. She does the character 'Bibble' in TVOntario's Polka Dot Shorts. Catherine is also a costumer and props builder and web designer.

Catherine is an avid outdoors enthusiast, travelling to Killarney, Ontario to walk the wild hills and swim in the clear waters as often as she can . She also has a passion for Kendo and Iaido (Japanese fencing) and practises regularly at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto She can be reached in the wide wide world at www.fiain.com fiáin, a. Wild. 1. Uncultivated.