Generous Mess
by means of each other
Photo credits: Evan Morash
Generous Mess
Formed and led by Sarah Hutton and Aiden Cass, Generous Mess is an emerging contemporary dance company based in Vancouver, on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Their choreography plays between delicate details and outlandish, exaggerated scenes. Sarah and Aiden’s partnering uses unruly, vulnerable, and visceral lifts and pathways. Storytelling, humor, and autobiographical themes have molded the context for their first works. Their live Vancouver debut was a duet commissioned and presented at Dancing On the Edge Festival in July 2021. Their newest creation will be presented at the EDAM Spring Choreographic Series in March 2022 in Vancouver, BC. Their choreography and performance was also featured in indie/folk band Rumour Mill’s music video “Wake Me Up”.
by means of each other
Slivers, chunks, and total exaggerations are taken from Sarah and Aiden’s experience as partners to make a duet where they must continually organize around and through one another. Through expansive lifting and partnering, resistance and adherence, and stark images this duet gives us an entry into a familiar, but peculiar world. Aiden and Sarah connect, entertain, win, and fail all by means of each other.
Photo credits: Evan Morash
There is a link available to view a video of the entire work, please contact Sarah Hutton to receive the link.
Performance History of by means of each other
Completed - Studio Showing July 3rd, 2019, Modus Operandi Focus Group Graduate Showing, Vancouver, BC
Completed - “Rough Cuts” Studio Showing Nov. 6th, 2020, Dance Victoria Studio Residency, Victoria, BC.
Completed - Work-In-Progress Premiere July 8th & 11th, 2021, Dancing On The Edge Festival, Firehall Arts Centre, Vancouver, BC.
Completed - Excerpt Performed at Accelerate 5.0 January 28th & 29th, 2022, Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver, BC
Pending - Full Length Premiere February 10th & 11th, 2023, Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver, BC
Project Details
Project created by: Sarah Hutton & Aiden Cass
Key Collaborators: Choreographers & Performers: Sarah Hutton & Aiden Cass
Dramaturg: Raina von Waldenburg
Mentors: David Raymond & Tiffany Tregarthen
Technical Director: Eric Chad
Audience: Mature Content/General Audience (includes foul language but can be adapted)
Length in minutes: 40-minute unplugged version
65-minute version - Full length work
Space required: The 65 minute version is built for a theatre with full technical capabilities. A 40 minute unplugged version can be adapted for online presentation or alternative venues with limited lighting abilities (ex. outdoor stages, high school auditoriums, galleries, public spaces, etc). Stage: sprung, marley dance floor with no obstructions (no less than 35 ft x 35 ft). If performed outside, a fairly quiet environment or close proximity to the audience is important in order to hear the performer’s speaking during the work.
Preparation required: 2 days, 16 hours
General technical requirements: Stage: minimum 35 ft x 35 ft, sprung black Marley dance floor with no obstructions. Sound: professional quality stereo sound system. Lighting: 65 minute version benefits from theatre with full technical capabilities.
Availabilities: March 2023 and onwards
Number of performers on tour: 2
Number of support staff on tour: 1
Community Engagement Activities
Sarah Hutton and Aiden Cass have had the pleasure to collaborate with dance artists of all ages in communities in Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, Greater Vancouver, and southern Alberta throughout the past 7 years. These engagements have included contemporary dance workshops, creating choreography in collaboration with the students, and sharing our experiences of training, apprenticing, and building our professional careers. Along with the above activities, outreach in your community could include post-show talk backs, holding talks/Q&A’s with pre-professional dance students or young aspiring dancers, and open rehearsals for artists and/or the public to witness our creative process.
Specifically, we feel passionate about sharing our artistic practice around partnering and lifting and would love to conduct workshops on these concepts if COVID-19 restrictions allow.