Radical System Art
MOI - Momentum of Isolation
Photo credits: David Cooper Photography
Radical System Art
Radical System Art (RSA) fuses dance, theatre and martial arts with interactive technology and design to create impactful performances. The company is guided by a principle of harnessing opposition to find strength and balance: athleticism with artistry, structure with chaos, technique with instinct. RSA believes collaboration is critical to reaching wider audiences. By creating with many unique and diverse artists, RSA looks to build work that speaks to more people. By integrating multiple art forms, company performances seek to balance out the presence of visual design, sound design and physical movement. Artistic Director Shay Kuebler believes the performing arts are a transcendent form of storytelling. By weaving movement, sound and imagery together, we create a universal language that voices what can't be said with words.
MOI - Momentum of Isolation
MOMENTUM OF ISOLATION bases is performance around social isolation and loneliness. The project explores the objective and subjective experiences through the individual, the group and modern society – a society of shifting values and an ever advancing digital life. To shape a digital world on stage, MOI places live interactive video and sound around the performers. These elements enhance ideas around how technology and our digital lives can both amplify us and disempower us. In relation to shifting values, there’s a generational context that is critical to the work: the young and the old. To explore this separation, Artistic Director Shay Kuebler, will remain an isolated solo performer throughout the work. As a much older performer, his isolated role juxtaposes the performances of the younger ensemble performers who perform both as a group and as individuals. Research began on this project in 2018, after Artistic Director Shay Kuebler read about the “minister of loneliness” in the UK. This government position was instituted after the UK discovered that loneliness and isolation were more detrimental to the health of its citizens than cigarettes and alcohol. In 2018, it felt like a critical topic to speak about. Now, in 2021, it has become even more relevant.
Photo credits: David Cooper Photography
Performance History of MOI - Momentum of Isolation
Shay Kuebler Radical System Art has six full-length projects in its repertoire: Karoshi (2011-2012),Glory (2013-2015), Telemetry (2016-2017), Feasting on Famine (2017), Telemetry Loop (2019) and Epilogos (2019-2020). These works have made impact on the landscape of dance in Vancouver and the company is recognized for being one of the most exciting and promising companies on the west coast. SKRSA continues to further the trajectory of the company through a continued pursuit of exciting and innovative projects, rigorous research, educational opportunities and continued touring activity. Radical System Art believes greatly in the value of touring to develop audiences, their art form and the artists within the company. The company has toured BC four times (2014, 2016 and 2017, 2020); has hosted two national tours in 2017 and 2018; performed as a part of the National Arts Centre's season in 2018; and has hosted international tours to Colombia (2015), Germany (2018), Israel (2019), USA (2019), and France (2020). The company and Artistic Director place a great investment on exposing the company’s work to new audiences, and engaging audiences and communities in more intimate engagements. This also connects to an investment in the education and development of young dance artists through training opportunities and educational programs. Artistic Director Shay Kuebler has worked with multiple pre-professional dance programs including Modus Operandi, L’École du Danse du Québec, Pro Arte Danza, NYU, SFU, London Contemporary Dance School and The Maslool Contemporary Dance Program (Israel). Along with this, RSA continues to support young aspiring dance professionals through company apprenticeship and mentorship programs throughout each season.
Shay Kuebler Radical System Art – Recent History and Touring:
FEBRUARY 2019 - Performances of "Telemetry" for Whitebird season in Portland, Oregon, USA
JULY 2019 - World Premiere of "Epilogos" with Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
JANUARY 2020 - France premiere with La Comete, Chalons-en-Champagne, France
FEBRUARY 2020 - Alberta/BC tour of "Epilogos"
MARCH 2020 - Vancouver International Dance Festival premiere of "Epilogos"
JULY 2020 - Dancing on the Edge Festival - Online Film & Live stage performance of "Momentum of Isolation - Chapter 1."
NOV 2020 - "Feasting on Famine" DanceForth digital initiatives film - National Arts Centre & The Dance Centre
JANUARY 2021 - "Figure Eights" Dance Centre artist-in-residence online performance
JULY 2021 - "Momentum of Isolation - the partitions " Dancing on The Edge Festival
NOV 2021 - "Momentum of Isolation" The International Chutzpah! Festival
Project Details
Project created by: Radical System Art - Directed by Shay Kuebler
Key Collaborators:
Performance - Keiran Bohay, Aiden Cass, Sarah Hutton, Shay Kuebler, Tia Kushniruk, Nicole Pavia, Nicolas Ventura, Calder White
Choreography - Shay Kuebler & Performers
Production Artistic Director – Shay Kuebler Sound
Composition – Paul Paroczai & Shay Kuebler Sound Design – Paul Paroczai
Video Design – Dan O’shea
Light Design – Rob Sondergaard & Electric Aura Design
Prop & Set Design – Chris White
Dramaturge & Rehearsal Director – Abbey Dutton
Production Coordination Assistance – Ace Martens & Arts Club Scene Shop Technical Direction – Mark Eugster
Pre-Production Video Design – Eric Chad & Dan O’shea
Sound Design – Kate De Lorme, Shay Kuebler & Paul Paroczai
Audience: General Audience
Length in minutes: 65 minutes with no intermission - Full-length work
Space required: This work is built for theatre, but the company has developed this project in 3 different stages and has versions that can be formatted to alternate/installation venues. This work can be viewed as both a theatre version and an online version. The Vancouver premiere of this work will be both a live performance and filmed/online performance in November 2021.
Preparation required: 1 full day for technical set-up & 1 full day for performance
General technical requirements: RSA travels with its own video equipment, sound equipment and props/set pieces. The performance does require a black Marley floor with an average playing space of 30' x 30', but this can be modified to work in different venues. RSA can adjust their lighting design to adjust to house plots and different lighting configurations.
Availabilities: RSA and MOI are developing a Canadian National tour across the fall of 2022. This tour will stretch from the Yukon to Halifax, so we would be blessed to include our home province within this tour. We will likely be expanding support with current partners in BC, and this can hopefully assist in us building a very economic tour through BC through the fall/winter of 2022.
TOURING being built for Fall 2022, Winter 2023 and Spring 2023
Fall, Winter and Spring of 2024 are open
Number of performers on tour: 8 performers on tour (including choreographer)
Number of support staff on tour: 2
Community Engagement Activities
RSA offers a substantial amount of donated/in-kind outreach activities as adjunct activity to their performances. With performance fees and technical time required to setup the performance, we subsidize our workshops, public discussions, artist talkbacks (pre/post show), and open/free dance/movement and theatre classes. All our outreach activity is also connected to community engagement and we work directly with the local presenting network and outreach coordinators to frame all outreach activity specific to each local community.
Contact: Radical System Art, info@radicalsystemart.com
Agent/Manager: Brent Belsher, brent@belshers.ca
Website: www.radicalsystemart.com
Facebook: RadicalSystemArt
Instagram: radicalsystemart