The Seaweed and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) Research Laboratory of
Dr. Thierry Chopin
IMTA, the highlight of a beautiful and thought provoking performance of “Perspectives” by Motus O Dance Theatre at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John
October 14, 2011
Two years after its world premiere in Ontario, Motus O Dance Theatre performed its show “Perspectives” at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, New Brunswick.Cooke Aquaculture, IMTA, Motus O and Perspectives all made it to the billboard of the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, New Brunswick.
As humans, we all discover and experience life from our own point of view. In this theatrical dance performance like none other, Motus O envelops your senses with a fusion of dance, video, music, citations and narration, and lighting. They illuminate and explore, through pathos and comedy, an array of intellectual, visual, dimensional, societal and cultural perspectives we all possess. This contemporary dance performance is like a collage of short works, each quirky, profound, bold and poignant in their own way, delivering an absolutely unique and total experience!
Poster of Motus O Dance Theatre performance at the Imperial Theatre on Friday, October 14, 2011.
One cannot help but be moved by “Me, myself and I” a piece on Parkinson’s disease (the person portrayed through the different steps of her life, Judy Hazlett, a former ice skater and dancer, is a very good friend of Cynthia Croker, one of the artistic directors of Motus O). “Continuum” is a beautiful piece about a mother helping her daughter until the daughter helps her mother. “Saira” is an intriguing piece all the way to the end when the main character pivots on her chair and we abruptly discover a face burnt by acid and the text in the background comments on this type of violence against women that is still occurring in some parts of the world. There are also moments of pure beauty, like the duo “Dieppe Liefde” (“Deep Love” in Dutch), combined with some funny pieces mixed in to relax the audience (the “Tree Trilogy #1, 2 and 3” are hilarious and “Tutu Trapped” is quite a satire about a young ballet dancer metamorphosing through a competition like “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” to finally be “liberated”).
Then, of course, there was “IMTA”… the highlight of the performance and a piece of unique relevance to Saint John and its region. Cynthia and James Croker and Jack Langenhuizen, the three co-artistic directors of Motus O, have become good friends with the Chopin family since their daughters, Marine and Morgan, performed in their version of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Imperial Theatre in March 2005.
In the spring of 2007, the Motus O trio stopped at the Chopin’s, while touring Atlantic Canada, and a wonderful and creative evening ensued. Motus O was in the process of developing a new show that would address, through the art of dance, issues facing our present day society. Thierry Chopin proposed – the legend is that the vision matured during a few morning showers – that Motus O create a piece on Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA).Ticket of the performance.
View of the beautiful interior of the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Securing our food will be a big issue in the future. As the human population increases, more efficient food production systems will have to be developed and one of the solutions is IMTA. IMTA strives to create an ecosystem approach to aquaculture, which promotes environmental sustainability, economic stability and societal acceptability. Creativity was definitely flowing that night of March 2007, and that’s how “IMTA” was “integrated” as a piece in a new production that became “Perspectives”.
Thierry Chopin explaining the IMTA banner to Betty Tompkins, from the art side (New Brunswick Arts Council), and Carl Tompkins, from the science side (former Dean of Science at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John).
Thierry Chopin, Professor of Marine Biology at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, wanted to provide the non-scientific community with a visual interpretation of a quite complex scientific topic, IMTA, which he has been working on for more than a decade with colleagues at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John and Fisheries and Oceans Canada in St. Andrews, and their industrial partner, Cooke Aquaculture Inc.
Add scientific inspiration and expertise to the imagination of Motus O and you get purely delightful choreography, just short of fifteen minutes, in which six dancers - wonderfully morphing into kelps, blue mussels and salmon - dance, swirl and interlace in a synergistic crescendo towards a harmonious co-cultivation in which they all thrive better together than if they were on their own! The result is a stunning piece simply titled “IMTA”. Imaginative, physically risky and irrepressible in spirit and energy, IMTA is beautifully told through physical inventiveness, wonder and revelation.
When the imaginative choreographer (Cynthia Croker) meets the inspired scientist (Thierry Chopin) in a moment of mutual recognition and appreciation after the show.
Thierry Chopin was with the dance troupe before the performance and was amazed at how the group was so galvanized: they were finally interpreting “IMTA” where it all began and it had to be the best rendition they ever delivered. The adrenaline was certainly in the air and what a show they gave us! Chopin was particularly excited that people from the Saint John area would have an opportunity to see the show because IMTA is already practiced at several aquaculture sites in the Bay of Fundy. “IMTA is not an abstract concept. It is really happening in our backyard,” he says.
“IMTA” has become one of the greatest hits of the Motus O repertoire since they launched it in 2009. Motus O received the award of Ontario Artist of the Year in 2010. This piece is absolutely beautiful with delightful and creative choreography and surprising costumes, decors and videos (yes, Thierry Chopin may be slightly biased!). It is quite a long piece by dance standards, the longest of “Perspectives”, but people generally comment that they do not see the time pass because the piece is so captivating and unusual. “I was mesmerized, glued to my seat”, “How you were able to artistically transform this complicated scientific concept is absolutely breathtaking”, “What a message of hope for responsible seafood production for the future” are some of the comments Motus O often hears after they perform “IMTA”, and the audience of the Imperial Theatre reacted the same way.
Let’s continue the dance with a salmon (Melissa Spence).
For Thierry Chopin, it is about disseminating the message outside the scientific Ivory Tower and giving a new perspective on science by translating it into new media for different audiences. “Scientists have to think outside of the box if they want to reach a broader audience about scientific and societal issues” comments Chopin. “As a scientist, I have the scientific primary publication (which has its role) in my tool box to reach the scientific community, but, if I want our science to be relevant to and understood by society, complicated and specialized scientific publications will not do the trick. I need to find the appropriate media to reach out to other audiences, be it a National Geographic TV documentary, a video with Cooke Aquaculture Inc., an article in Time Magazine, or a dance performance. These provide a powerful way to reach, educate and dispel some perceptions to a wider audience, and show that aquaculture practices are evolving. Last Friday night we reached 459 people and, hopefully, had an impact on people who are generally not our usual audience.”
“Helping in the creation of “IMTA” was a very interesting process.” adds Chopin. “If you can associate with talented artists, also ready to leave their Ivory Tower and take risks with wit, spirit and energy, seeing them transform the science of IMTA into art is absolutely mindboggling and highly satisfying. The other night was an amazing moment when science and dance met to create unique sparks. I always say that the solutions are at the interfaces of disciplines and that is why our IMTA project is inter-disciplinary (environmental, economic and social sciences). Add the artistic dimension and this becomes a feast at the theatre and a food for thought bag to take home after the performance!”
A multi-trophic trio: a blue mussel (Sarah Felschow), a kelp (Laura Day) and a salmon (Melissa Spence).
This rare evening treat was generously sponsored by Cooke Aquaculture Inc. and the Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network (CIMTAN). The support of the Imperial Theatre team, with Peter Smith and Angela Campbell, was also very much appreciated.
The whole group celebrating after the show: Laura Day (a kelp), Sarah Felschow (a blue mussel), Keng-Pee Ang (Cooke Aquaculture VP Research and Development, Feed and Nutrition), Cynthia Croker (a kelp and choreographer of “IMTA”), Thierry Chopin (the inspired scientist), Andrew Hartley (a blue mussel), Melissa Spence (a salmon), Nell Halse (Cooke Aquaculture VP Communications), Constanza Chianale (Ph D student working on another seaweed, dulse) and James Croker (an Australian sheep shearer turned blue mussel).
It’s all about IMTA: Laura Day, Jack Langenhuizen, Cynthia Croker, James Croker, Melissa Spence, Sarah Felschow, Thierry Chopin and Keng-Pee Ang.
Thanking a generous sponsor of the evening, Cooke Aquaculture Inc.: Keng-Pee Ang, Thierry Chopin, Cynthia Croker, Jack Langenhuizen, Laura Day; sitting: Melissa Spence, James Croker and Sarah Felschow.
Other pictures of "IMTA" (courtesy of Courtney Pyke, stage manager)
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