Motus O Dance Theatre, a group out of Toronto, is returning to Golden for a performance of A Christmas Carol on Dec. 1, and locals will have a chance to join the performance through open auditions scheduled for Nov. 19.
According to co-artistic director and choreographer James Crocker, Motus O frequently employs the services of locals in their performances, and it has always worked out for everyone involved.
“We used to think that if you involved amateurs or non-professionals in the show, that it would bring the production down, but actually we find that it brings it up,” he said.
The involvement of locals is fun for the audience, and the Motus O team enjoys working with amateurs. Of course, the amateur performers benefit as well, often surprising themselves with what they can accomplish with limited training.
“Our approach is we take people’s natural movements and we enhance and incorporate them. It’s very empowering for them as well; they realize ‘ah, I can do this’,” Crocker said.
The amateur locals will appear in approximately five scenes, Crocker said, and will have three rehearsal sessions to get ready for the show.
A Christmas Carol has been performed in many different ways over the years, and Motus O’s performance of the Dickens story is a lighter take on the traditional Christmas tale.
“We have modernized it to a degree, and there is a lot of humour. A lot of it is based on the English style of pantomime, where we are switching characters back and forth and just having a lot of fun with it,” he said.
Motus O has done shows in Golden in the past, and the group has always enjoyed performing here.
“We’ve always had a great time in Golden…we’re looking forward to performing,” Crocker said.
For more information about the show and how you can audition for a role in the performance, log on to kickinghorseculture.ca.
