Sheena McGrandles

“TOIL” explores the dancing body at work – torn between alienation and desire, routine and rebellion. Drawing from ballet, Irish folk and punk, five dancers, accompanied by two musicians, create a physical portrait of dance as both labor and longing.

TOIL is a dance about work – an exploration of its emotional, historical and physical dimensions. Out of a devotion to dance with all its struggles and joys, dancers Michelle Cheung, Eli Cohen, Martin Hansen, Mickey Mahar and Dasniya Sommer reflect on what remains when movement itself becomes work. Accompanied live by Marta Forsberg and Steve Heather, the music – composed especially for “TOIL” – oscillates between electro, folk, and punk influences.

In a minimalist stage setting, an intense examination of one’s own physicality, rhythm and togetherness emerges – a constant effort to keep pace with the ever-changing rhythms of time.