Hanna Kiel’s new dance film “Again” was inspired by the unconditional love of children

A conversation between a mother and a mother-to-be sparked the creation of Again, Human Body Expression’s new 30-minute film work choreographed and directed by the company’s Dora-Award winning Artistic Director Hanna Kiel and presented by DanceWorks. 

Again is an intergenerational dance piece featuring nine dancers from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. The work depicts eight adults who are living with the pain of their past. They learn to face it when they experience an unexpected tragic event involving a little girl. They journey to find forgiveness and the unconditional love of a child. 

Again was inspired by Kiel’s personal journey to adopt a baby from South Korea. During a conversation about parenthood, choreographer and friend Susie Burpee (who dances in Again), told Kiel about the unconditional love that she has received from her children. Kiel was excited and intrigued by this new experience of being mother to a child. She wanted to explore how adults learn so much about love and life through a child’s life – especially since while developing the story, she was herself in the middle of a 3-year adoption process. 

On January 28, 2021, she finally welcomed a “beautiful little man” into her life. And the arts world will welcome Again less than a month later. Again had been scheduled for a live performance at the Fleck Dance Studio during the DanceWorks Main Program 2020-2021 dance season. However,  faced with provincial restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, the group pivoted to creating a film version of Again. The plan remains to perform it live in a future season when public gatherings are once again safe. For now, the film will premiere online February 26 – 28, 2021 as part of DanceWorks’ new Moving Online Series, which presents short video stories, interviews, and works choreographed for the digital stage. 

Kiel saw immediately that a film of this work, which was intended to be performed live, would require changes in the way it is presented and danced. But she did not want a film with a linear storyline but to have a  feel similar to how she would tell the story if it were danced in a live performance. So her focus was more on each character, rather than the whole storyline. “What will be very clear is how each character has a different story and a different path in their life, but I still wanted to create an emotional impact from the film. I hope each audience will feel connected to at least one of the characters emotionally.” In this regard, the film version of Again will lend itself to families watching it together. This prospect pleases Kiel. “Yes, just like contemporary dance stage work, I want more families and [people of] different ages to watch this together.”

Again features an intergenerational cast of renowned dancers: Susie Burpee, Kendra Epik, Bonnie Kim, Ryan Lee, Pulga Muchochoma, Kelly Shaw, Darryl C. Tracy, Oriah Wiersma, and 11-year-old dancer Eva Teece-soter. The film is edited by the multidisciplinary performance artist Drew Berry, with dramaturgy by playwright, actor and director Suzanne Monique Bennett. Pouya Hamidi composed an original score with lyrics by Frances Miller, who also sings in the work. The team’s vision of this piece was for the music to tell the story and the dancers to deliver the emotional parts. “In the film version, we selected five songs co-composed by  Pouya Hamidi and Frances Miller. It would be great to hear how music will sound different on live stage in the future. But for now, we will use the recorded version.”

The film version of Again presents a welcome opportunity for audiences to engage with Kiel’s work from the comfort of home. A multi-award winning choreographer originally from Seoul, South Korea, Kiel has been living and working in Canada since 1996. In that time, her choreographies have been performed by companies and schools across Canada, and this includes a collaboration with the legendary Yoko Ono. She founded Human Body Expression in 2013 with the goal to connect and engage with audiences through contemporary dance using highly physical movement and storytelling. In 2019, she became the first Choreographer-in-Residence for Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired a shift in Kiel’s prolific output. She sympathizes with the enormous challenge the pandemic has posed to the world, but acknowledges its personally instructive effects: “It has taught me a lot about how to share dance in a different form (film and video) and how to share the works.” For instance, “working virtually is more challenging for the dancers than myself as choreographer/director.” Dancers simply need to dance in the studio with other collaborators, and working alone in a small living room can impose a limit on dynamic ideas in the work.  “We really do miss physical contact,” she admits, before expressing a deep concern about “passion fading away from many dancers right now”. 

She makes an earnest plea, “We really need to find a way to be inspired in different ways.” As a director, she has taken this idea to heart by acting as more of a motivator than before. When leading a project, she brings positivity and excitement to her collaborators, reminding them that they are still working and creating – and that this is a precious thing.

As a result, Kiel’s biggest advice to young dancers is to think like a leader. Rather than waiting to be motivated and inspired by other people, find a way to inspire others. “Being an artist is not about chasing opportunity or being picked by others. Being an artist is about having control and being able to change people around you and more.”

With Again, Kiel is very much practising what she preaches. On February 26, Again will offer a transformative opportunity to explore the themes of love, loss, family and connection. This  performance – by intergenerational artists for audiences of all ages – implies the continuity of knowledge across disciplines and generations. And to see these ideas enlivened through dance and realized safely through film will be a compelling step toward the kind of change that Kiel espouses and Human Body Expression so eloquently promotes. 

Click here for ticket information about Again.

© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2021