Good Women & Piotr – POD in Toronto (I)

Great “The Varsity” review of “POD” by The Good Women Dance Collective using my 45-minute-long electroacoustic soundtrack Fracture

Trying to whittle down the shows to a manageable number to review, we decided to focus on what really seems to make Fringe unique: the strange and unpredictable. Two shows that stood out this year were Fracture and Erotic Tales of the Old Testament. Fracture is a modern dance production put on by the Good Women Dance Collective from Edmonton. Featuring two pieces, “POD” and “Shatterstate,” this dance troupe uses contemporary dance as a medium to explore relationships. While “Shatterstate” provided a fun and whimsical approach to the feeling of déjà vu, “POD” was the highlight of the show. This act conjured an image of a living organism that separated into two entities struggling to leave behind the safety of their home environment. A crumpled, opaque plastic sheet covering the stage opened the piece, pulsing with both light and the movements of the dancers within. The futuristic yet animal-like soundtrack served to heighten the eerie, corporal feeling evoked by the piece. With raw emotions and refined dance steps, “POD” bared the most primal instincts of human beings on stage, reminding us of our ever-present connection with the animal kingdom.

Ishita Petkar
11 July 2013