aXes

Montreal, April 19th, 2007 — Festival Accès Asie's 12th edition is a collaboration with Tangente presenting from May 3rd to the 6th, aXes, an inter-disciplinary performance of dance and music. Featuring GaPa, this percussion duo consists of Ganesh Anandan and Patrick Graham as well as dancer/choregrapher, Hideo Arai. The prelude to the performance is presented by Shinya Ochida, a young Japanese photographer who will be showing his works in Tangente's entrance hallway unveiling the behind-the-scenes creative process of aXes.

Rooted in the common desire to construct an enriching and unifying artistic space, aXes is a performance that unites Ganesh Anandan, Patrick Graham from Canada andHideo Arai from Japan. They explore together the treasures of their respective cultures mixing tradition with innovation, music, silence, movement and non-movement. These multiply contrastes leads the dialogue of where percussion meets dance. This exceptional exchange permits the artists to create works that perfectly integrates sound and movement in an interaction between cultures and identities. Supported by a minimalist decor made by shadows and projected images, the performance takes the form of a serie of choreographic and musical skits that alternate from compositions to improvisations. For the creators of this show, aXes explores « the imaginary lines around those that shape the body ».

GaPa is a duo based in Montreal and is formed by two finger drumming virtuoso percussionists. Ganesh Anandan and Patrick Graham fuse their music inspired by tradition and musical styles from South India, Ireland, Arabia and Japan. The duo uses a surprising variety of instruments such as the bodhran, kanjera, the riqq, tar and taiko from which is added a stream of instruments invented by both musicians. Working together since 1996, Ganesh and Patrick collaborate with artists and groups from all over the world. During Festival Accès Asie's festivities, they played with Ensemble Kiyoshi Nagata  in 2004 and with Taiko Ensemble On  in 2006. Known for oringinality in their compositions and by their dynamic rhythms, their first album Imaginaria (2003) was warmly welcomed by critics abroad.

Hideo Arai has explored the universe of dance since 1987. As dancer and choreographer, he bases his dance on the techniques of Japanese movements called Nogushi Taison, a gymnastic practice founded by Michizou Noguchi who borrows diverse movements vibrant in the natural world as well as integrating the research and precision of corporal dance expressions. Founder of the company Dance-Lab KARADAKARA, he gives various dance workshops throughout Japan. Hideo Arai has participated in a number of performances in Asian, Europe and North America. In the company of GaPa with whom he has collaborated with since 1999, Hideo has presented Gravity, a magnificent reputed show in 2002 that was successfuly received in Montreal, Toronto and Tokyo.

Shinya Ochida is a Japanese photographer with a diploma in industrial design in Kyushu, the Institut of Design and the Pratt Institute and Art Student League in New York. Presently working as a free-lance photographer, Shinya devotes his time in both commercial and artistic photography. He has shown his works in exhibitions such as: Viva-Mexico expo of Saint Mark's Foto/Grafik in New York (1995), The phrase,  by Nikon Gallery in Fukuoka (1996) and kodakan : Pinoys sa Japan- A photo essay of Fillipinos in Japan (2005).

At Tangente
May 3-5 at 8:30 p.m. and May 6th at 4 p.m.
850, rue Cherrier, Montreal
Information : (514) 525—1500 www.tangente.qc.ca www.accesasie.com
Tickets: regular 16$, reduced 13$ (seniors, students, professional dancers)

Media contact: Andy Carton (514) 575-9436