Kim Frank: miracles in Moscow - choreographer

Independent choreographer Kim Frank loves to work in Russia. A Canadian by birth, Frank is considering moving to Russia. She has made 4 visits to choreograph theatre productions at the Stanislavsky, Vaktangov and Lencom theatres in Moscow and has worked on The Taming of the Shrew for the Russian Drama Theatre in Vilnius, Lithuania. These days the press on the former Soviet Union is quite negative, so what is the attraction for Frank?

"It's a pleasure to work in a culture that takes its artists seriously," says Frank. "They enjoy discussing, even arguing about it. To them art is a very serious pursuit, it is fundamental to their understanding of who they are and where they come from." "There are 70 theatres in affordable...they know their playwrights..."

Frank's Russian connection is a result of a meeting with Moscow-based theatre director Vladimir Mirzoyev, who immigrated to Toronto in 1989 and began creating unconventional productions for his Horizontal Eight Theatre Company. Frank attended and was impressed by his production of Gogol's The Inspector General. Mirzoyev invited Frank to become choreographer-in-residence for his company in 1990, a position she held for six years. (Her Horizontal Eight productions have 'gone on to tour Edinburgh and New York.) Mirzoyev and his family returned to Russia in 1996 and Frank followed to work with him again.

In December 1997, In Search of the Miraculous premiered at the Stanislavsky Theatre. A dance-opera collaboration with Mirzoyev, the work was based on the thoughts of Russian mystic philosopher Georgy Gurdjieff. Mirzoyev established the dramatic structure and designed the stunning lighting while Frank contributed the choreography which The Moscow Times described her dances as "mesmerizing".

A Montrealer, Frank began dance studies at the tender age of five, studying with her mother, dance teacher Angie Frank. Her formative years included trips with her mother to New York, where she participated in classes at a variety of studios, including the Alvin Ailey School. In 1980, the younger Frank moved to Toronto to study at York University, eventually joining Peggy McCann and Dancers. After a year teaching at McGill University, Frank began to pursue a career as a choreographer, obtaining her B.F.A. in dance from Concordia University. A move back to Toronto allowed her to work with choreographer Paula Ravitz.

In 1987 Frank joined Toronto Independent Dance Theatre (TIDE) to perform and create choreography. Here she created The Trial and Lola and Herb Projecting for dancers Denise Fujiwara and Darcy Callison. Her work was seen throughout Ontario and Quebec and as far away as Mexico City.

On her own, she has created 18 dances, including Flight Anchored, a collaboration with visual artist Barb Webb which was performed in Toronto and at Edmonton's The Works Festival. Mother's Tongue featured her 74-year-old grandmother. Willy, a quintet for male dancers and actors, was seen at Danceworks (Toronto) and at the Canada Dance Festival. For Jessica Runge, Frank created against the meanwhile. Doyne Suite was commissioned by the Canadian Children's Dance Theatre.

The 35-year-old Frank also continues her dancing career, performing for other choreographers, notably Anna Blewchamp, Bill James and Maxine Heppner. She recently appeared in Laura Taler's The Village Trilogy.

Frank returned to Canada in April to work on a production for her fourth visit to the Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa. Called Wood, the original piece came out of Peter Bonham's Le Group de la Place Royale lab for choreographers. Wood, briefly stated, is an exploration of interdependent relationships; her dancers work with various organically shaped wooden hand and foot appendages which create an awkwardness of movement. In effect, the dancers are forced to overcome physical obstacles and work together, finding their individual strengths.

Toronto audiences can catch Frank's work at the DanceWorks Mainstage season this Fall. Then it's back to Russia to work on productions of Pygmalion and Twelfth Night.

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