Everybody Dance Now

Department of Theatre director, writer and choreographer Conrad Alexandrowicz is earning great praise for his Toronto revival of i think i can, the acclaimed show by playwright Florence Gibson and tap choreographer Shawn Byfield. Produced by the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, this ambitious piece of dance theatre won the 2007 Dora Award for Outstanding New Musical, and Alexandrowicz himself received a Dora nomination for his work directing the original production, which deals with disability, bullying and the theory of relativity (it’s subtitled How to Enter the Science Fair Dancing).

The new production is described by the Toronto Sun as “a delightful and thought-provoking theatrical collaboration” that is "crisply, even energetically, directed” by Alexandrowicz, and Toronto’s Now says it is “just as shiny this time around in Alexandrowicz’s staging, with new projections . . . that not only reflect the characters’ inner worlds but also echo the iPod and smartphone technology viewers themselves use.”

Performed by many of Canada’s top dancers, i think i can is described as “The Drowsy Chaperone meets Stomp! in a world of ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’” and illustrates through bodies in motion what happens when someone asserts, "I think I can." As such, this piece for tap dancers and actors fits perfectly into Alexandrowicz’s specialty in creating interdisciplinary performances that address subjects central to the human journey, including issues of relationship, gender and power, and the nature of the performance event itself.

The acclaimed revival of i think i can moves to the National Arts Centre Ottawa for a May 11-28 run.