Lamondance Company
A Winter’s Twist

When & Where December 17 & 18, 2021, 7:30pm | BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts, North Vancouver

Artistic Director Davi Rodrigues Set Design Ravi Rodriques Costume Design Racheal Prince and Ravi Rodriques Light Design Brad Trenaman

Music Brandon Alley (original score), Rene Dupere, Mikael Karlsson, Alan Watts, Only Men Aloud!, Patrick Doyle and Jean-Francois Cote, Pato Fu and Ennio Morricone.

Reviewer Nancie Ottem


Lamondance departed from the structure of previous productions with A Winter’s Twist. For example, Marbled in 2018 and Viva in 2019 offered separate dance pieces centered on a theme within the framework of an evening. With A Winter’s Twist, Rodriques has created a Christmas story that unfolds over the course of the two act production.

Taking inspiration from traditional ballets, Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet, Rodrigues has crafted a story that is filled with dance, gymnastics and theatre. He has filled A Winter’s Twist with the innocence of young love portrayed so believably by Elina Lucky and Benedict Quedenbaum, humour through the pantomime of the character The Twisted, performed brilliantly by Matt Bryce and the breathtaking gymnastic feats of the Goddess of Love, Brooklyn Wiseman. Polar bears, snowball creatures, deadly flowers and wolves add delight for children and adults alike in this Christmas production.

There is clever innovation threaded throughout A Winter’s Twist starting with the tableau enacted by the dancers/actors pre-curtain which engaged the audience so effectively, the opening monologue of The Twisted, the winder that The Twisted used to raise the curtain, the clever use of minimal costuming to create a big visual impact and the white trees used so effectively by the white body suited tree roots creating tension during the wolves attack to name just a few.

The music that accompanied each segment of the story worked to enhance the emotion of each scene extremely well. The whimsical, childlikeinnocence of Juliet as she performed a solo in front of Romeo’s Christmas window was enchanting. The powerful choreography of the Montagues vs Capulets dance paired dramatically with the throb of the music creating tension in the piece were standouts. The pas de deux by Juliet (Elina Lucky) and Romeo (Benedict Quedenbaum) were technically well executed while also delivering honest emotion.

A Winter’s Twist is a welcome addition to Christmas entertainment. A pity it only has a two day run.

© 2021 Nancie Ottem