I am the Child of…

I am the Child of… accentuates and embodies personal experiences, bringing them forward in dance. This multi-media production features physical investigations of childhood memories, resulting in stories of resilience that are unflinchingly honest. I am the Child of… is ever-changing, with structured moments interlaced with a responsive immediacy of movement, creating an unpredictable experience within every performance. Allen Kaeja collaborates with Bruce Barton and Vertical City to create different perspectives and perceptions for the audience using augmented reality technology and multiple camera angles integrated with live performers. This is a show where mobile devices are welcome and part of the viewing experience!

profound modern interpretation accentuating and embodying personal childhood memories performed by an enormously talented young cast of dancers

Geoffery Coulter, Our Theatre Voice

Experience Augmented Reality at home!

Try out an augmented reality (AR) experience similar to the technology used in I am the Child of… Just follow the instructions below to witness a dancer perform in AR!

Scan the QR code on the webpage below these instructions using a phone or tablet. To do so, open your camera app and point it at the QR Code, then click the link that pops up.
Click “Allow”.
Watch the augmented reality dancer perform across your desk, on your kitchen table, or even on the ceiling! You can move the dancer around or make them larger or smaller using your touchscreen.

Mio Sakamoto, an East Asian woman in her mid 20s with long wavy hair, lunges to one side. A miniature version of Mio appears in Augmented Reality on an iPad screen standing on the real Mio’s leg.

Nickeshia Garrick, a Queer, Afro-Caribbean Canadian artist with short kinky brown hair, stands on one leg with their arms extending behind them and the other leg bent at the knee in midair. A giant version of Karen Kaeja, Karen Kaeja, an Ashkenazi

Karen Kaeja, an Ashkenazi white female with long grey hair gently embraces Nickeshia Garrick, a Queer, Afro-Caribbean Canadian artist with short kinky blonde hair. Karen has her eyes closed and holds Nickeshia’s upright fists.

Four performers form a human wall that catches Karen Kaeja, an Ashkenazi white female with long grey hair.

Rodney Diverlus, a queer gender non-conforming Black individual with short hair and fade, leans back into the hands of Geanderson Mello, a gay latino man originally from Brazil. Nickeshia films Rodney and Geanderson in the background, and Aria films

Aria Evans, an early 30's mixed race and gender non-conforming person with light brown skin, long dark wavy hair and brown eyes, runs and looks towards Ethan Kim, who bends both knees and extends their arms behind their body.

Several performers spread around the stage strike dynamic poses. Some have arms extended to the side or overhead at different angles. The dancers are divers in gender, age, and ethnicity.

Karen Kaeja, an Ashkenazi white female with long grey hair, leans slightly to one side and her hair flies about her face as though she has just finished moving quickly. Both her arms are bent at the elbow in front of her torso and one foot is pointe

Several performers hug Karen Kaeja in a big huddle with their heads bowed inwards and down. Karen stands at the front of the huddle looking forward at Michael Caldwell, a cis mixed race, Southeast Asian man with short black hair, who stands facing K

Karen Kaeja kneels on the floor with one hand bracing her and her hair flying out to one side. Michael Caldwell stands directly over her with his legs wide and his arms extended to either side.

Michael Caldwell spins, the fabric of his shirt flowing out around him. One arm is extended in front of him and the other is bent at the elbow next to his torso. Rodney Diverlus, a Queer gender non-conforming Black individual with short hair and fad

Mio Sakamoto, and Nickeshia Garrick each have one arm around each other and the other arm extended outwards. They walk forward together with expressions of excitement and wonderment on their faces. Aria Evans stands behind them with their hands on M

Karen Kaeja dances on a catwalk in front of an exposed brick wall with a pattern of orange lights shining on her. She leans to one side and extends one arm behind her.

The full cast of I am the Child of… walk forward in a straight line that extends across the stage horizontally. The lighting is dark and shadowy. The performers have serious facial expressions and are diverse in age, gender, and ethnicity.

Nickeshia Garrick, a Queer, Afro-Caribbean Canadian artist with short kinky brown hair, extends one arm overhead and one to the side. Both hands are curled into fists. Two other performers approach Nickeshia with their backs to the camera. Nickeshia

Photos by Kevin Jones and Zhenya Cerneacov

Presented by – Harbourfront Centre

A co-creation by – Allen Kaeja and Bruce Barton

A collaboration between Kaeja d’Dance and Vertical City Performance

Concept, Choreographic Proposals and Co-Direction – Allen Kaeja

Dramaturgy, Textual Arrangement and Co-Direction – Bruce Barton

Created with and Performed by – Michael Caldwell, Rodney Diverlus, Aria Evans, Nickeshia Garrick, Karen Kaeja, Ethan Kim*, Geanderson Mello, Mio Sakamoto*

Augmented Reality and Digital Design – Allen Kaeja and ian Garrett

Composer – Edgardo Moreno

Lighting Design – Simon Rossiter

Costume Design – Cara Johnson

Production Coordinator & Stage Management – Taylor Young

Augmented Reality and Digital Content – Toasterlab (Ian Garrett, Justine Garrett, Andrew Sempre, with support of Raechel Kula)

Assistant Lighting Designer – Theo Belc

Assistant Stage Manager – Hunter Kennedy-Rullo

Green Screen Videographer – Allen Kaeja

Video Trailer – Olya Glotka

Photography – Kevin Jones, Zhenya Cerneacov

Producers – Vertical City Performance & Kaeja d’Dance

*RBC Artistic Interns

I am the Child of…

Experience Augmented Reality at home!

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