Murmur
Arts Collective
multi-disciplinary
creation and performance
Vancouver Island, Canada
Voices In My Body
Voices in My Body invites audiences to explore the complexities of the human emotional experience through the perspectives of four distinct characters. Through movement and dance, the inner voices and feelings of the characters are made visible: the part that feels social anxiety, the part that is overwhelmed by the never ending to-do list, the part that is jealous of what others have, the deeply loving part… Inspired by the real live of the choreographers of the piece and by the psychological principles of Internal Family Systems, the piece uncovers the raw and often contradictory parts of ourselves, creating a dynamic and emotional journey that will deeply resonate in each spectator.
Voices In My Body is also unique in the way it combines live performance with linked audience headphones/“silent disco” technology in an outdoor setting. The headsets allow the audience to experience a high quality immersive musical experience.
Voices In My Body is bilingual! Through the channels of the silent disco Headphones, the spectators can experience the show simultaneously either in French or in English, allowing the two communities to come together around art in their own language.
Trailer in english
Bande-annonce en français
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In english
En français
Voices in my body was born thanks to:
Myriam Verzat: Direction, choreography, dance, script writer, french narration
Mitch Miyagawa: Production, script writer, english narration
Tatiana Hassan: Choreography, dance, sound design and mixing
Valerie Mermet: Choreography, dance
Michael Geselbracht: Choreography, dance
Sound technician, stage management: Willow Sereda-Meichel
Mentorship: Monique Salez, dramaturge
Stage Support: David Salmon, Armando Weiss, Laura Jesson
Director / Co-producer / Dancer
Myriam Verzat
Myriam is an interdisciplinary artist born in France. After studying dance and theatre improvisation in Montreal she went on to create Lindex, an improv theatre/ movement troupe that performed for 4 years. In 2015, Myriam directed and performed Reconnect, an interactive show featuring seven artists in dance, theatre and music. Since moving to Nanaimo in 2017, she has become a leader in Nanaimo’s cultural scene, teaching, performing, and organizing creative events. Myriam is also a Certified Trainer in Compassionate Communication (NVC) with a focus on collaboration, and offers courses for clients such as VIU, NACL, and Kiwanis Village.
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Co-producer / Writer / Dramaturg
Mitch Miyagawa
Mitch is a multi-disciplinary artist with award-winning work in theatre, documentary, and essay. His artistic highlights include Plum Tree, a widely-produced play about Japanese-Canadian internment, and A Sorry State (2012), a documentary about government apologies for state-sanctioned racism (also a cover essay in Walrus Magazine in 2012). The film won the Writers Guild of Canada Award for Documentary.
Choreographer / Dancer
Tatiana Hassan
Tatiana started dancing at the age of three, training over her life in a wide spectrum of dance styles such as ballet, Jazz, tap, modern, partner dancing. She moved to Paris to study at the Ecole professionnelle de danse Rick Odums, where she graduated with a degree in jazz dance pedagogy. She directed the Jazz Dance department at MISI school of Musical Theater in Colombia for 5 years. She then pursued an MFA in Choreography at Temple University in Philadelphia. Her work has taken her to many countries, including Colombia, The United States, Argentina, France and now, Canada.
Choreorapher / Dancer
Valérie Mermet
Valerie studied West African dance with many great dance masters. Born in France, she moved to England to perform in a 12-piece African dance ensemble, where she performed in various festivals, including Glastonbury and Womad. After moving to Canada, she studied contact and improvisation dance and. For the past 20 years she has contributing to Nanaimo culture by teaching, collaborating, performing and organizing events. In 2021 Dance Infringing Festival, Valerie performed in Motus Domus a duet built around the notion of presence with Peter Trosztmer, dancing in Montreal, divided by 6000kms. In July 2021, she performed in Lila in Nanaimo as a dancer.
Dancer
Michael Geselbracht
Michael Geselbracht is a Nanaimo resident of mixed Irish German Italian and Lebanese heritage who has been infected by dance since being a teenager. Michael is most happy when inciting mass dancing hysteria in public events and parties, and is never shy to be the first one on the dance floor to get the party started. He believes dance is one of humanity's original medicines, and hopes that he can support others in choosing dance as a prescription for whatever ails them. Michael was also part the performance Lila presented in Nanaimo in September 2022.