Witness the power of the female spirit
“We are at an age in human development where we are realizing the damage of the patriarchy on the female spirit and how important it is for us to bring balance back. It is a generational story.” – Sun (the Phoenix)
Tamina Pollack-Paris envisioned and choreographed The Goddess Rising, a dance production that explores what it means to be a woman in today’s world.
The Girls Club founder, Tamina Pollack-Paris | Image courtesy of The Girls Club, 2018
The show reflects Pollack-Paris’s own journey of spiritual healing, and follows the life of the female spirit breaking, rooting, reaching and healing.
I caught a run-through of the show, and the tale these dancers tell with their bodies gave me chills.
The production is divided into four parts and reflects on different elements of a woman’s life.
Water represents the drowning, breaking, heartache and despair we experience. Monica Gaillour (pictured above) gives a formidable solo performance that just might move you to tears, with her illustration of anguish expressed on stage.
Earth is the rooting, growth, support and sisterhood we establish in our communities. Earth treats spectators to a performance by the original members of The Girls Club who act as the roots to the future of these young women.
Fire is the reaching or reclamation of women’s own energy, drive and sexuality. Performed in heels, Fire is where we see the female spirit reclaiming her power as it rages from the inside out.
Air symbolizes the healing power of community, and the capacity for self-actualization. The section includes a group piece where the dancers draw support from each others’ bodies to express their divinity. Here we witness the power of a woman's spirit and its ability to heal.
The Girls Club dance club. | Image courtesy of The Girls Club, 2018
The Goddess Rising tackles the difficult conversations around abuse, yet it leaves you feeling hopeful.
It allows us to see the power we as women have to heal in the face of adversity. This show is a gift.
Toronto readers can check it out on Apr. 20 at the Gladstone Hotel. Doors at 7, show at 8.
As water seeps into soil, as women we return to the earth, discover our own fire and fly up to the air — sparkling, powerful, whole, divine Goddesses. — Natasha Faroogh
I'll post a full review of this production after the show.
The Girls Club Presents:
The Goddess Rising
Celebrating the Divine Feminine
Buy tickets on Eventbrite or visit The Girls Club
Natasha is a teacher living and working just outside of Toronto. As an immigrant to Canada at the ripe age of three, Natasha straddles various linguistic and cultural identities which inform her feminist and queer perspectives. Don't ask her where she's from though... she wears plaid far too often, toques even in summer and speaks half decent French. She's Canadian as far as she's concerned. She also really likes tea.