This dance is like sleeping on a cloud

If there’s one thing Toy Guns Dance Theatre does well, it’s keep the audience guessing.

In a move worthy of the sleep gods, the newbie dance company reprises their 2014 Edmonton Fringe hit Propylene Glycol, Maltodextrin, Retinol Palmitate & Other Words I Don’t Understand Like Love at – take a guess – Mattress Mattress.

In this casual pyjama party extravaganza, an opera singer, a storyteller and 12 dancers hoof through their individual adventures on 300 pillows while the audience kicks back on mattresses.

It’s the latest form of expressive dance theatre.

“I’m a theatre person,” says artistic director Jake Hastey. “Ever since I was a kid, it’s been my personal magic place. I’ve travelled to many places and discovered a lot of people don’t go to theatre. When I came to Edmonton, we had big discussions. We decided we wanted to create an experience people would like to come to.”

This avant-garde dance movement can combine any number of moves borrowed from classical ballet, circus clowning and contemporary forms of dance.

Throughout the creative process, dancers retain their personal individuality while visually and physically engaging in the piece.

“Dance theatre is based on the German tradition using a dancer trained to perform and uses their ability to tell the truth.”

After Propylene Glycol enjoyed an incredibly receptive run at Calgary’s Simmons Mattress Gallery, Hastey contacted sleep shop showrooms across the province and is booked for a summer tour.

“People were really excited about it. In Calgary people were kneeling and standing and shouting and applauding.”

Hastey believes televisions’ sophisticated programming has pushed live theatre and dance artists to introduce more creative shows.

“TV is amazing. Because of the way we consume media and have the ability to watch any time of day, if we don’t make our show an experience, people don’t come. Why would they? It’s about making it so people will come.”

Propylene Glycol, Maltodextrin, Retinol Palmitate & Other Words I Don’t Understand Like Love runs July 4 and 5 at Mattress Mattress on St. Albert Trail.