Tessel: Dance with unity

BY TVISHA MISTRY

Toronto dance artist, teacher, choreographer, and director Esie Mensah unites fourteen talented artists for her upcoming short film, setting an example, by amplifying black Canadian voices in arts.

Esie Mensah’s latest short film “Tessel” commissioned by the Fall for Dance North (FFDN) and Harbourfront Centre is a unique collaboration of diverse artists from across Canada.

Releasing Tuesday, June 1^st, the film marks the one-year anniversary of Blackout Tuesday; a day where collective action was taken to protest racism and police brutality in response to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor killings that took place in 2020.

Tessel expresses the conversation of what it means to be a black artist in this era between fourteen black dancemakers.

“In the film, each of us filmed our parts independently and the film has been brought together with overlapping footage. What was interesting about this project was that all the footage was raw and it was all edited together,” said Toronto Contemporary and Afro Caribbean artist Ronald A. Taylor.

“What was really good is that all of us really connected. We have not met physically but we met on zoom and we really connected. We had a seven-hour conversation on where we are in the pandemic. Through the conversations, we all expressed our thoughts in which we found some people expressed rage, exhaustion, and self-care,” continued Taylor. “Our thoughts were very broad-ranging, and I found it very interesting because there was so much passion. Tessel, is a film that encompasses our emotions. It’s very reflective of what we are experiencing and what art form can bring during this pandemic.”

The film consists of various dance styles including ballet, street dance, West African, tap.

The fourteen artists featured in this film are:

• Eugene “GeNie” Baffoe, Winnipeg (Hip Hop)
• Livona Ellis, Vancouver (Ballet)
• Kevin Fraser, Vancouver (Contemporary, Experimental, Interdisciplinary Arts)
• Alexandra “Spicey” Lande´, Montre´al (Street Dance)
• Gabrielle Martin, Vancouver (Contemporary, Aerial circus/acrobatics)
• Esie Mensah, Toronto (Afrofusion)
• Raoul Pillay, Toronto (Jazz, House, Hip Hop)
• Natasha Powell, Toronto (Jazz)
• Liliona Quarmyne, Halifax (African, Contemporary)
• Lua Shayenne, Toronto (West African, Contemporary)
• Crazy Smooth, Ottawa (Streetdance)
• Ronald A. Taylor, Toronto (Contemporary, Afro Caribbean)
• Lisa La Touche, Calgary (Tap)
• Ravyn Wngz, Toronto (Burlesque, Waacking, Vogue, Contemporary)

“We need to see more of these kinds of collaborations that empower the being. With funding the presence of Canadian blacks in dance and across the globe will increase. I am hopeful that this film is going to open a sliver of space as we go further into the future. For that we really wanted to highlight the victory of the artists through this film,” said Taylor.

The short film, Tessel will be streamed free on June 1^st and can be viewed at www.tessel.film.