Presented by Baryshnikov Arts Center

Montreal-based choreographer/performer George Stamos’s newest work, Cloak, illustrates how masking identity can reveal profound states of presence and, ironically, evoke intimacy. Stamos and his collaborator, singer/songwriter/dancer Clara Furey, manifest cartoon-like dancing pneumatic ninja-bunnies, gender icons, and their deconstructed video-bodies. Offering literal and figurative screens that feature both stark and resplendent imagery, Cloak is a persistent invitation to project and reflect, a multimedia threshold to both desire and fear.

With original electroacoustic music by Tomas Furey, video design works by Dayna McLeod, and lyrics by Clara Furey.

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The creation of Cloak was made possible with co-production support from The Baryshnikov Arts Center, L’Agora de la Danse, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Company Marie Chouinard, and Studio 303.

Photo by Nikol Mikus

Choreographer/Artistic Director/Performer George Stamos is known for thought-provoking work with a sophisticated use of humor. Featuring dynamic collaborators from various disciplines, his practice also draws on extensive experience in the field. A graduate of The School For New Dance Development in Amsterdam (1993), Stamos worked on many productions outside of Canada in the performance art and contemporary dance circuits of (NYC, London, Amsterdam, Brussels) before he established permanent residence in Montreal in 1998.

Since 1998, Stamos’s work has been presented seasonally in Montreal, touring Canada and Europe and receiving critical acclaim—most notably, his 2007 Canadian tour of Schatje, the celebrated success of Reservoir Pneumatic at Agora (2008-2009), and Croque-Monsieur (2008), commissioned by Sarah Williams.

Throughout his career, Stamos has worked as a performer with other choreographers and directors.  He regularly performs in his pieces and also works as an artistic consultant to other artists. In addition to the creation of Cloak, in 2010 Stamos created a solo for dancer Johanna Bienaise, Dysphoric Delicious, and a new work with Company Montreal Danse, Plastic Troglodyte, to be premiered in Halifax in January 2011.