Corps Bara Youth Dance Company: "Mercy"

Corps Bara Youth Dance Company

Corps Bara Dance Theatre is a Calgary based dance company composed of two initiatives, a Project Company of Professional Dancers and a Youth Company of Dancers aged 9-18. Unique in Canada, the youth company is a welcoming environment for young dancers who wish to explore the intersection of dance and Christian spirituality. Corps Bara as a whole is inspired by the power of stories that define and shape culture. Through interplay between movement, spoken word and music, we expand the artistic boundaries of dance and the expectations of the audience. Living into the name “Corps” (Latin for Body) and “Bara” (Hebrew for Create), we craft unique works with a mandate for collaboration with other community groups. Our mission is to be an innovative fusion of contemporary dance theatre that touches the heart and stirs the spirit.

Corps Bara Youth Dance Company

Corps Bara’s Youth Company presented “Mercy” March 14-15, 2014 at Mount Royal University’s Leacock Theatre. To explore the theme of mercy, the staff and dancers looked to the life of Jesus, who modeled mercy through love, compassion and forgiveness. Today we hear more and more about isolation, intolerance, retaliation and ignorance, while our souls long for meaningful connections. We are challenged to imitate the life of Jesus, which calls us to be merciful to those around us. “Mercy” was created around the Works of Mercy, which are divided into Corporal (physical) and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Using devotionals centered on the attributes of Christ and the Works of Mercy, our dancers immersed themselves in these themes, and were challenged to extend them into their daily lives and bring examples to share in rehearsal.

The Corporal Words of Mercy
Feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Comfort the imprisoned
Visit the sick, bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy
Advise sinners; be patient with those in error
Instruct the uninformed
Counsel the doubtful
Comfort the sorrowful
Forgive offenses

The choreographers were presented with these ten merciful works and had the opportunity to create to whichever one spoke to them most. Through these elements, we challenged the audience to look at themselves and see how they might be able to infuse their lives with these works. “Mercy” consisted of 23 dancers and four choreographers from the Calgary area.

Meagan Hampton is a senior dancer with the Corps Bara Youth Company.

“I’ve grown up in this company,” says Hampton, “and one of the most amazing things that I’ve experienced is how much the simple combination of movement and music can affect both the dancers and the audience. For me, “Mercy” was a show that started as a tangled mess, but when the last thread was pulled tight, became a living thing that acted and moved through us. And through those actions, the lives of the dancers and the audience were permanently impacted.”

“Mercy”

Corps Bara continues to create and remain active in the Calgary dance and church communities. This upcoming season, Corps Bara’s Youth Company will be taking a sabbatical to revision and restructure. Corps Bara’s Project Company will be releasing dates and information for their upcoming season this fall 2014.

Stay tuned for another exciting year!