Belle Spirale Dance Projects stages two world premieres at Exhale, May 1 and 2

Wen Wei Wang’s Last Breath and a new piece by Alexis Fletcher, Sylvain Senez, and Ariana Barr explore the virtuosity of established performers

SPONSORED POST BY Belle Spirale Dance Projects

Belle Spirale Dance Projects and Wen Wei Dance, in partnership with New Works, present the compelling double bill Exhale at the Annex on May 1 and 2 at 8 pm.

The evening features a pair of new creations: one from venerable Canadian choreographer Wen Wei Wang, marking the artist’s first Vancouver premiere since returning home from Ballet Edmonton, and a second from Belle Spirale’s artistic directors Alexis Fletcher and Sylvain Senez in collaboration with Ariana Barr.

Wang’s Last Breath features two of Belle Spirale’s most established performers—Fletcher and longtime collaborator Justin Rapaport—alongside renowned mezzo-soprano Emma Parkinson, whose voice is woven into the fabric of the creation. The world premiere investigates the delicate textures of human connection, exploring how we touch, breathe together, and navigate the weight of final moments.

Last Breath is grounded by an enormous geometric sculpture devised by Senez. As the work progresses, the dancers climb, spin, and transform the metal framework under lighting designed by Victoria Hunter Bell.

The program concludes with an as-yet untitled new work from Fletcher and Senez, in co-creation with Barr. This piece is an introspective dive which meditates on how a life’s legacy of choices, experiences, and influences culminate as the sum of our present self. The piece is crafted as a solo for Barr, a powerhouse performer in Vancouver’s freelance scene, who balances visceral physicality with emotional sensitivity.

Through film-like vignettes, the work allows audiences to look back over a lifetime. Barr draws on her own experiences, transforming something deeply personal into a universal observation.

For tickets and further information, visit Belle Spirale.

Post sponsored by Belle Spirale Dance Projects.

Featured

Belle Spirale Dance Projects stages two world premieres at Exhale, May 1 and 2

Wen Wei Wang’s Last Breath and a new piece by Alexis Fletcher, Sylvain Senez, and Ariana Barr explore the virtuosity of established performers

Dance review: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark captures complex tale through movement and design magic

At DanceHouse, Robert Lepage’s inventive visual touches and Côté Danse’s expressive contemporary choreography offer a surreal, boldly contemporary new take on narrative ballet

DanceHouse 2026-27 season features U.K. star Wayne McGregor and the return of Crystal Pite’s Assembly Hall

Montreal’s Compagnie Catherine Gaudet to kick off five-show lineup that brings in companies from as far away as Sweden and India

Stephanie Lake Company's Manifesto unites dynamic movement and driving percussion in B.C. premiere, April 16 to 18

Bright, bold, and explosive Australian piece offers audiences an infectious sense of hope and exuberance

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark captures the inner turmoil of a man zeroed in on revenge

In a DanceHouse presentation, Guillaume Côté and Robert Lepage stage their tightly paced adaptation of Shakespeare’s story

In Fall(se) Circ(us), dancers embrace cycles of frenzied work and relatable exhaustion

At the Roundhouse, Little Room Productions’ inaugural piece draws on choreographer Isak Enquist’s lifelong experience in martial arts

Renowned choreographer Noam Gagnon performs a deeply personal solo live-scored by Stefan Smulovitz, March 11 to 14

The piece by Vision Impure, called being, comes to KW Studios courtesy of Kokoro Dance Theatre Society

In Show Gone, Ame Henderson and Matija Ferlin question the nature of endings

The Dance Centre and Vancouver International Dance Festival coproduction concludes a triptych spanning over 15 years

Dance review: At Ballet BC's INFINITY, Jiří Kylián and Crystal Pite take viewers into strange, subconscious limbos

Contemporary-art-like 27’52’”makes elaborate play with shadows and time, while Frontier reveals new narrative and thematic complexity

Little Room Productions premieres inaugural piece Fall(se) Circ(us), March 21

New Works copresents Isak Enquist's genre-defying fusion of martial arts and contemporary dance influences

Arts Umbrella Dance Company hosts Tempus Fugit: A Midseason Performance, February 26 and 27

Program features pieces by leading choreographers, including Anne Jung, Lukas Timulak, Rebecca Margolick, and Cyril Baldy

At Ballet BC’s INFINITY, Medhi Walerski pays tribute to two works that impacted his career

As a young dancer at Nederlands Dans Theater, the artistic director was in on the creation of both Jiří Kylián’s 27’52” and Crystal Pite’s Frontier

Dance community mourns Peter Bingham, father of contact dance in Vancouver

Based for decades at Western Front, long-time EDAM artistic director created more than 50 works and took part in hundreds of performances

DanceHouse hosts the B.C. premiere of Ex Machina and Côté Danse's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, March 18 to 21

With community partners Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival and Théâtre la Seizième, bold reinterpretation of the tragic play hits the stage

Dance review: Flowing forms and abstract storytelling in Royal Winnipeg Ballet double bill

T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods heralds an exciting new voice, while Carmina Burana strips the work down to its essence

Hoop dance and Métis jigging meet as Beany John and Sophie Dow take the stage at Matriarchs Uprising

The Dance Centre and O.Dela Arts present the piece that draws on the performers’ Indigenous ancestors

New Works hosts inaugural dance-focused Leadership in Practice Symposium, March 22

One-day gathering for artists, educators, and choreographers explores how leadership can be more responsive to the dance world

Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods braids Indigenous storytelling with classical dance

Rising Tla’amin choreographer Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe draws on a tale he heard growing up for a large-scale work that joins Carmina Burana on a double bill

Ballet Jörgen gives Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream a ’50s Albertan twist

Fun riffs on the classic include a moose-headed Bottom wearing buffalo plaid and an appearance by a royal couple

Dance review: Coregulation and calm, as Action at a Distance’s WAIL sculpts vocal sound and movement

In this PuSh Fest, Music on Main, and Dance Centre premiere, humming songs, whispered words, and hypnotic movement bring a sense of serenity and connection to a chaotic world

In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living

With staging that evokes a Chicago jazz bar, the Dance Centre and PuSh Festival co-presentation draws on matrilineal fashion and line dancing

DANCEStir VancouverMarch 25, 2026Partner Content, Belle Spirale Dance Projects

Belle Spirale Dance Projects stages two world premieres at Exhale, May 1 and 2

Wen Wei Wang’s Last Breath and a new piece by Alexis Fletcher, Sylvain Senez, and Ariana Barr explore the virtuosity of established performers

Belle Spirale Dance Projects and Wen Wei Dance, in partnership with New Works, present the compelling double bill Exhale at the Annex on May 1 and 2 at 8 pm.

Last Breath is grounded by an enormous geometric sculpture devised by Senez. As the work progresses, the dancers climb, spin, and transform the metal framework under lighting designed by Victoria Hunter Bell.

Through film-like vignettes, the work allows audiences to look back over a lifetime. Barr draws on her own experiences, transforming something deeply personal into a universal observation.

For tickets and further information, visit Belle Spirale.

Related Articles

Check out our Instagram @stirvancouver

CONTACT US

LINKS