At the Firehall Arts Centre, Enemy Lines illuminates a historic injustice, May 6 to 9

Mayumi Lashbrook’s dance-theatre piece centres the forced removal of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War

The Firehall Arts Centre presents Enemy Lines, a contemporary dance-theatre production by Aeris Körper, from May 6 to 9.

In Enemy Lines, choreographer Mayumi Lashbrook looks back at the actions taken against Japanese Canadians during the Second World War, when they were suddenly deemed a threat after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Her family, along with over 22,000 Canadians of Japanese heritage, were forcibly moved from the coastline of British Columbia—an act that altered their lives forever.

Enemy Lines illuminates the cycles of fear-based oppression and intolerant thinking that still afflicts Canadians today. Lashbrook elucidates people’s hardwired need for one another, showing how disconnection can hinder growth. Performed by an ensemble of five dancers, the resulting production is both a tender reminder of Canada’s fractured past and an exploration of what a shared future could look like.

For tickets and more information, visit the Firehall Arts Centre.

Post sponsored by Firehall Arts Centre.

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