Interplay

Date: Sunday, February 23
Performance One: 12:30 – 1:00 pm
Performance Two: 2:00 – 2:30 pm
Fee: FREE, Drop-in
Location: The Carnegie Room

Join us in celebrating Hello Winter with an improvisation performance featuring an exciting collaboration between tap dancer Brianna Maltais, Simcoe Contemporary Dancers, and regional artist Monica Loney!

Interplay showcases a dynamic exchange of sound, movement, and live visual art designed to challenge and expand the boundaries of each artistic medium. Brianna’s tap board made up for various textures serves as the foundation, sparking responsive movements from the contemporary dancer whose movement, in turn, influences both the tap percussion and visual artist, Monica Loney.  Loney will capture the unfolding performance in real-time, crafting artwork inspired by the rhythm, movement, and evolving connections between the performers, creating a continuous cycle of inspiration and response. The audience will witness this unique artistic dialogue as it happens, blending rhythm, motion, and visual creativity into a captivating, shared experience.

Performance organized in partnership with the MacLaren Art Centre, Simcoe Contemporary Dancers, and the artists.

Artist Bios:

Simcoe Contemporary Dancers is a not-for-profit professional dance company serving the region of Simcoe County that exists to encourage and showcase the development of local professional contemporary dance. We come together to raise the visibility of contemporary dance, create awareness, build educational opportunities, and reach out to our public to share our love of our art form.

Brianna Maltais is a tap dancer and improviser with a focus on tap dance history, multidisciplinary collaboration, and the exploration of textural soundscapes. Her performance credits include appearances with The Skyliners Big Band at the Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival, Get Out and Dance produced by Simcoe Contemporary Dancers, the Toronto International Dance Festival, and Dance Against the Wind, produced by Vintage Taps Company and starring Brenda Buffalino.

Brianna contributed to the 2024 Toronto International Tap Dance Festival as part of the production team for Toffan Rhythm Projects. She also co-produced an event for Barrie Culture Days celebrating Canadian tap dancer Joey Hollingsworth.

Currently, Brianna is involved in Heather Cornell’s Legacy Project, working alongside a musical collaborator and receiving mentorship from esteemed tap dance masters Heather Cornell, Dianne Walker, Max Pollack, and pianist Andy Milne.

Monica Loney is a visual artist known for her use of the continuous line in her works to represent the universal connection we all share. She is no stranger to public art, and you can find her advocating for its importance within the community on guided tours as well as through her own large-scale pieces and installations located within Simcoe County. Monica was the recipient of the 2022 Emerging Artist Award for the City of Barrie and has recently received an Ontario Community Changemakers grant from 880 Cities. With this grant, she will continue her advocacy on the benefits of public art through her project The Transformative Power of Public Art in 2025.