Latest news with #UniversityofAlberta
Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Un-nevering: Thea Patterson's new dance show grapples with emotional fallout from husband's murder
Entertainment And Life By Thea Patterson didn't set out to create a dance show to try to come to terms with the complex emotions she has grappled with since her husband was killed nearly four years ago. 'I didn't really decide, it was more like a thing that happened,' said the Montreal choreographer and dancer in a conversation this week on her lunch break during rehearsals at Espace Libre for her new creation, Un-nevering. It opens at the Fullum St. venue this weekend as part of the Festival TransAmérique. Jeremy Gordaneer was murdered on Aug. 31, 2021 while visiting his mother in Victoria, B.C. It is an unsolved homicide. Patterson and Gordaneer had moved from Montreal to Edmonton in 2018 to study at the University of Alberta, and she moved back here after he died. She didn't think she would get back into dance creation right away, but longtime collaborator Rachel Harris, who is in the show, suggested they work together on something new. The three performers in the show are Patterson, Harris and Elinor Fueter. 'I don't think I would have done it quite so quickly if she hadn't instigated that,' Patterson said. 'And very quickly when we got into the studio it became apparent that's what the piece was going to be. We didn't necessarily intend for the work to be about this, but it was inevitable that it was because that's what was happening in my life.' Patterson and Gordaneer married in Montreal in 2018, but they had often collaborated together on dance pieces for years before that. During the creation of Un-nevering, she began to feel the presence of Gordaneer in the show. 'The work is really (about) how we continue to collaborate with someone when they're not here anymore,' Patterson said. Gordaneer was a scenographer, creating set designs for dance and theatre productions. 'Many of the objects that we work with are related to him in some way or they came into the project in weird ways that he was inserting himself,' she said. On stage, there will be some of his old cassette tapes, recordings of friends' bands and groups he liked such as The Cure. 'He just kind of infiltrated (the show),' Patterson said. 'We're working with ropes and pulleys, which was something he was very interested in.' There are paper bags on stage that were used by the Victoria police to ship some of Gordaneer's personal belongings to Patterson. There's also a piano recording that he did, which she had on her iPhone. That piano improvisation is the first piece of music you hear. They also use a recording of his voice in the work, which was taped in Portugal when Patterson and Gordaneer were working on a show there. 'It's him, I think, looking at a sketchbook, and he's just describing what's drawn there, and it's like he's describing this piece,' Patterson said. 'He talks about tiles, he talks about paper bags. It's actually kind of wild.' For Patterson, it morphed into a work that explores ideas of how we deal with death in an era when discussion of loss is largely absent from the public conversation. 'We're really thinking about what is the role of art when it comes to talking about loss or grief, especially in a culture that has fewer and fewer ritual spaces to do that are secular. I wouldn't say it's a show. It's a practical thing. We're thinking about how can we step into this space together and actually metabolize those things that are impossible to metabolize.' In the end, it's a work that Patterson didn't consciously set out to do but which finally has become a key part of the process of digesting the impact of losing someone you loved. 'It's practically useful because the object, which is the piece, is a container for this thing which is actually impossible to comprehend,' she said. 'So it gives me a way to be in a relationship with it and actually carry it and hold it and get to know it.' That reflects what Patterson is going through — trying to comprehend the incomprehensible. 'It remains an unsolved homicide, and there's a mystery there that's likely never going to be resolved,' Patterson said. 'There's something about when someone dies suddenly in that way where there's a shock, and it does take quite some time for the body to understand that loss. So that's what we're talking about. How to slowly absorb (this understanding) into your body, and that's why dance, a body-based performance, seems like a good place for that because we're trying to integrate something that is difficult to integrate through these ritual actions.' Patterson feels the show is a way of checking in with her feelings about the death. 'We get told to move on, we get told to put it over there,' she said. 'But I can come back to the work and it gives me a lot of safety because it's not just me at home crying into my teacup. I'm busy. I'm doing something. I'm working with these objects, I'm working with these people. I call it metabolizing, and metabolizing takes years, it takes a lifetime. You never get over a loss like that. But you can integrate it into your body. Sometimes that means I get sad, but you should not be scared of that. But I feel less alone when I'm with this team. It also gives me access to him. In some kind of weird funny way I can be in conversation with him.'
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Gretzky says favourite nickname is the one Alberta gave him, not 'The Great One'
Article content 'My dad hated that one. He hated The Great One,' Gretzky admitted. Those same gloves sold for US$14,291 (CAD$19,727) at auction in 2019. His personal favourite, however, is Doc, in recognition of his honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta, awarded in 2000. Gretzky made the revelation on the recent New Heights podcast with brothers and pro footballers Jason and Travis Kelce. Gretzky told the Kelces he asked friends to call him Doc because people also did so for Dr. Jerry Buss, the late former owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. In reality, Buss was a legitimate doctoral recipient, having completed a Ph.D in physical chemistry at the University of Southern California before becoming a real estate magnate and an NBA franchise owner. 'My kids even call me Doc,' Gretzky said. He offered a different version of how he earned the name five years ago on TNT's The Steam Room.
Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Gretzky says favourite nickname is the one Alberta gave him, not 'The Great One'
Already with one of the most iconic nicknames in professional sports history — The Great One — it's easy to forget that Wayne Gretzky was briefly bestowed with a different title: the White Tornado. During his minor hockey days, Gretzky, wearing white gloves, dominated a Quebec City tournament with speed and scoring prowess, leading someone in French media to dub him le Tornade Blanche. 'My dad hated that one. He hated The Great One,' Gretzky admitted. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Those same gloves sold for US$14,291 (CAD$ 19,727) at auction in 2019. His personal favourite, however, is Doc, in recognition of his honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta, awarded in 2000. Gretzky made the revelation on the recent New Heights podcast with brothers and pro footballers Jason and Travis Kelce. Gretzky told the Kelces he asked friends to call him Doc because people also did so for Dr. Jerry Buss, the late former owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. In reality, Buss was a legitimate doctoral recipient, having completed a Ph.D in physical chemistry at the University of Southern California before becoming a real estate magnate and an NBA franchise owner. 'My kids even call me Doc,' Gretzky said. He offered a different version of how he earned the name five years ago on TNT's The Steam Room. He recounted being on a plane when one of the flight attendants asked if there was a doctor on board to help attend to a passenger with anxiety, prompting him to hit the call button. 'She goes, 'Really?' And I go, 'Yeah, I'm an honorary doctor.' She goes, 'That's not funny,' and I said, 'Well, my goodness, I wouldn't have said it if I thought the guy was really in trouble.' Doc was applied, he said, after he told friends on the golf course. Another little-known sobriquet he revealed to hosts Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson is Mr. Douglas, which was the name he'd use at hotels to avoid fans at the height of his fame. Douglas is also his middle name. Teammates quickly adopted it in the locker room once they found out. Gretzky said fellow former Oilers great Mark Messier, meanwhile, would often call him Mr. Waynderful.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gretzky says his favourite nickname is the one Alberta gave him and not 'The Great One'
Already with one of the most iconic nicknames in professional sports history — The Great One — it's easy to forget that Wayne Gretzky was briefly bestowed with a different title: the White Tornado. During his minor hockey days, Gretzky, wearing white gloves, dominated a Quebec City tournament with speed and scoring prowess, leading someone in French media to dub him le Tornade Blanche. 'My dad hated that one. He hated The Great One,' Gretzky admitted. Those same gloves sold for US$14,291 (CAD$19,727) at auction in 2019. His personal favourite, however, is Doc, in recognition of his honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta, awarded in 2000. Gretzky made the revelation on the recent New Heights podcast with brothers and pro footballers Jason and Travis Kelce. Gretzky told the Kelces he asked friends to call him Doc because people also did so for Dr. Jerry Buss, the late former owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. In reality, Buss was a legitimate doctoral recipient, having completed a Ph.D in physical chemistry at the University of Southern California before becoming a real estate magnate and an NBA franchise owner. 'My kids even call me Doc,' Gretzky said. He offered a different version of how he earned the name five years ago on TNT's The Steam Room. He recounted being on a plane when one of the flight attendants asked if there was a doctor on board to help attend to a passenger with anxiety, prompting him to hit the call button. 'She goes, 'Really?' And I go, 'Yeah, I'm an honorary doctor.' She goes, 'That's not funny,' and I said, 'Well, my goodness, I wouldn't have said it if I thought the guy was really in trouble.' Doc was applied, he said, after he told friends on the golf course. Another little-known sobriquet he revealed to hosts Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson is Mr. Douglas, which was the name he'd use at hotels to avoid fans at the height of his fame. Douglas is also his middle name. Teammates quickly adopted it in the locker room once they found out. Gretzky said fellow former Oilers great Mark Messier, meanwhile, would often call him Mr. Waynderful. Wayne Gretzky predicts Oilers-Panthers rematch for Stanley Cup Wayne Gretzky insists he is 'proud' of his Canadian roots
Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Gretzky says his favourite nickname is the one Alberta gave him and not 'The Great One'
Already with one of the most iconic nicknames in professional sports history — The Great One — it's easy to forget that Wayne Gretzky was briefly bestowed with a different title: the White Tornado. During his minor hockey days, Gretzky, wearing white gloves, dominated a Quebec City tournament with speed and scoring prowess, leading someone in French media to dub him le Tornade Blanche. 'My dad hated that one. He hated The Great One,' Gretzky admitted. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Those same gloves sold for US$14,291 (CAD$ 19,727) at auction in 2019. His personal favourite, however, is Doc, in recognition of his honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta, awarded in 2000. Gretzky made the revelation on the recent New Heights podcast with brothers and pro footballers Jason and Travis Kelce. Gretzky told the Kelces he asked friends to call him Doc because people also did so for Dr. Jerry Buss, the late former owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. In reality, Buss was a legitimate doctoral recipient, having completed a Ph.D in physical chemistry at the University of Southern California before becoming a real estate magnate and an NBA franchise owner. 'My kids even call me Doc,' Gretzky said. He offered a different version of how he earned the name five years ago on TNT's The Steam Room. He recounted being on a plane when one of the flight attendants asked if there was a doctor on board to help attend to a passenger with anxiety, prompting him to hit the call button. 'She goes, 'Really?' And I go, 'Yeah, I'm an honorary doctor.' She goes, 'That's not funny,' and I said, 'Well, my goodness, I wouldn't have said it if I thought the guy was really in trouble.' Doc was applied, he said, after he told friends on the golf course. Another little-known sobriquet he revealed to hosts Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson is Mr. Douglas, which was the name he'd use at hotels to avoid fans at the height of his fame. Douglas is also his middle name. Teammates quickly adopted it in the locker room once they found out. Gretzky said fellow former Oilers great Mark Messier, meanwhile, would often call him Mr. Waynderful.
