Forbidden Fruit at the Toronto Fringe Festival

I went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York once.  There was a collection of chairs on display.  I felt as though I had walked into an Ikea catalogue.  The art of it was lost on me.  More likely I was lost to it.  It still amazes me how strongly I react to some forms of art and not others.  Music, poetry and dance inspire, infuriate, move and bring me to tears on a daily basis.  I often wonder what I am missing out on when other forms of art don't bring out any reaction in me.

This past weekend,  I went to the Toronto Fringe Festival for the first time.  The festival brings together over 140 shows in 25 different venues all over Toronto.   How have I never fringed before?  I went to see my bestie perform with his dance company Limitless Productions.  The show was 60 minutes in length.  Four days later I am still processing everything I felt that day.  I wasn't prepared for the strong emotional reaction I would have to seeing my heart's best friend acting and dancing out concepts like the cycles of abuse, multigenerational cultural conflict, healthy self esteem, discovering self love and gender identity.  The sensitive and skillful choreography blended with world music from Bollywood ballads to Top 40 hits brought me to tears.

In this piece, cast member Imran dances in a heart wrenching exchange of a lover going back to his abuser over and over again begging to be loved, to be chosen and to be truly seen by the person they love.

Photo by Hamidah Hemani

Powerful silhouette from a past Limitless performance.

Seeing the cycle of violence, anger and abuse on stage shook me up and definitely made me realize the echoes and ripples my actions have.

If you are in Toronto, I highly recommend that you check out Limitless Productions' performance Forbidden Fruit at the Toronto Fringe Festival.  There are three more shows this week.  What kinds of art move you?