ABOUT
Through contemporary, trans-disciplinary, deeply honed research, creation, production and education, lbs/sq" artistic director and founder Gerry Trentham invites associates and collaborators to reveal the human body; its desires, movements, voices, imaginations, and potential in order to reflect and gather difference that challenges, transforms and enriches an environmentally conscious global community.
PRESS
“…artistic risk justified by a thought – provoking experience.” – Susan Walker, The Toronto Star
“In Cathedral all humanity seems to gather…imaginative…epic…the result is uplifting…the various disciplines flow seamlessly together during the hour long piece…kaleidoscopic vision…an expert blend of actors and dancers who deliver dash, drama, humour and longing…”
– Deirdre Kelly, Toronto’s Globe and Mail
“Gerry Trentham’s Fore – And – After highlights the fragile eloquence of dance…precarious dialogue is doubly communicative” – Rebecca Todd, Toronto’s Globe and Mail
“…Never mind on the verge, Gerry Trentham’s Fore – And – After makes a good rendition of a nervous breakdown in progress…” – Susan Walker, The Toronto Star
“…a thoughtful, self reflexive piece about the difficulties of making liminal art…It would be great to see it again.” – End of year review Rebecca Todd, Eye Magazine
“…Alberta born, former Dancemakers workhorse Gerry Trentham keeps pounding the pavement with his contemporary spectaculars.”
– Forecast of those to watch, Daryl Jung, Toronto NOW Magazine
GERRY TRENTHAM, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Gerry Trentham's (he/they) life-long dedication to the art of performance has created their own cannon of over 40 original works for stage and screen, garnered international performance acclaim and more recently international film awards. They have originated roles in works of some of Canada’s most renowned choreographers including during a seven-year tenure with Serge Bennathan’s Dancemakers. He was internationally acclaimed for his performance in Bennathan’s Chronicles of a Simple Life. The New York Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff called his performance, “remarkably lyrical”, and Clive Barnes of the New York Post wrote, “…powerfully acted by the outstanding Gerry Trentham. Seven works in which he has originated roles have been nominated for and/or received Toronto Dora Awards most recently as cast/voice director in Denise Fujiwara's hit EUNOIA. Gerry, after four decades, continues to be a sough after dancer in new works by the renowned choreographers Tedd Robinson, Claudia Moore, Peter Chin, Maxine Heppner, Denise Fujiwara and Zab Magoungou. He is currently negotiating (post-pandemic) rescheduled rehearsals and performance dates for five new premieres by these choreographers.
Their experience in both text and movement based work has led to international directing, choreographic, teaching and mentoring opportunities. Their art and teaching focuses on the transdisciplinary - a voice/body’s range and depth of presence within installed art environments. With a lifetime of inter-arts dance/voice practice, an MFA in theatre, a graduate diploma in Voice and Speech Teaching from York University, 25 years as research faculty of the acclaimed National Voice Intensive (now the Moving Voice Institute) and six years with Denise Fujiwara in their new frontier of training, Butoh/Voice, they have been invited to teach their synthesis of theatre and dance practice in major performance training programs in Canada and the United States.
In support of the next generation and the dance community at large he has served as the Chair of the Dance Committee and a Director on the Board of Toronto Arts Council and on inaugural Steering Committee of the Toronto Artist Health Centre and as an early board member in the creation of Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists. Through his company lbs/sq”’s Fulcrum Associate Project he has mentored, been directorial advisor and co-produced many artists in Canada and the United States including most recently Sara Porter in her hit Sara Does a Solo and her new work Getting to Know your Fruit and with Shannon Litzenberger in her work World After Dark and Mayumi Lashbrook’s Enemy Lines.