Written by Becky Hagan-Egyir, Editorial Intern
From June 5 – 15, 2014 this Edmonton festival celebrated young, raw talent — the type that challenged the imagination and exposed viewers to unfiltered, honest emotions as presented by over 600 artists including actors, musicians, dancers, painters, directors, playwrights, and more!
The number of artists involved this year made 2014’s Nextfest the biggest event yet. According to Harley Morison, who worked at the Roxy Theatre during the events, this meant a showcase with a bigger scope of ideas. Paula Humby, an artist whose choreographed work, Sybil, (a dance piece based on the story of a woman diagnosed with multiple identity disorder in the 70s) was showcased at Nextfest and new genres of art were added, making the event even more diverse. “This is the first year that poetry has been featured. [Nextfest] had a poetry element to it this year with a poetry slam,” she said.
Performances like A Series of Shorts highlighted many scopes while exploring the world and our place in it. In four back to back works (The Body by Megan Wanless, Ad aster by Thais Torres Polo, The Loser by Alex Patalas, and Home by Alex Strong), four values took centre stage: the value of others in The Body, the value of oneself in The Loser, the value of memories in Ad aster, and the value of shared moments in Home. The world and human relations were seen on the stage with minimal props, well-timed lighting, and either a single performer (in The Loser, Ad aster, and Home) or three (in The Body). It was impressive to see these artists’ interpretation of life well executed in the space of no more than 15 minutes.
At Nextfest emerging talents like Paula also showed viewers what it meant to be part of a community with their work. As a community celebrating the arts, Nexfest wasn’t exclusive to those of the creative turn of mind, but instead, was inclusive to all those who were willing to look at the world from new points of view. This message could be seen throughout the heart of the festival headquarters on 124th Street at the Roxy Theatre.
It’s hard to tell what’s in store for 2015 when the 20th anniversary of Nexfest comes along. But what is guaranteed is that there will be even more local artists full of unconventional, new, exciting ideas to share with Edmonton!
