Lina Cruz founded Fila 13 Productions in 2003. The company supports the artistic vision of the choreographer in creating works that intimately integrate movement and sound. We are so grateful to have Lina and Fila 13 back to Guelph for our 25th anniversary to perform their work Three Turtles in the Park. We are lucky Lina shared some of her thoughts about the work:
GD: What are you most excited about telling the audience about your work?
Lina: Three Turtles in the Park was created to be performed on grass and framed by trees. It is rare for me to show my work in this type of context and I must say I am loving the experience of connecting not only to natural elements within an urban context, but also to reach such varied and lovely audiences. My work is always very playful while still carrying a taste of tragedy and sarcasm, all hidden and wrapped up in playfulness, humour and awkward characters. You could say there is a tragicomical side to my work. This time, the piece I will be presenting is slightly different, mainly because it is meant to be performed outdoors and for an audience including children. I would say that, this time, the sarcasm is simply very lightly insinuated and the awkward playfulness takes over.
GD: What has been your biggest takeaway from the rehearsal process so far?
Lina: In general, in this piece as in every other piece or project, there is always that moment in a creative process when you feel stuck and doubt everything that you have managed to put together. It is an unsettling moment, but you know you have to keep going and hope you’ll find a way to complete the work and, at the very least, achieve an acceptable result. I am fascinated precisely by those moments when, while doubting, you have to hang on to a somewhat scary kind of trust in order to continue. It is like putting aside high expectations, while still pushing yourself to try your very best, just go ahead and try! In fact, it is a bit contradictory, but it has shown me that it is possible to give expectations much less importance. The process, your experience in it, your efforts are important, but not the expectations. In my opinion, this is healthy, I mean, it’s at least healthy for me.
GD: What do you hope the audience will take away from your work?
Lina: A smile, feeling uplifted. And, well, of course, the desire to be more and more interested in the arts.
We can’t wait to welcome this incredible company back to Guelph and have them perform in the Park Show! You have three chances to see Three Turtles in the Park on June 2nd, 3rd, and 4th! In the Park is a donation-based event. Visit our festival page for full programming schedule:
Photos by John Lauener