Addicted to LOVE
a dance and multi-media production benefiting LeaveOutViolence.org
Created by Sonia Balazovjech Dance Company, Produced by Robert Lynch
February 7 & 8, 2014, Espace Reunion, Montreal
“As a writer I’m obsessed with language; figuring out the jigsaw puzzle of what words I need to put together the story I want to tell. So I find it especially infuriating / moving when someone is able to tell a story better then I could ever write completely through the movement of their body.” ”
Addicted to LOVE was a 90-minute dance and multi-media benefit production that focused on the many challenges young people face in dealing with violence in their lives.
The show was an intimate experience for audience members and aimed to shed light on the causes of violence, the effects it has on young peoples’ lives and futures, as well as the remedy that LOVE offers within its creative and educational programs.
The production featured performances by the SBDC dancers, and included photography and poetry derived from the LOVE program. Guest rap artist and song writer David Hodges and Stefanie Parnell also participated in this project.
LOVE is a non-profit organization based in Montreal and founded by Mrs.Twinkle Rudberg in 1993. Following her husband’s murder by a 14 year old boy, Twinkle became convinced that the young perpetrator was himself a victim of violence. The organization has made a significant impact on youth aged 13 to 19 by helping them end the cycles of violence in their lives and by training them to become leaders in violence-prevention within their communities. LOVE’s violence prevention programs have been enthusiastically endorsed by schools, government, community organizations and corporations who believe in the immense potential of our youth. Over the last 20 years, LOVE has launched programs in Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver and New York. - LeaveOutViolence.org
Addicted to Love Promo Video
In the Media
A Labour of LOVE - Montreal Dance Company Stages Production to Help Prevent Youth Violence by Geoffrey Vendeville, The Link, Concordia's Independent Newspaper February 4, 2014
The opening of the 90-minute show focuses on the difficulties facing youth. The second half is more hopeful, beginning with a sequence in which the dancers form a line-up in front of a mirror. Strapped to elastics symbolizing love and organization in the community....
Review: SBDC Dancers Bring the LOVE by Geoffrey Vendeville, The Link, Concordia's Independent Newspaper February 8, 2014
You can’t help but be drawn in seeing the dancers up close enacting the pain of bullying, drug addiction, and depression.
Addicted to the Sonia Balazovjech Dance Company by Stephanie Laughlin, Forget The Box February 13th, 2014
... As a writer I’m obsessed with language; figuring out the jigsaw puzzle of what words I need to put together the story I want to tell. So I find it especially infuriating/ moving when someone is able to tell a story better then I could ever write completely through the movement of their body.
In the company of Sonia Balazovjech; Creating awareness through dance by Kara Deane, Sociale Workshops January 21, 2014
In the midst of teaching, dancing, teaching dance, planning a huge show and being a mom, we had the opportunity to interview Sonia Balazovjech, director of The Sonia Balazovjech Dance Company.
CTV Montreal: LOVE dance hits stage Chantal Desjardins, What's On February 7, 2014