A playful and interactive dance performance where children are free to join in and explore, because that’s what young ones do best!
Paper Playground is a stimulating experience set on a large paper carpet, created especially for children five and under that is full of dancing, drawing, live music and projections. Fully immersive, Paper Playground welcomes children as true creative collaborators and they become an essential part of the performance.
Exploring the theme of water with boats, fish, crabs and sharks, performers present irresistible invitations for children to participate through drawing, moving, and music making.
Please see below to download the Participant guide for more information about the performance and for playful suggestions to try, at home or at the preschool or daycare, ahead of the performance.
Past Performances (dates and places):
2023
- Longueuil, QC, May 3 2023
- Maison de la culture Mercier de Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal, QC, May 5-7 2023
- Trois-Rivières, QC, May 13 2023
- TOHU – Cité des arts du cirque in Montreal, QC, May 14 2023
2019
- Smithers (northen BC) May 3-5 2019, francophone/bilingual peformance May 3rd at 11:30am.
- Fort St. John (northen BC) May 21-24 2019, francophone / bilingual performance May 21 at 1pm
- Vancouver International Children’s Festival May 27 to June 2nd 2019
- Port Coquitlam, October 4-5 2019
- St. Albert, AB, October 17-19 2019
- Vernon, BC, November 17 2019
- Miramichi, NB, December 1-3 2019
Commission:
Paper Playground was commissioned by Marnie Perrin, who was director of the Surrey International Children Festival, now director of Surrey SPARK Stages. We are grateful for the support in our creative process!
Creative team:
Vancouver-based choreographer Julie Lebel, and her Foolish Operations Ensemble/Dancing the Parenting project, create community engaged dances with and for babies, toddlers, children and their caregivers. Paper Playground is designed to be a unique opportunity to share a special moment of discovery for children and their parents/caregivers.
An educator testimony…
“A kindergarten teacher for three decades, I have seen several productions of children’s theatre over the years. Yet, I was unprepared for how moved I was after attending the Paper Playground presentation. I had never seen anything like it before.
I was impressed to see these young children using their senses, whole bodies, and experiencing and being part of the artistic creation. They were invited to feel and engage with the material, the music, beauty and emotion. Not a child present could resist. Yet, part of my surprise was to also see adults equally engaged with the material, as if the experience called out their inner child. No one present in the room could remain immune to the beauty and emotion generated by the experience.
Paper Playground is a celebration of and a tribute to Art and the beauty of childhood. It is high time that we present more quality art such as Paper Playground to all children.”
-Astrid Pedneault
A parent testimony…
“I attended Paper Playground with my daughter at the Surrey Children’s Festival. I was delighted as I watched her engage in this mulit-sensory performance, and I was struck at how clever the construction and pacing of the show matched my 3 1/2 year-old’s development. She seemed to enjoy moving, drawing and exploring the sensory aspects of the paper with the performers, as well as enthusiastically returning to sit with me or other children when invited, to engage as a watcher.
