About the project

Exhausted by lethargy and deeply missing the joys of daily dance classes, the dancer passes through the awkward and restrictive spaces of his shared rental house in a piece created because of, and not in spite of, the current circumstances. Torpor Temper: Dances to Break the Pattern, created and performed by Zachary Strom, is an exploration of movement through gloom and joy, a personal struggle to find clarity in what feels like a cloud of beige. The dance score stretches into action that often feels cumbersome, while still finding moments of contrasting extension that sometimes succeed, and at other times do not. 

This project received financial support from the National Theatre School of Canada via the Art Apart program, an emergency fund for emerging artists who are affected by physical distancing due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

About the artist

Zachary Strom is an Edmonton-based performer and creator in the fourth year of his BFA at the University of Alberta in the Acting program. In these disconnected and lonely times, he is searching for theatre opportunities that will make us all feel a little closer. Most recently, he choreographed and performed in REVOLVE (University of Alberta) under the instruction of Lin Snelling. Other select performance credits include The Boyfriend, Mad Forest (University of Alberta), Mary's Wedding (Shattered Glass Theatre), Sondheim on Sondheim, Cloud 9 (Macewan University), and Valentine in The Two Gentleman of Verona (Primestock Theatre).