X's and O's for Canadian Pavilion

Description:

As part of Expo 86, Margaret Dragu staged a live performance of X’s and O’s at the Canadian Pavilion. Based on controlled improvisation, Dragu’s choreography used the shape of x’s and o’s as a map, floorplan, idea, magic ritual, and gameplan to consider space and design. Performers began by walking in straight lines that intersected at a middle point (forming the “X”), and then walked around it in a half circle (forming the “O”). 

At Expo 86, the work was performed by Dragu alongside Peter Bingham, Jane Ellison, Jim Munroe, and Alan Rosenthal; with musical accompaniment by a duo on guitar, violin, and mandolin in the Greek folk style of Rebetiko. The female performers wore costumes designed by Shelagh Young made of colourful draped fabric reminiscent of traditional Mediterranean garments and the plumage of Mandarin ducks, while the male performers wore Groucho Marx disguises. 

In addition to the movement studies, the work also featured a comedic and melodramatic skit about a tumultuous love affair. The performance concluded with a ritualistic flag procession as the cast moved beyond the ropes that delineated the performance space and out into the audience.

Video documentation is available upon request.