being: Noam Gagnon & Stefan Smulovitz
Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Leslie & Gordon Diamond Family Auditorium
天美mv天美 Burnaby (8888 University Dr W, Burnaby)
Tickets: $25 General // $17 Students
Renowned Canadian choreographer and performer Noam Gagnon returns to the stage with being, a hauntingly intimate performance that meditates on human connection, impermanence, and the emotional texture of urban life. Presented by Vision Impure, being invites audiences into a quiet, contemplative world鈥攐ne where stillness speaks, and the overlooked becomes vital.
Inspired by the aesthetic and emotional resonance of still life, being moves through the silences and spaces we often ignore. Through a fusion of movement, sound, and raw vulnerability, Gagnon reflects on the isolation and disconnection that define contemporary urban existence鈥攚hile seeking the moments of human presence that endure.
Accompanied live by acclaimed composer and sonic innovator Stefan Smulovitz, the work is both a visual and auditory meditation. Together, Gagnon and Smulovitz create an immersive experience that is both minimalist and deeply emotional鈥攁sking what it means to live fully in a fragile, fleeting world.
being is a personal reflection on modern life, mortality, and the necessity of pause. It offers no easy answers, but instead asks its audience to sit with stillness and rediscover the power of presence.
A talk-back with the artists will follow the performance.
Credits
Choreographer and Performer: Noam Gagnon
Music: Stefan Smulovitz (5 string Electric Violin)
Lighting Design and Concept: James Proudfoot
Presented by , with support from GCAPES Production & Events Services.
Biographies
is an award-winning choreographer and performer whose work is celebrated for its emotional honesty and physical intensity. Through Vision Impure, he continues to explore the complexities of the human condition, drawing from lived experience to create movement that resonates on both personal and universal levels.
is a true innovator known for his creative use of technology and mastery of sound manipulation. He skillfully uses violin, viola, theremin, electronics, and his game-changing software Kenaxis, to create vast sonic worlds. Stefan鈥檚 craft has been honed creating nearly 100 live film scores, innumerable dance and theatre scores, and hundreds of live performances with top improvisers from around the world. Always open to exploring new ideas he has collaborated with film, dance, theatre, poets, writers, visual artists, and theoretical particle physicists. His latest album Bow & Brush can be heard on all major streaming services.
ot is a lighting designer based in Vancouver, Canada. He is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, where he received his initial theatre training. Self-taught in the realm of dance lighting, he has contributed designs to many artists and companies over the past 25 years. James is grateful to live and work on the unceded territories of the xwm蓹胃kw蓹y蓹虛 蓹虛 m (Musqueam),S岣祑xw瘫 w瘫 煤7mesh(Squamish)and Sel铆虛 铆虛 lw虛 w虛 itulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.