Tyler Gledhill and expressing that All Is Love

1 Apr 2024 - Production photos by Bruce Zinger ; Portrait by Shawn Bracke; BW photos by Sean Leber

"I created Inception by being inspired by the music Edwin Huizinga composed," says dancer and choreographer Tyler Gledhill. "For me, dance is always about the music. I can't imagine not having it to drive me and make me want to move. So I guess you can say, the piece is about how much I love music." Fitting as Inception is part of an Opera Atelier program, All Is Love, that is filled with glorious music including Debussy, Handel and Purcell. "All is Love is a performance with many excerpts of larger operas," says Gledhill. "The company originally commissioned me to choreograph Inception in 2017. Edwin is an exceptionally talented violin player and composer, and although I am the only dancer on stage, I very much consider it a duet because Edwin not only plays the music, but we also interact and orbit around each other in the space."  

All Is Love was originally scheduled for Valentine's season in 2022, but was disrupted when the so-called 'Freedom Convoy' took over the streets by Koerner Hall. Opera Atelier’s mandate—“rediscovery and revitalization of period opera and ballet, particularly works from the Baroque era”—does not mesh well with blaring truck horns. Not that there isn't flexibility in Opera Atelier's artistic mission, "When I was a member of the ballet it was very important to me to learn about the Baroque style from director Marshall Pynkoski and choreographer Jeannette Lajeunesse Zing. And to stay true to it," says Gledhill. "Inception is a contemporary work, so the steps are much different, but I did use some similar arm shapes because I wanted it to fit into the larger show. I have been so lucky to be involved in so many beautiful productions as a member of the ballet over the years. I am no longer a member of the ballet for a couple of years now, but it is very special to return as a guest to perform in this production."

Gledhill has thoughts on the theme believing that "Most art is created to express love, whether it be of someone or something concrete or abstract." But not all love is blissful or pastoral, even in the Baroque period. "Some pieces in the show are performed as solos, where the protagonist is expressing a version of love that might be torturous or somewhat hard to experience. Not in a bad way, but more the idea of having so much love in oneself that it has no choice but to burst out." Gledhill himself is maddeningly enigmatic about how his experiences, or idealizations, of love fit into his art. He is adamant that Inception speaks for itself. When I ask if the 'love' in All Is Love also includes erotic love, after all the ads feature a bare-chested image of principal dancer Eric Cesar De Mello Da Silva, Gledhill waffles, "I suppose it does. But from what I remember, we don't show that side of love in the performance. And as someone who wore the wings that he's wearing in several productions, I can say that the costume is meant to portray an ethereal, angelic character. These images of angels are often seen in Baroque art."

All Is Love also features the sensual power of gay icon Measha Brueggergosman-Lee. "Measha is a force to be reckoned with," says Gledhill.. "She is a big personality and very fun to be around." But he shuts down my prying for gossip, "What happens in the rehearsal hall stays in the rehearsal hall." So I ask Gledhill about his own past. Specifically about the first time I saw him perform, as a particularly hunky Batman, at the notorious and now lost to glory club night Sodom. "Oh, dear," says Gledhill. "That was a lifetime ago! I'm not sure I would say those performances influenced my career, but they were fun experiences, that's for sure. Traditional dance is done in theatres where the audience sits politely and waits until the end to applaud. Those shows were a little different in the way that people were screaming from the beginning, sometimes grabbing at us. I think it's great to experience all kinds of audiences and situations. Learning how to focus and deliver in an environment like that is just another tool in the toolbelt."