On Nov. 10 and 11, the Chutzpah! Festival presents the world premiere of Exile by Calgary choreographer and dance artist Meghann Michalsky.
Developed in partnership with Project InTandem and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Exile is an ensemble work exploring transformation and resilience through movement and physicality, wind and water. It is one of 16 new works that Michalsky has created since 2014. The dance artist, who is also artistic director of YYC Contemporary Technique Training, has worked for several companies and individual artists. She was the first dancer and choreographer in Alberta to receive both the RBC Emerging Artist Award (2019) and the Final Tuning Residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (2025).
The Independent interviewed Michalsky recently.
JI: Can you talk about the evolution of Exile from idea to stage?
MM: Exile was many years in the making. I began my research for the work in 2024 and, from the beginning, I knew I wanted to explore wind and water as central elements within the work. The set design was also established very early in the process, and we were fortunate to have a set design residency in 2024. That residency was crucial in allowing me to begin understanding how the physical world of the piece could shape the movement and dramaturgy.
Some of my initial movement curiosities centred around groove and riot – exploring how these qualities could expand the movement signature of the work and create a physical language that could showcase collective energy. As the work continued to develop, the major throughline of transformation began to emerge … [and] evolved into a world inhabited by characters who undergo multiple scenes and transformations. Their resiliency became increasingly central to the work: how they adapt, persist and continue to move forward despite the changing environments around them.
The piece has, therefore, evolved through a combination of movement research, set and environmental exploration, and the discovery of the characters themselves. What began as a curiosity around wind, water, groove and physicality ultimately developed into a larger exploration of transformation, displacement and resilience.
JI: The press material notes that wind and water have been sources of salvation for you. In what ways?
MM: Water and wind are elements in my everyday life that help snap me out of chaotic moments and bring me back to the present. They ground me in real time, pulling me away from fearful future thinking or the process of mending past events. In this way, they become a source of salvation and a form of saving grace – something I return to for comfort, grounding and presence.
However, the work is layered, and wind and water also function as rituals associated with change and transformation. They hold both a sense of comfort and an acknowledgement of movement, transition and impermanence. Furthermore, they speak to environmental displacement, connecting the personal experience of seeking grounding and safety with larger questions of environmental instability, loss and adaptation.
JI: What draws you to the primal?
MM: I naturally move in this way. The work comes from my body and a signature that has developed in my practice since 2017. There is risk, abandonment and sequential flow in the body.
I love seeing the female body embody a femininity that is less common in Western concert dance and in pop culture. I think it’s important to showcase this and highlight women in this way.
JI: You’ve received a lot of accolades and recognition for your work. What does this mean to you?
MM: I enjoy the work. The work fuels me in so many ways. I feel a deep purpose. Performing is the place I feel most alive. So, the fact that I get to do that every month and every year is really the best life. The recognition and accolades are also a beautiful thing. I am very grateful and proud that my work has had an impact on the [broader] community.
JI: If there is anything else you’d like to add, please do.
MM: We hope you can join us at the theatre in November! Come experience live dance!
Exile is at the Rothstein Theatre and performances start at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, go to chutzpahfestival.com.
