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20 Stouffville Sun-Tribune | Thursday, September 8, 2016 | by DUNCAN FLETCHER Kira Isabella is brightening Canada's country music scene. To the stage she brings fresh, powerful lyrics, a great musical sensibility, and a deep connection with her fans. She's feisty. She's seasoned. And this 22-year-old, Ottawa-raised, rising star exudes a solid confidence that fuels her artistic core. And why shouldn't she be confident? With looks and a voice that turn heads, backed by a career that includes two full-length albums ­ 2012's Love Me Like That and 2014's Caffeine & Big Dreams, tours with country heavyweights like Terri Clark and Carrie Underwood, awards and nominations including two JUNO nods, garnering Canadian Country Music Association awards for Female Artist of the Year (2013) and Rising Star (2012), and standout performances at music festivals across the country, she has every reason to radiate confidence. When you dig deeper you discover that her self-assurance is fed, not by accolades and external hype, but by a quiet, internal understanding that she's doing exactly what she was meant to do ­ make and perform music. For Isabella, that realization of purpose settled in at the tender age of seven. Supported from the start by a music-loving family that included a farmgirl mom and a guitar-playing Air Force dad who shuttled her around the province to play, she would pick up the guitar and sing for whoever would listen. But playing wasn't enough. Isabella vividly remembers a tingling feeling that came over her as a child while she watched performers at a music festival. She remembers saying to herself, "I want to be up there." She confides that even as an adult, being in the crowd makes her feel anxious, but being on stage ­ terrifying to many ­ is as liberating today as it seemed when she was a young girl. Isabella's music-filled home exposed her to classic country music, including strong female singers like Patsy Cline. Later on, modern artists like Shania Twain and Sheryl Crow would also influence her. While a traditional country sound certainly infuses the Isabella experience, she notes that diverse pop acts such as Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, Blink 182 and even Michelle Branch added to the mix as well. Faint echoes of their styles touch the original songs that Isabella pens. The writing bug, like the performing one, also bit her early. As a child she often transformed her poems and stories into songs that she would then perform for her family. For Isabella, writing has always been an organic experience that allows her to express herself yet doesn't lend itself to a set formula. No rules. Even now as a well-rounded artist, she still tinkers with the method ­ sometimes collaborating, sometimes figuring things out on her own ­ and describes it as "an evolving process." But it's always authentically Isabella. That natural desire to write much of her own material sets her apart from other performers. But it also ensures that each song ­ whether traditional country laments like 2011's Little White Church (written when she was 17), her rousing, barroom-kicker, Shake It If Ya Got It, or her latest single, the pop-infused I'm So Over Getting Over You ­ are all pieces of who she is, a compelling mix of country, city, tradition, modern, quiet and crazy. Though never in a negative way. She is the real deal. Isabella cites positivity as key to her outlook and success, hoping that's part of what you take away from her music. "We do a lot of different kinds of songs, but always with a positive message," she says. She tackles tough issues through her bold and empowering lyrics. "Even (in) a song like Quarterback (dealing with high school humiliation) which I just had to do, there is still a positive message of hope." The song is a cautionary tale against date rape and cyberbullying. Isabella's uplifting authenticity has skyrocketed her career over the past decade, inspired a surging fan base, and created electrifying performances. When she steps into the spotlight as a headliner on the Flato Markham Theatre stage on Sept. 30, you can see for yourself why Kira Isabella is rocking the country world. Is she intimidated? "No," she laughs. "This is what I've been working for." Her show is bound to offer an intense and emotional ride for her enthusiastic fans who often see themselves reflected in her music. "A lot are (females) in their early-to-late 20s," she explains. "They come with their boyfriends but I see them singing along too." Fans in their 30s, 40s and beyond are also an increasingly large part of an audience excited to experience a healthy dose of positivity, authenticity and energy ­ human qualities that never go out of style. "I just love when people come out and sing along" she concludes. "I can't wait to see them." The feeling is mutual. They can't wait to see her. Because without a doubt, Kira Isabella is finally "up there." by PAULA CITRON Choreographer/artistic director Roberto Campanella came to Canada in 1993 from sunny Italy. ProArteDanza is arguably the finest chamber contemporary ballet company in the country. Featured at the Flato Markham Theatre on Nov. 4 are Fearful Symmetries, a world premiere by Campanella, and Glumbek's acclaimed Diversion. Arts journalist Paula Citron sat down with Campanella to get to know the man behind the dance, and the fall program. You were born in Rome. How did you get into dance? I come from a simple family. My dad was a bus driver and my mom a housewife. I was always dancing around the house, destroying things as I went. The doors were my partners. My parents were very supportive. When I was 11, they put me in Scuola Italiana di Danza Contemporanea, one of the best dance schools in Rome. I understand that you became a successful professional dancer right from the start? At 17, I joined the school's dance company, Compagnia Italiana di Danza Contemporanea. When I was 21, I auditioned for Compagnia Aterballetto based in Reggio Emilia, the most famous contemporary dance company in Italy with a world-wide reputation. You co-founded ProArteDanza in 2004. How do you account for the company's almost instantaneous success? First of all, we were able to attract great dancers and great choreographers from among our colleagues in both the ballet and contemporary dance scenes. They believed in our contemporary ballet mandate of fusing the two worlds of dance ­ performing modern/contemporary movement layered over a strong ballet technique. ProArteDanza is a repertory company that attracts talent. Besides your teaching and choreographic careers, you also have what you call your "parallel life". That's right. I have found a niche as both a movement coordinator and choreographer for film, television and video games. Since 2003, I've worked on series such as The Expanse and The Strain, films that include Pompeii and Beauty and the Beast, and video games like Silent Hill and Far Cry Primal. This keeps me very busy. Let's talk about the program ProArteDanza is performing on the fall tour. You've called the choreographies "the two big monsters". Robert and I usually co-choreograph, but this time we're each showcasing a piece. The company usually presents shorter works so having just two big pieces on the program is a new format for us. What inspired your new piece "Fearful Symmetries"? I love silent movies, especially the films of Buster Keaton. I happened to stumble on a video where someone had put Buster Keaton movies together with the John Adams music, and that's when I realized that the speed and hectic movement of silent films is the life that I live, a life on the run. The piece is characterized by physicality, musicality and drive. It captures the rhythms of an over-busy urban lifestyle. The choreography, inspired by silent movies, is fast and stunt-ish. Robert Glumbek is retooling Diversion for ten dancers. This insightful piece explores the diversions that take our lives off course ­ the different directions that hinder relationships, the diversions that lead to loss, isolation and loneliness. Robert is a master at expressing humanity through movement. His work is also incredibly physically demanding. The electronic score is by the British ambient-music trio Marconi Union. How would you define the choreographic signatures of both you and Robert? Robert is known for his intricate development of construction, and how his movement patterns evolve naturally out of the group. I'm more architectural in structure with a more classical aspect. I'm also in your face while Robert is more sophisticated and subtle. Both of us like to take dancers to the upper limit of vulnerability. Because we co-choreograph so often, this program will reveal how much of me is in Robert's piece, while I have a lot of Robert in mine. (Paula Citron is an arts journalist based in Toronto. www.paulacitron.ca.)