A former dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, where he came into contact with the styles of Kylián, Ek, Celis and Veldman, Andrew Skeels is now a choreographer in his own right. His constantly evolving approach has been nourished by his classical background, contact improvisation and breakdance. Dynamic, musical, sharp, his dance blows crowd away. “The audience is the final element that gives life to the movement,” he sums up. In Rose of Jericho, Skeels uses the Middle Eastern plant as a metaphor for transcultural pollination, between perseverance and rebirth. He invites musician Sussan Deyhim and designer Wilber Tellez, two other art migrants, to join him. Set against a backdrop evocative of a far-off land in motion, this eclectic cast of seven dancers with different backgrounds offers a beautiful escape inward. Gestures like calligraphy, a hymn to diversity.