We here at MPG are proud to announce the launch of a completely revolutionary step forward in our line of activewear apparel: Yogatoner by MPG!

The line of styles, from a racer back tank to sport tight, help strengthen the core while simultaneously creating a slimming, flattering effect on a woman’s body. Achieved by increasing the tension on our current technical functional fabrics during the knitting process and also adding warp knit panels in strategic anatomical points, the Yogatoner line is constructed from 88% nylon and 12% spandex fabric and is also moisture wicking like nearly all of our MPG styles. Other beneficial features include a tagless label for added comfort, medium support built-in bras in our tops, body supporting designs, durable flat-lock seams to reduce chafing and shaped waistbands for added comfort on our bottoms.

Our initial program will feature 8 styles, all available in black with more colours to be added at a later date. Ranging in sizes from XS to 2XL, the pieces will retain our signature fashion-forward styling and will look unmistakably ‘MPG’ in appearance.

Available wherever MPG is sold, we’re certain MPG Yogatoners will elevate your yoga practice, workouts or training exercises to the next level!

As we earlier reported on our facebook page, we were in Seattle all last week, working with photographer Marc von Borstel, to capture a wide array of arresting and dynamic pictures for our Fall 2011 Collection editorial campaign. This time around, we enlisted individuals from diverse athletic pursuits to help us illustrate the vibrancy, cutting-edge styling and performance enhancing properties of our newest MPG line.

And in another departure from the norm, we took our shoots outside the studio and out on the street, at the beach and in the heart of industrial America to create some truly breathtaking and stunning images. The backdrops and settings we scouted for this collection will be unlike anything you’ve seen us do before and will aptly illustrate the manner in which we are constantly evolving as a company, never merely content with past accomplishments.

Finally, in what is an especially radical move for the company, we enlisted the services of Seattle-based videographer, Michael Ganyo, to help us create a series of videos to introduce you to the very dedicated, motivated and accomplished ‘models’ we worked with this time around. Check out a behind-the-scenes clip of gymnast and acrobat, Kelly McDonald, showing us just a smidgen of the truly incredible things of which she is more than capable of doing:

We’re virtually brimming with enthusiasm and anticipation to see how our hard work turned out and are certain you’ll be equally enthralled! Stay tuned to Cliq for updates!

MPG recently finalized a partnership with Sibarth Villa Rentals, based in St. Barts. Situated in the French West Indies in the Caribbean, St. Barts is a beautiful volcanic island surrounded by shallow reefs and crystal clear, azure beaches. Sibarth Villa Rentals handles the management of 200 magnificently designed holiday properties around the island and MPG’s partnership with the property management firm will allow us to place catalogues in their villas to offer MPG activewear to Sibarth’s guests.
We’re very excited to embark upon this opportunity that will provide us with a direct avenue to introduce our brand to an international clientele and look forward to further collaboration with the fine people at Sibarth.

All of us here at MPG are excited and thrilled to welcome two new Messengers to our steadily growing stable of outstanding dancers, athletes, yogis and fitness trainers. Our first new Messenger, Tricia Ptak, is a yoga teacher and blogger from Plymouth, Michigan. Following an automobile accident that left her with chronic back pain and unable to find relief through traditional methods such as physical therapy, Tricia turned to yoga and found the solace she had long sought. Inspired by the philosophy behind yoga, she threw herself into her practice to eventually become a teacher at several locations in her community. Ever since we first contacted her to conduct an MPG review on her blog yoga-poses-and-beyond.com, she has become a fast friend of the brand and we look forward to collaborating with her much more in the near future!

Our other new Messenger joins us from Acton, Ontario where she owns and operates her own gym, Staying Alive Fitness. Hers is also a truly remarkable story: Always an avid fitness enthusiast, Leanne Monaghan made exercise and active living even more of a priority after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. Her healthy lifestyle, she believes, was an integral part of helping her overcome her ailment and she is proud to report she has been cancer free since 2003! In order to help better serve her clients, Leanne is continually striving to further educate herself and has completed a wide variety of classes, training and certifications. We first met her at the Yoga Show and Conference in Toronto earlier this year and were inspired by her very special story!

Stay tuned to MPGCliq for interviews and feature stories about these two dynamic individuals!

MPG is proud to honour the career and artistic accomplishments of one of our most recognizable Messengers, Chalnessa Eames, as she retires from the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Bellingham, Washington, where she discovered her love of dance at the age of 5, Chalnessa later moved to Boca Raton, Florida to study at the newly established Harid Conservatory where she and the rest of her class were endowed, in a manner not unlike Dickens’ Great Expectations, with full scholarships from an anonymous donor. A short time later, she traveled to Winnipeg, Canada to study at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and would eventually join the company’s corps de ballet upon graduation. A short 5 years later, inspired by principal dancer Olivier Wevers who had also made the move from Winnipeg to Seattle, Chalnessa received a position with the Pacific Northwest Ballet where new challenges awaited her and where, after being away from the age of 14, she was finally able to be close to her family. After initially joining the corps de ballet in 2001 she was later promoted to soloist in 2007.

Although she received her formal education elsewhere, it was at PNB that Chalnessa truly matured as a dancer and created her unique stage persona that was most distinctly defined by the humour, charm and cheeky playfulness that captivated and delighted audiences for the 10 years she spent at the company. A list of favourite ballets in which she danced major roles includes: Rubies, Jardi Tancat, Serenade, Nine Sinatra Songs, In the Night, The Piano Dance and Roméo et Juliette.

From Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, former artistic directors at PNB:
“Chalnessa has been a vital member of the Company since the day she arrived – a versatile, wonderful dancer, a sparkling personality and a favourite of dozens of choreographers. It can truly be said that her absence will be felt onstage and off, especially by the dancers, but also throughout PNB.”

Although the curtain has been drawn on her career at PNB, Chalnessa will continue to work with fellow MPG Messenger Olivier Wevers’ Whim W’Him contemporary dance company as she also takes some time off to plot the next direction her career will take. Whilst in Seattle recently to catch the performance of Whim W’Him’s latest show reSet we had a chance to sit down with Chalnessa to ask her to reflect on a long and storied career:

MPG: What attracted you to ballet in the first place?

CE: Actually, my sisters were taking ballet class to help them with their figure skating and I, as the youngest, just followed along. Little did I know at the precocious young age of 5 that I would be taking the first steps to what would eventually become my life’s calling.

MPG: What are some of your career highlights?

CE: Dancing the lead during the opening night of William Forsythe’s ARTIFACT while I was still in the corps de ballet definitely ranks up there. And performing a world premiere ballet for Twyla Tharp with a great friend and amazing dancer, Charlie Hodges at a gala in Dallas alongside some other ballet greats.

MPG: Favourite ballet to perform?

CE: I loved dancing the lead in George Balanchine’s Rubies which I was able to perform with three different partners and Twyla Tharp’s Afternoon Ball, which was physically the hardest ballet I have ever danced. It was a complete cardio-endurance push!

MPG: What was your best on-stage moment?

CE: Most recently, my last few shows with PNB were especially rewarding wherein I was able to take a few moments while I was dancing and look to the audience and feel so completely at peace with myself as a dancer and proud of my long journey to get where I am today.

MPG: What will you miss most about dancing at PNB?

CE: I will most probably miss spending 9 hours a day with some of my best friends. I have been so fortunate to make such a strong connection with many of my colleagues whom I consider not only friends but also family. As dancers, we move away very young which often takes us away from not only our immediate family but also our extended family. Ballet becomes our family filled with brothers, sisters, cousins and even a few of the crazy aunts and uncles.

MPG: What’s next?

CE: Good question. After my Whim W’Him shows I will be taking a few months off as I have been dancing almost nonstop for nearly 5 years straight. But in the long term, I plan to pursue health and fitness, most likely by starting off with personal training certifications. I think there is so much power in being healthy and fit and I would love to be able to pass that on to others. And who knows? Maybe there are a few more performances left in me!

All of us here at MPG are truly grateful for everything Chalnessa has done for us as a Messenger and wish her the best of luck and a world of success in whatever comes her way next. Bravo on a brilliant career, Chal!

We were recently in Seattle, Washington to catch the latest performance of MPG Messenger and artistic director Olivier Wever’s dance company Whim W’Him perform at the Intiman Theater. Featuring other Messengers such as Kaori Nakamura, Kylie Lewallen, Lucien Postlewaite, Chalnessa Eames and Ty Cheng, the show was a veritable cavalcade of MPG Messengers doing what they do best on stage. As we mentioned previously in our recent article on Olivier’s retirement, the show, titled reSet combined the reworked 3 Seasons, the hauntingly, tragically and poignantly beautiful Monster and the premiere of the company’s newest piece, It’s Not About the Money, which was breathtaking, inspiring and stirring all at once.

The dynamism and dramatic energy palpable in the collected dancers’ performances are, as Olivier explained at an informal Q & A following Friday night’s unveiling, a direct result of the interplay of the traditions in which the dancers were trained and currently practice. The diverse dance disciplines come together to create new ways of approaching dance, establishing new vocabularies to provide instruction and above all else, drawing on the individual strengths of each dancer to allow them to truly and genuinely express themselves in the framework of Olivier’s artistic vision.

We felt privileged and fortunate to attend the performances and applaud all the dancers in Whim W’Him, Messengers and not, for the hard work and dedication they have shown in lending their talents to Olivier’s efforts, in addition to their own work with their respective companies.
Check out images from the performances below. All photographs appear courtesy of Seattle-based, Adam and Kim Bramberg of La Vie Photography:

After traveling to poverty stricken areas in Rwanda, Thailand and the Dominican Republic, youth pastor Bryce Dymond was able to witness, first-hand, the malnutrition, illness, lack of clean drinking water and inadequate education that affect the children living in those areas the hardest. Upon returning to his native Canada, Bryce was shocked and dismayed to discover similar conditions occurred in his own backyard. A visit to a First Nations community in Manitoba provided Bryce with a glimpse into the ways child poverty is prevalent in certain areas of our country. Realizing something had to be done, Bryce conceived of the idea of a cross-country run named One Nation Run, to raise funds and awareness of child poverty in Canada with the backing of World Vision, a charitable organization that has been helping children in need for over 60 years.

Beginning May 1st at Signal Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland and wrapping up at Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC, the run combines aspects of the ‘Terry Fox Marathon of Hope with an Olympic Torch Relay’ component meaning Bryce himself won’t be doing all the running. He has committed to 21 kilometres a day and his running partner, Zaya Kuyena, will be running another 10. The latter, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, has also experienced child poverty during his time spent in his native country and jumped at the chance to get involved. In an effort to increase awareness and community participation, locals from each of the town’s the run will pass through are being asked to pick up the remainder of the 71 kilometres a day target.

Mondetta Clothing has decided to support Bryce and Zaya’s truly admirable goal of raising the public profile of an issue that often times, gets left by the wayside due to the fact many of the problems facing children in need are found in remote areas and not given the public exposure that might spur real change. Mondetta’s sponsorship agreement with the two runners extends to providing all warm up gear for their time spent off the road such as track jackets, pants and sweatshirts.

All of us here are proud to be involved in the One Nation Run and wish Bryce, Zaya and the community members who have pledged to run the best of luck on the road!

Mondetta Clothing is excited and proud to announce our latest partnership agreement struck with the Winnipeg Soccer Academy’s official United Soccer League’s Premier Development League team. Between May and August 2011, the team will play a 16 game schedule in the USL’s Heartland Division, the top Under 23 men’s league in North America. The Winnipeg Soccer Academy (WSA) is credited with bringing top-tier level soccer to the countless fans here in the city. Eduardo Badescu, and Costas Ignat, principals of the WSA, have tirelessly strived to make their bid for a franchise come to fruition and we here at Mondetta applaud their efforts and hard work. The former, only one of two UEFA pro-licensed coaches in Canada, will also be managing the team. USL CEO Alec Papadakis remarked, “We have no doubt that WSA Winnipeg will immediately become a strong organization, both on and off the field, and will help set the bar high for other PDL teams.”

From the WSA – Winnipeg website:
The USL Premier Development League (PDL) featured 67 teams within four conferences across the United States and Canada in 2010. The PDL season consists of 16 regular season matches for each team, eight home and eight away, and provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. The USL Premier Development League has proven to be an important stepping-stone for top professionals now playing throughout the world.

To further boost the profile of the Winnipeg franchise, WSA Winnipeg has partnered with local heavyweights and internationally recognized corporations, such as Mondetta, who as one of the founding partners will be providing the team with their official soccer kits. Availing themselves to MPG’s performance-apparel expertise has allowed the team to receive uniforms that are unlike anything seen before. Fully customized with fashion forward styling for added flair, the kits feature sublimated design patterns in a striking and bold red, black and grey colour scheme. The result is nothing short of breathtaking and will certainly give the team its edge out on the pitch.

All of us here at Mondetta and MPG would like to wish Eduardo Badescu, the players and the training staff the best of luck in the coming season.

Upon completion of the 2011 World Taekwondo Championships held in Gyeongju, Korea, MPG is delighted and proud to unveil the names of the four athletes that will be representing Canada at the 2011 World Taekwondo Qualification tournament for the 2012 London Olympic Games. The four athletes representing Canada are as follows, weight classes shown in parentheses:
Karine Sergerie (67kg)
Official MPG Messenger, Ivett Gonda (49 kg)
Sebastien Michaud (80kg)
Francois Coulombe-Fortier (+80kg)

Selection was based on ranking points from 2010 Olympic Weight Divisions tournaments, 2011 Pan American Games Qualification tournament, and the 2011 World Taekwondo Championships.

The qualification tournament is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan from June 30th to July 3rd, 2011. MPG wishes the team the best of luck in qualifying in Azerbaijan and looks forward to seeing these tremendous athletes representing Canada in London, 2012!

In other Taekwondo news, the official Taekwondo Canada and MPG online store is now open which will allow Taekwondo athletes from across Canada to wear and use the same gear worn by the national team at their international meets. Below, see pictures of the national team, in their gear, at their most recent appearance in Gyeongju, Korea.

MPG is excited and proud to announce that Olivier Wevers, principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle and official MPG Messenger, has retired from dance and will now focus on applying what he has learned as a premier ballet dancer for the last 22 years to embark upon a new endeavour as choreographer and artistic director of his own company, called Whim W’Him.

Having received his training in Belgium at the Karys Dance Center with Nicole Karys, herself a former dancer with Béjart’s Ballet du XXième Siecle, Olivier went on to become a principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet before joining the Pacific Northwest Ballet where he finished his career. In a career that has seen him perform lead roles in all the major full-length classical ballets, as well as an extensive list of contemporary works by the world’s most noted choreographers, Olivier’s significant talent in portraying character development and riveting emotional nuance has been especially outstanding.

However, due to the physical demands placed upon dancers, Olivier always knew his time on the stage was limited, which is why he was delighted to discover that he had found something that inspired him and ignited his passion as much, if not more, than dancing: choreography. Since first realizing his love for choreography several years previous, he has grown and developed as a choreographer in addition to becoming the artistic director of his own company, the previously mentioned Whim W’Him.

All of us here wish Olivier the best of luck as he begins the next chapter of his life and hope he enjoys as much success leading his own company as he did delighting audiences around the word with his stirring performances!

And for those of you residing in the Pacific Northwest, mark your calendars for the evenings of June 24 & 25, 2011 at 8pm. Whim W’Him will be presenting their second set of performances, called Reset, at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Washington. At ReSet, you can expect a world premiere from Olivier himself, a reworked performance of his environment-themed 3Seasons, and the return of Whim W’Him’s first breakout piece, “Monster”, a clip of which you can view below: