Elimination Dance by Michael Ondaatje

Instructions: An elimination dance begins with a crowded dance floor. At a signal, the band stops playing and the announcer reads an elimination, say, “Any lover who has gone into a flower shop on Valentine’s Day and asked for clitoris when he meant clematis.” Any dancer answering this description must sit down, and his partner is also disqualified. The process continues (e.g. “Any person who has burst into tears at the Liquor Control Board”) until a single couple remains. And now, the post-Meech Lake edition. Brick Books reaches out to Quebec: “Tout amant qui, à la Saint-Valentin, est entré dans une boutique de fleuriste et a demandé pour un clitoris au lieu d’une clématile.”

Bilingual Traveller’s Edition: Edition pour Voyageurs — French translations provided by Lola Lemire Tostevin.