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ISSUE 67 • WINTER 2021 • (Virtual) Home Season + Dance Days + Season Updates + Residencies + more…
Dance Victoria’s (Virtual) Home Season Bringing the World’s Best Dance to your home
Dance Days
It’ll Move You
January 15–25, 2021
Grupo Corpo
( Brazil)
February 25–28, 2021 Running Time: Act 1: 42 minutes, Act 2: 42 minutes
Bereishit Dance Company
( South Korea)
April 8–11, 2021
Grupo Corpo in Dança Sinfônica. Photo: José Luiz Pederneiras
Running Time: Act 1: 30 minutes, Act 2: 30 minutes
In the Studios Kemi Craig Lindsay Delaronde & Visible Bodies Collective Véronique Emmett
Single n o tickets w! o sale n
2 Footnotes • Issue 67 • Winter 2021
Dance Victoria brings the World’s Best Dance to the Royal Theatre and your home and supports the development of new dance for the international stage from its studios in Quadra Village. Dance Victoria is a non-profit charitable society. DanceVictoria.com
Dance Seen Dance After Trump BY STEPHEN WHITE
President
Susan K.E. Howard
Vice President
Robert Millar
Secretary
Colette Baty
Treasurer
Emily Zeng
Directors
Frances Grunberg Stacey Horton
Staff: Executive Producer Stephen White General Manager
Bernard Sauvé
Operations Manager Shireen McNeilage Marketing Manager
Tracy Smith
Studios & Admin Assistant
Kiera Shaw
Accounting
Julie Collins
Graphic Design
Rayola Creative
Advertising Sales
Bonnie Light Advertising
If you’d like to volunteer for Dance Victoria please visit DanceVictoria.com and complete the online volunteer form. Studios and Office: 111 – 2750 Quadra Street Victoria, BC V8T 4E8 250-595-1829 DanceVictoria.com for trailers, tickets and more information Footnotes is written by Tracy Smith and Stephen White (unless otherwise noted).
I’M WONDERING if you’re feeling a bit like me? Now that the political landscape in the US seems to be shifting towards something like civility, (trust me, I’m not suggesting there aren’t huge challenges ahead of the Biden administration), I sort of miss watching the nightly news and exclaiming, “How ludicrous!” or “Can you believe it?” or “What a racist bigot!” News stories about Trump elicited very straightforward and simple emphatic responses from me: incredulity mostly, and fear and, ok, anger. Now that American political life is more about governance by intelligent, skilled and educated people, the news stories are bound to get more complex and my responses less raw and more thoughtful. But there is the Trump legacy and its impact on the creative industries to consider. My colleague Bernard Sauvé and I participated in a bi-weekly Zoom call with U.S. dance presenters this fall. Let me just say, it’s a desperate world south of the border. The patchwork of health regulations from state to state has led presenters, that are fighting to keep their heads above water, to program kitschy drive-by or drive-in dance events. They’re ready to try anything. They need the cash! Some have even risked returning to live performance in the theatre. Visiting dance companies are repeatedly tested, taking perilous flights, sequestered in hotel rooms, tested again at the theatre along with the crew. The audience is subjected to temperature testing on arrival, no intermissions, no programs, no washroom breaks nor concessions, and seated rows apart in a cavernous hall. And because of the limited attendance, the dance company is expected to half their fees. It gets worse. Recently Bernard and I took a call from the Executive Director of a dance company which we have presented a few times in Victoria. You (the audience) love them. A modestly sized company, where the dancers enjoy a 52-week contract with health benefits — almost unheard of in our milieu. Having the same dancers in the studio and on the stage for a full year enables the company to continually train with each other, perfecting technique together. Since COVID hit, the directors have had to terminate all of the dancer contracts. They laid off teaching staff at their school and whittled down “I watched the Nutcracker this afternoon what was left of office staff. They are and just loved it. What a beautiful completely reliant on donors just to be able to production — dancing, music, singing, answer the phones. What has taken them 25 costumes — it was wonderful. Thank you years to build has been wiped out. It was so much for showing the virtual heartbreaking listening to our friend tell us production. The next best thing to being about undoing something that was so there with no distractions and wonderful cherished by so many. camera work — I couldn’t be more I know it’s hard for dance companies in pleased. I’ll be sure to watch for Canada, don’t get me wrong. But here, for the upcoming virtual productions.” most part, when it comes to the pandemic, in B.C., we’ve taken direction from public health – Shirley E. officials not politicians. We have had wage subsidy programs, extraordinary funding from government, and rent relief, all of which will enable our sector to come out of the pandemic ready for the restart. In the US, the lack of a coordinated response to the pandemic, delayed stimulus, and a history of scant public subsidy has taken a devastating toll. It will be many years for mid-sized companies, like the one I mentioned above, to recover. If indeed recovery is even possible. While we can all celebrate Trump’s departure from the White House, unfortunately he has cast a long, large shadow across the American cultural industries. FN
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Photos: Stephen White by Tracy Smith.
Dance Victoria Board:
DanceVictoria.com • 3
Grupo Corpo Stays True to Their Brazilian Roots
Grupo Corpo
Grupo Corpo in Parabelo. Photo by Jose Luiz Pederneiras
Parabelo and Dança Sinfônica February 25–28, 2021 For the past several seasons, when Dance Victoria’s Executive Producer Stephen White and General Manager Bernard Sauvé begin to plan the upcoming season, Grupo Corpo’s name inevitably surfaces in the conversation: “How can we get Grupo Corpo to Victoria?” and “Where is Grupo Corpo touring in the spring?” For this reason, this mesmerizing company from Brazil was at the top of the list for our 20/21 Virtual Home Season. While we hope to present them in a future program at the Royal Theatre, our 20/21 Virtual Season provided an opportunity to share two important works in the company’s history that showcase their signature balletic lifts, swaying hips and rubbery limbs. Grupo Corpo has been shaped by both their family and their national history. The company is a true family enterprise. Brothers Paulo and Rodrigo Pederneiras lead the group, their sister Miriam was one of the dancers, and their parents moved out of their own home in the city of Belo Horizonte to house the new company in 1970’s. The risk paid off immediately: their debut piece, Maria Maria, ran for three months, resonating with Brazilians who identified with the story of a poor African-Brazilian woman living in the country still under oppressive military rule. The company remains a family affair. Paulo is the company director; Rodrigo is resident choreographer; brother Pedro is the technical
director; brother José Luiz is the company photographer; sister Miriam heads their community project Corpo Cidadão; and Rodrigo’s wife, Cristina Castilho (a former dancer), is communications manager. Grupo Corpo literally means Body Group in English. Their works are known for challenging audience perceptions of ballet and modern dance, and their creations use a common Brazilian base for their dancing and music. Our virtual season features two works: Parabelo and Dança Sinfônica and almost all the music is commissioned by the company. Parabelo is the “most Brazilian and the most regional” of all of choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras’ creations. The nine themes in the Parabelo score, created by Tom Zé and Miguel Wisnik, inspire explicit references to xaxado (traditional Portuguese dance) and baião (Brazilian dance) to create an expressive force of dance that is uniquely Brazilian. Dança Sinfônica was created in 2015 to commemorate Grupo Corpo’s 40th anniversary and is a recreation of memories of Rodrigo Pederneiras’ 30 years as the company’s resident choreographer. Performed to music by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Minas Gerais, Dança Sinfônica references characters, on or off the stage, that have marked the history of Grupo Corpo. In his interview with The Georgia Straight, Rodrigo says, “How to create a kind of dance that could be the true face of Brazil, the way of being of the Brazilian people? We worked hard and did long researches in popular dance from the south and the northeast of the country, and I think we’ve created a way of moving and dancing that’s special to Grupo Corpo.” Today, having created over 40 unique choreographies, the Brazilian dance company maintains 10 ballets in its repertoire and gives 70 performances a year in places as distinctive as Iceland and South Korea, the United States and Lebanon, Italy and Singapore, the Netherlands and Israel, France and Japan, Canada and Mexico. We’re thrilled to share two of their seminal works with you for our 20/21 Virtual Home Season. FN
Watching Grupo Corpo Presented by
Join us for Dance Victoria’s Watch Together, Chat After event on Saturday, February 27 at 5:00 pm Pacific. New and improved! Based on your feedback we’re modifying our Watch Together party to give you full access to our expert panel during or the Chat After portion. Join us at 5:00 pm Pacific (8:00 pm Central) for a quick meet and greet. We’ll watch the Grupo Corpo presentation together and afterwards you can join a conversation with an expert panel of dance makers to talk about what we’ve just seen.
4 Footnotes • Issue 67 • Winter 2021
Dance Days: It’ll Move You January 15–25, 2021
Bernard Sauvé Appointed President of CanDance
And something we’re very excited about: Each day of Dance Days, we will be releasing a new two-minute dance film created by dancers in our region commissioned by Dance Victoria. In partnership with the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria and supported by the City of Victoria, we launched the Let it Move You dance video contest in October 2020. We garnered 37 proposals from BC dance makers and selected 10 artists to make short films. One video during each day of Dance Days will be featured on the Dance Days page on DanceVictoria.com. On January 25 you’ll have the opportunity to watch the films again and vote for your favourite. The artist with the most votes will receive a $500 cash prize! Stay tuned for more details on our Facebook and Instagram pages. FN Check out a full schedule of free dance classes and workshops on offer during Dance Days at DanceVictoria.com
Bernard Sauvé photo courtesy of YAM Magazine
IN THE FALL OF 2020, we were faced with a challenging question: How do you produce a citywide festival that offers a wide range of free classes in all kinds of dance styles at studios all over town when you’re in the middle of a pandemic? After lots of discussion we decided to go online with special programming. This year, our Dance Days festival will be like none other. For one, a number of local dance teachers and Vancouver-based instructors have stepped forward to offer free virtual classes. Keeping with our long-established theme for Dance Days there is everything on offer from Hip Hop to Ballroom, Voguing to Contemporary, even dancing in roller skates! Secondly, we have been scouring the internet to find the best available free programming from international dance companies so that we can put them in our calendar and be your source for some great dance.
After three years as Board Treasurer of the CanDance Network, Dance Victoria General Manager Bernard Sauvé was appointed President in December 2020. CanDance/ CanDanse is Canada’s national network supporting the creation and distribution of contemporary dance. Forty-six members from across the country, mostly professional dance presenters, meet virtually every six weeks to cooperate on commissioning and touring projects, showcases and professional development. Through these activities, the network furthers the Canadian public’s access to dance and enjoyment of dance events. CanDance also commissions dance projects and awards funds through the Creative Exchange Project and its Creation Fund. You can learn more here: https://www.candance.ca. Congratulations Bernard on this appointment!
DanceVictoria.com • 5
Compagnie Hervé Koubi in Ce que le jour doit à la nuit. Photo by Karim Amar. Ukrainian Shumka Dancers in Nutcracker. Photo: Marc J. Chalifoux
Virtual Season Analytics
WE’RE SO THANKFUL for the awesome support of our 20/21 subscribers and single ticket holders. When we said we were launching a Virtual Home Season, you hopped on board “the uncertainty train” and had faith that we would still deliver a diverse, dynamic, and daring season of dance. Thank you to everyone who completed our post-show surveys following Compagnie Hervé Koubi and Ukrainian Shumka Dancers’ Nutcracker. Presenting virtual dance performances is something new for us and we’re learning with each iteration. We appreciate your feedback. To the right are highlights from the survey responses. Positive comments included the easy-to-access Vimeo dance presentations, the explanatory program notes and the conversation between Hervé Koubi and Dr. Allana Lindgren. Many liked the “better than front row” experience by seeing the dance performance from above and the close- ups of the dancers’ facial expressions rather than craning around somebody’s large head at the Royal. :-) Others said that Dance Victoria’s virtual Nutcracker was the most appealing due to the quality of the performance, the extra kids’ activities, the exceptional price, and the quality of the recording. Areas where participants would have liked some improvements include more interactivity during or after the dance performance such as a chat box, and during the Watch Together/Chat After event, such as a Q&A with those in attendance. Some found the artist conversation with Hervé Koubi difficult to follow and desired sub-titles, and many said that they found Dance Victoria over-communicated prior to the launch of the season with too many emails. We value all of this feedback. It will help us improve our future virtual presentations. We’re committed to delivering an exceptional experience for everyone and are aiming to find a middle ground where we communicate what you need to know, when you need it. Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. If you missed the survey and have a suggestion, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@dancevictoria.com or 250-595-1829. FN
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI
Ukrainian Shumka Dancers
Estimated Audience: 800 (based on sales and survey results)
Estimated Audience: 4,000 (based on sales and survey results)
39% of people completed the survey
40% of people completed the survey
93% of the respondents bought a subscription
72% did not view Nutcracker Story Time with Jim Leard. Of those that viewed Nutcracker Story Time, 28% rated it excellent, 21% very good and 7% good.
88.6% purchased tickets or a subscription to a DV performance before
47% of respondents have previously attended a live Nutcracker performance presented by Dance Victoria. 53% were new ticket buyers
78% rated the overall experience 92% rated the overall of the filmed presentation What experience as very good or the day owes to the night as excellent very good or excellent 71% said that the downloadable program notes were insightful and helped give context to the performance
52% found the program notes “insightful.” A full 43% marked “not applicable” which likely means they did not access this feature.
Over 80% said that their expectations were fulfilled or very much fulfilled by the virtual presentation package
95% of respondents said that their expectations were fulfilled for the Nutcracker virtual presentation with 70% very much and 25% as good.
6 Footnotes • Issue 67 • Winter 2021
Aiden Cass
Andrew Barrett
Kemi Craig
Visible Bodies Collective
Véronique Emmett
Sarah Hutton
choreography is inspired by real moments from their life together that have been exaggerated and deconstructed to make them peculiar, funny and even poignant. Veronique Emmett is learning to work within the constraint of socially distanced dancers, exploring and developing movement that reveals each dancer’s true self and investigates how individual truths connect us to one another. Her goal for her residency is to plant the seed of a creative concept and watch where it grows with the collaboration of the dancers and is shaped by constructive feedback from the community. Another resident artist, Andrew Barrett intends to return to our studios in January using his time to strengthen and bring confidence to his choreographic knowledge through the creation of solo work on himself and other dancers. He will be using queerness, virtuosity, and functional movement practices as a starting place in these creative explorations. Be sure to check the progress of these pieces and more at “From the Studios” on our upcoming performance pages. FN
Thank you to our Studio Creation Sponsors:
If there’s one thing that continues to make our hearts sing during these COVID times, it’s the resiliency of our resident dance artists who continue to create works in our studios. Late in the spring of 2020 the Board of Directors of Dance Victoria, recognizing how challenging this time is for creative artists, elected to invest significant resources in providing dancers with residencies and commissions. We will be sharing the work of our resident artists on a new “From the Studios” tab to be included on the performance pages of Grupo Corpo (February) and Bereishit Dance Company (April). We’ve asked these artists to share a two-minute video and a brief statement of the work they are creating in our studios. Lindsay Delaronde and Visible Bodies Collective have been cocreating Spine, a political piece about women that touches on childhood, adolescence, radical protesting, birthing and elder hood. The collective includes 10 BIPOC members who are working with mentors and workshop leaders building fundamental performance skills as they generate material for the piece that will premiere in Spring 2022. Kemi Craig, one of our resident artists is collaborating with local visual artist Farheen Haq to create movement scores with atmospheric sounds of everyday labour for her work-in-progress. Sarah Hutton and Aiden Cass (Vancouver) ended their residency on November 6 and shared their Generous Mess work-in-progress to a small socially-distanced audience at Dance Victoria Studios. The
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Photos (from top left clockwise): Aiden Cass by Sarah Hutton; Andrew Barrett; Sarah Hutton by Sarah Hutton; Visible Bodies Collective by Dean Kaylan, Kaylan Studios; Véronique Emmett by Kirk Schwartz; Kemi Craig by Aya Behr.
Resident Artists Update
DanceVictoria.com • 7
Back to the Royal in 2021/22 It’s a wonderful feeling, talking about a return to the Royal Theatre for our 25th Anniversary Season starting in November 2021. We have been in contact with some amazing Canadian and international companies and are busy drafting budgets and securing dates. We expect to be “on sale” later this spring for a full Dance at the Royal series. Because we are very aware that a number of our subscribers might be uncomfortable returning to the theatre, we are taking everything we’re learning from our current virtual season and applying it to what we’re calling a hybrid season in 2021/22. You’ll have the choice to join us at home with live-streamed presentations direct from the Royal or join the community of patrons and actually return to the Royal Theatre. Or perhaps you’ll choose to do a bit of both?
Yes! I want Dance Victoria to thrive!
Emergence Now, more than ever, Dance Victoria is relying on the support of donors like you to help us emerge from this pandemic and regain our position as a leading arts organization in our community. We are committed to providing unparalleled experiences at the Royal Theatre and beyond. Our plans include a significant support for residencies and commissions to provide opportunity for the region’s creation community, and significant investments in people and equipment towards delivery innovations that will ensure the World’s Best Dance is available to audiences at home and at the Royal Theatre. The generosity of the community has brought us this far. Your contribution will bring us across the line and give us all something very special to celebrate. Every charitable donation is receipted and deeply appreciated. Thank you.
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How to donate: Thank Mail: Return this form with a cheque to: you! Dance Victoria Society 111 – 2750 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4E8 Phone: 250-595-1829 with your credit card in hand Online: Donate over our secure page at DanceVictoria.com In Person: at Dance Victoria Studios (we’ll give you a tour) or at the Royal and McPherson Box Offices Dance Victoria is a federally registered charity and will provide a tax-deductible receipt for all donations $10 and over. Charitable # 87377 5522 RR0001
Sell your home. Support Dance Victoria. Choose a DFH realtor below and mention Dance Victoria when you buy or sell your property. Ten percent of the realtor’s commission helps bring The World’s Best Dance to our community. Dorothee Friese | dorothee@shaw.ca • 250-477-7291
Peter Crichton | crichton@islandnet.com • 250-477-7291
Terry Moore | tlmoore@shaw.ca • 250-477-7291
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John Melvin | john@johnmelvinproperties.ca • 250-477-7291
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8 Footnotes • Issue 67 • Winter 2021
Supporting Nutcracker Kids Campaign Chair: In November and December, we reached out to our community to help us make the holiday season, an especially challenging time for many families, a Christmas to remember for the kids and caregivers of Victoria Women’s Transition House (VWTH) and Family Services of Greater Victoria. Every $65 donation allowed a family in our community to gather and watch the wonder of Nutcracker by the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. Thanks to many generous donors, we were able to offer access to our virtual Nutcracker package to 300 families. A huge thank you and much gratitude to everyone who donated! All donations to the Nutcracker Kids are recognized on DanceVictoria.com. VWTH also organized a colouring contest using the colouring pages that were part of our virtual package. Remarkably, a group of donors stepped forward to offer prizes for this contest! So much to be grateful for; we live in an amazing community!
“ “ ” ” “Just wanted to say a big BRAVO! on your virtual offerings. I purchased a ticket to the Nutcracker and I am very excited for the performance, but I didn’t realize all the amazing added bonus content I’d also get. The activities, drink recipe, storytelling video, program, sponsor video — it’s all so incredibly well done and makes the experience that much more enriching and fun. It’s also built up my excitement even more for the actual performance. While I can’t wait to see live ballet again, I just wanted to pass along my heartfelt thanks for such a wonderful Christmas offering you’ve created. Thank you, please stay safe and healthy and all the best in 2021.“
– Kind regards, Krista B.
“Thank you so much for bringing such a vibrant selection of performances home to your virtual audience this year. I so appreciate the opportunity to still be able to see amazing performances during this strange year. We miss seeing performance in person, but really appreciate the groups that have managed to bring these performers virtually home for us. We thoroughly enjoyed the glamorous and stunning performance of the Shumka Nutcracker. Please pass on our congratulations to their company for a brilliant production, and a thank you to Dance Victoria for hosting this year.”
– Amie R.
Next DANCE DAYS It’ll Move You January 15 to 25, 2021 Ten dance films featured throughout the festival as well as livestreamed classes in a variety of styles. Visit DanceVictoria.com’s Dance Days calendar in early January for complete details.
Virtual Dance Season 2021 Bringing the World’s Best Dance to your home.
GRUPO CORPO BRAZIL
The “most Brazilian and the most regional” work in their repertoire and a seminal work to commemorate the Company’s 40th Anniversary.
February 25–28, 2021 Parabelo – Rodrigo Pederneiras Dança Sinfônica – Rodrigo Pederneiras
BEREISHIT DANCE COMPANY KOREA Two works that explore human relationships: one revolving around the wheel of opposition and harmony; the other uses a bow translating its timbre and rhythm into a fluid, meditative confrontation.
April 8–11, 2021 Balance & Imbalance – Soon-ho Park BOW_Control – Soon-ho Park
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