Footnotes Dance Victoria’s subscriber newsletter
Season Sponsor
25th Anniversary
ISSUE 70 • WINTER 2022 • Dance Days +John + Residencies + more…
Dance Days: It’ll move you! Free classes all over town January 20–30, 2022 DANCE DAYS FEATURE PRESENTATION
John By Helen Walkley January 20, 2022 • 7:30 pm Mary Winspear Centre RETURN TO THE ROYAL
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI February 4 + 5, 2022 • 7:30 pm Royal Theatre CANCELLED Running Time: 65 minutes (including intermission)
Ballet BC March 11 + 12, 2022 • 7:30 pm Royal Theatre
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI in The Barbarian Nights by Pierangela Flisi.
Running Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes (including intermission)
Residencies A chat with resident artists Alexis Fletcher and Arash Khakpour
Livestream
Return to the Royal
Footnotes Sponsor
2 Footnotes • Issue 70 • Winter 2022
Dance Victoria brings the World’s Best Dance to the Royal Theatre 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 Scene Silver Linings BY STEPHEN WHITE
Dance Victoria Board: Susan K.E. Howard
Vice President
Robert Millar
Secretary
Kayleigh Harrison
Treasurer
Julie Robinson
Directors
Colette Baty Maggie Bartold Frances Grunberg Stacey Horton Carrie Smart
Staff: Executive Producer Stephen White General Manager
Bernard Sauvé
Operations Manager Shireen McNeilage Marketing Manager
Tracy Smith
Studios & Admin Assistant
Kiera Shaw
Accounting
Wendy Mahon
Production Manager Holly Vivian 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).
SOMETIMES SILVER LININGS don’t immediately reveal themselves. It’s only upon reflection that you can trace how something you did a couple years ago, triggered a chain reaction and voilà, here you are today with the silver lining fully manifested. Specifically, I‘m writing about the Rough Cuts programming at our studios on Saturday and Sunday, January 29 and 30 featuring informal works-in-progress by five Dance Victoria resident artists/collectives. In 2020 and 2021, we made a significant investment in residencies. We’ve been providing artists with free access to our studios for some years, but in 2020 when the pandemic lockdown pushed independent dance artists to the brink, we matched free studio time with cash support. It has been a game changer. The additional resource enabled our resident artists to pay themselves and their collaborators during their creation period. In some cases, the money we provided leveraged additional funding from the Canada Council or the BC Arts Council. The unexpected consequence is that this new robust residency program accomplished a longterm goal for Dance Victoria. Since moving into our current premises in 2010, it has been a dream that one day we could call ourselves a choreographic centre and mean it. Today we can. On January 29 and 30, we’re really excited to invite you to see first-hand how this support for local artists has spurred the development of rich, diverse practices right here in Victoria, that we’re all very proud to have facilitated. In other studio news: Support from the City of Victoria and Canadian Heritage, has supported an upgrade to our Vernon Studio making it easily transformable so it can be used as a film studio. Powerful new LED lights in the air, a new lighting console, curtains on tracks that can be whisked around the room to cover the mirrors and sound upgrades. In the first months after the lockdown, without access to performance spaces or even studios, dancers turned on their cameras and started making dance films. In a very short time, these films got much more sophisticated. We’re happy to support the screen dance movement by providing a state-of-theart venue. This is a silver lining will be around for a long time. Like we said to each other at Dance Victoria at the beginning of the pandemic, “Never waste a crisis!” Looks like we made out okay. FN
Dance Victoria Studios and the Royal Theatre are situated on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen speaking Esquimalt and Songhees Nations whose people have lived and danced on this land for thousands of years.
Successful Virtual Nutcracker About 1,000 households had access to the free Nutcracker film by Ballet Memphis from December 9 through December 12, 2021, presented in partnership with the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society. We were thrilled to be able to offer this gift to our community to kick off the holiday season.
Photos: Stephen White by Tracy Smith.
President
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Celebrating our Return to the Royal & 25th Anniversary
As always, we like to remind you of these tips:
Welcome back everyone — to both returning and new subscribers! We’re so looking forward to seeing you again and our incredible season at the Royal Theatre. The safety of our patrons, artists, and staff is always our first priority, and that responsibility informs every aspect of our planning. A visit to the Royal Theatre provides an opportunity to gather and celebrate the best of live dance and doing so safely requires careful attention to important health and safety measures. We encourage you to visit the Royal and McPherson Theatre website (rmts.bc.ca) for the most up-to-date safety guidelines and to learn what they are doing to keep you safe while attending theatre events. In addition, Dance Victoria recommends the following to make your theatre experience safe and enjoyable: 1. Plan ahead: Arrive early. Have your vaccine passport and ID ready to go. Check your coat, find your seat, and visit the washrooms prior to the show. Late arrivals cannot be accommodated due to social distancing protocols. 2. Tickets: Consider printing your theatre tickets at home or pick them up in advance to avoid line-ups. 3. Drinks: Pre-ordered beverage service is available for physically distanced pick-up. 4. Up-to-date communications: To support our ability to keep you safe, please ensure we have a valid email address on file so that we can keep you informed as our protocols evolve in response to guidance from public health authorities. Please see RMTS’ most recent public health information and protocols. 5. Refunds: See RMTS’ COVID-19 ticket policy, what to do if you are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, or in the event we are unable to offer the presentation.
1. Scent-free policy. Many patrons are allergic or very sensitive to scents, such as experiencing respiratory difficulties, skin problems and neurological symptoms upon exposure. Please refrain from wearing scents of any kind (perfume, smoke, etc.) and consider alternatives that are scent-free and smoke-free. 2. Your contact details. Let us know if we’ve misspelled your name or if there’s something’s wrong with your contact details. Call 250-595-1829 or email info@dancevictoria.com. 3. No recording/photos. Silence your cell phones and no photos or recording of any part of the show is allowed in the theatre. 4. Show your appreciation. Please remain by your seat until the dancers are finished taking their bows. 5. Extra tickets at a discounted price. You can buy extra tickets to any show and get the subscriber price (close to 20% off regular prices). 6. Ages 12 and up. Our shows are recommended for audience members who are 12 years of age or older. Subscribers receive updates about studio events such as Rough Cuts (works in progress in our studios) and pre-show chats for our Dance at the Royal series. To minimize admin costs and maximize the fees that we pay artists, we do this by email, so please send your email to info@dancevictoria.com and tell us that you’d like to be included in our updates. We will not trade or sell your contact information and you can unsubscribe at any time. You can also have this newsletter emailed to you rather than sent by mail.
Night Moves
Pre-Show Chats FREE to All Ticket Holders Presented by
PO ST PO NE D
Hervé Koubi by Véronique Chochon & Guillaume Gabriel courtesy of the artist
Generously underwritten by an anonymous donor
Dr. Allana Lindgren is BACK! Join us for free pre-show chats at 6:50 p.m. prior to our shows at the Royal Theatre. On February 4 and 5, Artistic Director Hervé Koubi and Company Manager Guillaume Gabriel will discuss Compagnie Hervé KOUBI from France/Algeria and the evening’s program, The Barbarian Nights. Dr. Allana Lindgren, Acting Dean of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria, will facilitate the discussion.
Culture. Conversations. Cocktails. Unforgettable experiences in rare places at one low price. Looking for an exceptional night out with friends? Night Moves, for 30-to-45 year olds, delivers a complete evening out starting with discounted tickets to our Dance at the Royal Series performance at the Royal Theatre followed by a reception with appetizers in the theatre lobby where you can meet the dancers that just performed on stage! The best deal is a three-show membership, but single Night Moves tickets are also available! Proof of age required. DanceVictoria.com
Pay Your Age Sponsored by
Our popular Pay Your Age is open to anyone aged 12 to 29. A limited number of Pay Your Age tickets are available for each performance so act quickly. Pay Your Age tickets are subject to a $5 Royal and McPherson Box Office fee. 250-386-6121. Phone and walk-up orders only. Proof of age required.
4 Footnotes • Issue 70 • Winter 2022
Discovering Common Ground Catching Up with Artists in Residence Alexis Fletcher and Arash Khakpour
How was Forugh Farrokhzad a catalyst for your artistic collaboration? Alexis Fletcher: I’m really captivated by Farrokhzad’s poetry. I felt a need to create something in response to her poetry and I knew that to do this successfully and respectfully I needed and wanted to collaborate with Persian artists. It felt natural to open a conversation with Arash, who I have always respected so much as an artist, especially since we had both expressed interest in working with one another. Arash Khakpour: I began reading Farrokhzad’s poetry at around age 10, far too young really to be reading such dark poetry, but she is one of the most beloved Iranian poets and known for her vulnerable and brave poems. What will you be working on during your residency at Dance Victoria? Alexis: We’ll be at Dance Victoria Studios in early May. So far, we’ve had one early research week and two days in the studio for this current phase. We’re doing a lot of improvising because we haven’t danced together before. One of our many explorations is to read Farrokhzad’s poems and then get up and move. Her strong images inspire
movement. Essentially, we’re collecting images and scenes through our improvisation. Some metaphors and movement sequences are coming up. Arash: A central theme that has surfaced is world views. We’ve discussed what it might have been like for Farrokhzad to live, trying to connect to the world and survive. Living in North America seems so separate from her experience, but when we take a different perspective, we can also see similarities because she is talking about the complexities of humanity. What role does translation have in your creation process so far? Alexis: The poems have been translated from Farsi (modern Persian language) to English, and we are working with both the original and English texts to create movement. We are curious about how we can use the practice of duet, including our partnership as performers, as a vehicle of exploration of “self and other,” and how this project can be a platform for this resonant conversation. This translation from one culture to another creates a transparency and empathy not only for Forugh, but for how many universal aspects there are to being human beings. Dance is a powerful and distinct tool for communication and connection. In this way, we hope our project becomes a symbol for what is possible across languages, cultures, and artistic disciplines while also involving us, the artists, directly in a felt experience and practice of these possibilities. The act of translating peels away veils of difference. Arash: Yes, I agree. It really reinforces that we are all human beings with a common ground despite sometimes drastic experiential differences,
Alexis Fletcher photo by Sylvain Senez. Arash Khakpour photo by Iman Emadian.
Alexis Fletcher and Arash Khakpour crossed paths frequently at the Dance Centre and had seen one another’s work, but it wasn’t until December 2021 that they began creating together. Forugh Farrokhzad, known as the “rebel poet of Iran” before her untimely death at age 33, brought them together.
DanceVictoria.com • 5
and Alexis and I, too, are finding a common ground together as dancers during this creation. We’re completely open to coming together, collaborating and seeing what happens. Alexis: We will also be collaborating with Nargess Jalali Delia, (Instagram @nargesspersianpoetryart) a Canadian-Persian visual artist in Vancouver, and hope to exhibit her work in some form with the final piece. You both have been resident artists and been presented by Dance Victoria at different times in your dance careers. How has your relationship with Dance Victoria evolved? Alexis: Dance Victoria has presented my work for two Dance Days Rough Cuts performances, and I’ve been an artist in residence twice. I appreciate how Dance Victoria builds long relationships with its resident artists. Both the artist and Dance Victoria then has the opportunity to invest in one another’s visions. There’s belief and support in what we are doing. Victoria now feels familiar; I can dive into creation right away when I’m there.
assemble poster photo credit: Jon McRae. Arash Khakpour in Orangutang by Luciana D’Anunciação.
Arash: Back in 2013, Stephen saw Cain & Abel at Dancing on the Edge and we actually premiered it in Victoria that year along with The Melon Piece, inspired by Clockwork Orange. Through the Chrystal Dance Prize, I’ve had the opportunity to go to Sweden, and I’ve had two residencies. Emmalena Friederickson and I performed untitled distances for a Dance Days Rough Cut, which has now grown into an ensemble piece for seven dancers.
Alexis, tell us about assemble, premiering at the Scotiabank Dance Centre from January 13 to 15, presented by Ballet BC. Alexis: assemble is my first full-length solo. I created the majority of it at Dance Victoria Studios during the summer of 2020. It’s a very personal, contemplative work. I wrote the voiceover text and it evolved as a solo because of COVID. I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to work with Susan Elliott during my time at Dance Victoria. Susan has a wonderful eye; her feedback was just what I needed. assemble focuses on how the sharing of our individual, personal stories can and should encourage others to reflect on their own. The choreography, text, set design and projected films explore memory, loss, and the capacity of human beings to voyage inward. It’s also about finding in oneself reserves of hope, joy, and personal growth even in times of struggle. Arash, tell us about Orangutang, a work you performed this past December in Vancouver. Arash: Orangutang is a full-length solo that was performed in partnership with Dance in Vancouver for nine shows (small audiences because of COVID and the nature of the set design) in Nov/Dec 2021. The performance is rooted in my memories of practicing the Shia Muslim ritual of self-flagellation as a young boy. Orangutang (Malay for ‘the man of the forest’) is my way of processing this memory; mourning the loss of my innocence and the innocence of others; and my attempt at compassion towards the external world. FN
Tickets for assemble: eventbrite.ca/e/assembletickets-210073654957 Trailer: vimeo.com/649327610 You can learn more about Alexis Fletcher at alexisfletcher.ca and Arash Khakpour at bitingschool.com
6 Footnotes • Issue 70 • Winter 2022
Free classes Thursday, January 20 to Sunday, January 30, 2022 It’ll move you for 10 days in January!
Dance Days is a unique city-wide 10-day celebration of dance with virtual workshops, performances, conversations and the chance to experience free dance classes. Local studios offer free adult dance classes in a variety of styles:
afrobeat, seated dance, flamenco, ballet, efunk and more. Look for the complete online calendar of classes at DanceVictoria.com. Make your New Year’s resolution to try something new with Dance Days 2022!
Images courtesy of Dance Days participants.
DANCE DAYS SPECIAL EVENTS THURSDAY, JANUARY 20 • 7:30 PM • MARY WINSPEAR CENTRE Choreographer: Helen Walkley Performers: Josh Martin, Billy Marchenski • Composer: James Maxwell John is a memoir of Helen Walkley’s oldest brother John who disappeared from Vancouver in May 1969, never to be heard from again. Walkley sourced from family letters dating from 1959 to 2010, which document the years leading up to his disappearance, his medical history, and the subsequent tracking her parents did of his disappearance. Helen Walkley is a Vancouver contemporary dance artist who has lived and worked in the Netherlands, Germany and the U.S. She is a certified Laban Movement Analyst and has an MFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from SFU. Tickets: marywinspear.ca or call the Mary Winspear Box Office: 250-656-0275 (Monday–Friday 9:30am–5:00pm /Closed 12:00pm–1:00pm)
John by Chris Randle.
John // CONTEMPORARY//VANCOUVER
DanceVictoria.com • 7
ROUGH CUTS: PRODUCER’S SELECTION Attend in-person or livestream from the comfort of your home five new works-in-progress by some of Dance Victoria’s 2021/22 Resident Artists. Performances are approximately 20 minutes with a 15-minute talk-back with the artists. Note: We are pleased to offer these performances for free, but we also encourage donations to continue to feed the development of new work. Limited seating at Dance Victoria Studios. Visit DanceVictoria.com for details and RSVP to reserve your seat or receive a link for livestreaming.
A Hidden Playground THURSDAY, JANUARY 27 • 11:45 AM–12:30 PM Choreographer: Kiera Shaw • Performer: Sophie Dow Inspired by embodied experiences of physical and imagined adventures, A Hidden Playground examines the position of a “rogue traveler.” By placing the interpreter in various literal and figurative images, the work has a silent, momentous strength, intentionally provoking the imagination to navigate surreal or supernatural experiences. Winnipeg-born Sophie Dow is a multidisciplinary creative, inspired by dance, music, collaboration and her Métis-Assiniboine and settler roots. An avid adventurer, Sophie has a passion for busking, yoga and traveling on top of holding a degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from York University. Sophie has had the great fortune of working with some of the country’s wonderful dance innovators, including Chimera Dance Theatre and Kaeja d’Dance. Presently Sophie is Artistic Associate of Chimera Dance Theatre, writes music with The Honeycomb Flyers, and is a licensed practitioner of Traditional Thai Massage. A lifelong learner and traveller, Kiera has sought to expand her training through festivals and programs including TransFormation Danse (Montreal), ImPulsTanz International Dance Festival (Vienna), Batsheva’s Gaga Intensives (Tel Aviv), HASADNA (Tel Aviv), and Vertigo Dance Company Masterclass (Jerusalem). She has worked with choreographers Kathy Lang, Tracey Norman, Michelle Silagy, Julia Sasso, Susan Lee, and Holly Small. Kiera is the Studios and Administrative Assistant at Dance Victoria. Want to attend? Register at DanceVictoria.com and click Calendar for the January 27 listing.
Community Dance Discussion (Virtual) SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 • 11:00 AM–12:30 PM Free An opportunity to check in with one another and learn what our local dance community is up to as we emerge from the pandemic. We’ll hear from an Indigenous artist, learn about their projects and their approach to creation. Attended by local dance artists and visiting dance presenters, this roundtable promises to provide unique insights into the life of a dance artist. This is a virtual event, and you need to register in advance to receive the link. Want to attend? Register at DanceVictoria.com and click Calendar for the January 29 listing for the Community Dance Discussion.
Sophie Dow by Nikky Waug; artist discussion by Tracy Smith; Kayla Henry courtesy of the artist.
Luminaries (working title) SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 • 8:00–8:45 PM Choreographer & Performers: Kayla Henry (she/her), Alia Saurini (she/her) Musician/Collaborator: Finley Rose (they/them) • Mentor: Constance Cooke (she/her) Kayla Henry’s new contemporary dance duet is inspired by mycelium, a network of underground fungal threads which act as a communication system for mushrooms. Mycelium is analogous to our own mammalian nervous system. As the two are inherently linked, our survival depends on them. Kayla received her professional training from The School of Contemporary Dancers (Winnipeg) where she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts. She performed with Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers for three seasons as well as in works by Rachel Browne, Ming Hon, and Odette Heyn (Winnipeg), Helen Husak and Sasha Ivanochko (Calgary), Paras Terezakis (Vancouver), Menaka Thakkar (Toronto), Constance Cooke (Victoria) and many more. Since 2011, Kayla has regularly appeared in works with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Kayla is the founder and Artistic Director of Noble Riot Dance Theatre (2021). Want to attend? Register at DanceVictoria.com and click Calendar for the January 29 listing.
8 Footnotes • Issue 70 • Winter 2022
Untitled SUNDAY, JANUARY 30 • 12:00 NOON–12:45 Choreographer & Performers: Lindsay Delaronde & Visible Bodies Collective Visible Bodies Collective will enact a collaborative process of performance creation that expresses and honors Indigenous and racialized women’s bodies, as sacred sites of memory, archives, knowledge, and wisdom. The collective will create a 20-minute improv and somatic performance to be witnessed and held by audience and atmosphere. Visible Bodies Collective, founded by Lindsay Delaronde (Kanienkehaka) and co-founders Cheryl Henhawke (Kanienkehaha, Seneca), Elowynn Rose (Metis), Nicole Mandryk (Anishinaabe, Ukrainian), is an inter-cultural, inter-generational group of BIPOC artists and dancers, who come from many nations and places across Turtle Island. Their core value is creating safe space for Indigenous women to research, create, and perform. Want to attend? Register at DanceVictoria.com and click Calendar for the January 30 listing.
Piña SUNDAY, JANUARY 30 • 1:00 PM–1:45 PM Choreographer & Performers: FakeKnot/Ralph Escamillan Piña is an interdisciplinary dance work that brings together a carefully chosen collaborative team of costume designers, weavers, musicians and lighting designers. As a way to dissect and express Escamillan’s background as a first-generation Canadian-born Filipinx, this new work contemplates the parallels between the body and piña—a traditional Philippine fibre derived from pineapple leaves. Ralph Escamillan is a queer, Canadian-Filipinx performance artist, choreographer and teacher based in Vancouver, BC. He is the artistic director of FakeKnot, has ancestral roots in the Philippines, and is fascinated by inquiries into what it means to be North American, especially within the context of cultural traditions, dance, music and costume in an increasingly interconnected global community. He is the recipient of the 2020 Chrystal Dance Prize - Projects. Want to attend? Register at DanceVictoria.com and click Calendar for the January 30 listing.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30 • 3:30–4:15 PM Choreographer & Performers: Kemi Craig, Lee Ingram, Tania Betiku The Spaces Between is a multi-sensory performance layered with dance, analogue film and digital projection mapping. Local BIPOC dancers express lived experiences based on projections that people and systems place on our bodies as well expressions of what we are trying to project and how we want to be seen. Kemi Craig is a film and dance artist living and working in the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territories also known as Victoria, BC. Within her practice, she investigates gender and racialization through movement and film installations. She has created work for galleries across BC and was recently featured in a documentary Dance Like Everybody is Watching by director Simone Blais. She is a graduate of the Emily Carr School of Art and Design with a Master of Fine Arts where she focused on embodiment, biopolitics, Afrofuturism, hauntology and film. Want to attend? Register at DanceVictoria.com and click Calendar for the January 30 listing.
High Tide Low Tide SUNDAY, JANUARY 30 • 4:30–5:15 PM Choreographers & Performers: Amber Downie-Back & Angus Gaffney High Tide Low Tide examines the erosive processes that shape and change objects and is embedded in a fervent curiosity of the idea of being adrift. How are we shaped by the erosive processes of our own lives? How do we find a home in the tide? Amber has a BFA Contemporary Dance from Concordia University and has performed professionally at Festival TransAmeriques (2019), Montréal Fringe festival (2018), Art Matters (2018), and others. Her creations have been exhibited by the Toronto Harbourfront Centre, Impulse Theatre (Victoria), Leonardo Institute, and Kalyx Collective (Montréal). Want to attend? Register at DanceVictoria.com and click Calendar for the January 30 listing.
Visible Bodies Collective by Dean Kaylan; Ralph Escamillan by Ben Owens; Kemi Craig by Cedar Coast Photography; Amber Downie-Back by Angus Gaffney.
the spaces between
DanceVictoria.com • 9
Dance Victoria News
Mary Spilsbury Ross Donates Artwork & Pens New Novel Gifts, donations and generosity come in many forms to Dance Victoria. We are so fortunate to be the recipient of a beautiful new work of art created by artist Mary Spilsbury Ross. Mary donated this gorgeous canvas which is on display in the South Vancouver Island Archives Room at Dance Victoria. Lia Crowe, familiar to many in our community as a talented photographer and flamenco dancer, posed for Mary for the original sketch. During the 1960s, Mary danced professionally through 11 countries in Europe and the Middle East before returning to Canada where she taught ballet, modern jazz dance and turned to writing. Her first publication, an international cookbook, Frugal Feasts, became an instant bestseller and led to a newspaper column that she penned for five years.
PO ST PO NE D
At Dance Victoria’s Annual General Meeting on Sunday, November 7, 2021, Board President Susan K.E. Howard, auditor Jas Dusanj, and Executive Producer Stephen White shared the auditors’ report and highlights from the organization’s 24th season in 2020/2021. The fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, marked the conclusion of Dance Victoria’s inaugural Virtual Home Season, a program curated due to the COVID-19 provincial health regulations prohibiting gatherings for live performances at the theatre. Approximately 750 to 875 people viewed each Dance Victoria virtual presentations throughout 2020/2021. The virtual presentation of Ukrainian Shumka Dancers’ Nutcracker reached approximately 3,500 people, with several schools and seniors homes watching the presentation in groups. Total revenues were $40,000 compared to almost $1 million in a regular pre-COVID season. At the Annual General Meeting, members learned that the Board of Directors and staff have revisited their three-year strategic plan with goals pertaining to financial stability, support for artistic creation, and audience development and diversification. The Board thanked Emily Zeng who stepped down as Treasurer and congratulated her on the recent birth of her baby. Dance Victoria is very grateful for her dedication, support and sound financial advice and analysis. Members elected four new Directors: Maggie Bartold, Julie Robinson, Kayleigh Harrison, and Carrie Smart. Directors of the Board continuing in their terms include Colette Baty, Robert Millar, Frances Grunberg, Stacey Horton, and Susan K.E. Howard now in her sixth year. FN
No Intermission Book Launch and Reading Mary will be doing a reading of her latest book, No Intermission, inspired by her theatrical career, the love of fine art, and years of family travel during Dance Days on January 24, 2022, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm. Visit DanceVictoria.com/calendar for details to RSVP.
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How to donate: Mail: Return this form with a cheque to: 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
10 Footnotes • Issue 70 • Winter 2022
Thank you to our Donors Dance Victoria is fortunate to have the support of many people. Thank you. It means a lot to us and to the dance community in Victoria. The following have donated to our Fall Donor Campaign. (October 1 – Dec 15 2021) VISIONARY
ASSOCIATE
Franc D’Ambrosio & Gwenyth Howey [RE] Brenda Eaton Sandra Lee, Mae & Yan Lee Foundation Adrienne Shaw [NK]
Anonymous x 4 Evelyn & George Andrew [NK] Nicole Ardiel [NK] Joan E. Athey Douglas Baer Maggie Bartold Sylvia Bews Wright [NK] Paul & Sharon Bundon [NK] Elena Buscher Margaret Cornish [NK] Jacquie Corrigan Donna Curtis [NK] Joan E Davis Allan & Jan Dong Mary Catherine Doyle Kit Filan [NK] Henny Fleischer Eleanor Gjelsten [NK] Barry Herring & Trish Shwart Barbara & Myer Horowitz Charles Joerin & Grant Sullivan Nancy Kenyon Mary Kimpton [NK] Nancy Kirkbride [NK] Janice Krieger [NK] Ben & Carla Levinson Erik Lythgoe Bob & Lynda Malpass [NK] Cheryl Martin & Tom Ramsay Lynn Martin Rod & Marilyn McCrimmon [NK] Sara Neely [NK] 2M Consulting Ltd [NK] Anne Moon Michael F. Morres Robert Moyes & Lynne Bain [NK] David & Mandy Niddrie [NK] R. Joan Penny Donna Rhodes Joan Ross Mary Ross Susan Ross [NK] Diana & Chris Sanderson [NK] Karina Sangha Justine Shore Judy Stewart Iris Thomson-Glen [NK] Jane Tice [NK] Josephine Wigmore [NK]
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
Anonymous Mavis Begg Douglas D. Durand Bill Graham & Helen McDonald Susan K.E. Howard & Gregory Krantz [NK] Vivian Love Robert Milne Bijan & Nasrin Neyestani Foundation Roy Nikaido Sheila Reid Jan & Diane Skirrow PATRON
Anonymous Colette Baty & Allan Castle Laurie Farley Irene Fizzell [NK] Kayleigh Harrison & Ryan Cole Lois McNabb [NK] Robert Millar Merv Porath [NK + BBC] Brendan Ralfs Carrie Smart SUPPORTER
Anonymous x 2 Ralph Durand [NK] Irene Fizzell Norah Garyali Mark & Diana Gillis Renate Grinfields Jennifer & Philip Hill Marnie Hill Charlene & Eric Kerr Kathleen McCann Kari McLay & Bill Myles [NK] Betty Molnár & Bob Wallace Joy Olesky Jean Orr [NK] Boyd Porteous Susan Snell Christopher & Randene Tolhurst Terry Vatrt
Ed Wojczynski & Diane McGifford Barbara & David Young David & Barbara Young FRIEND
Anonymous x 6 Niels Anthonsen & Sarah Bradley [NK] P. M. Bond Penny & Peter Brand [NK] Elizabeth Cornett [NK] Cam Culham Adrian Gibbons [NK] Margaret Godfrey [NK] J T Hefty In Memory of Laine Metz [NK] In Memory of Betty Wilkinson [NK] Allan W Jackson [NK] Sylvia Jarvis [NK] Beverley Knipstrom [NK] Marcia Knowles [NK] Dr. Whitney Laughlin [NK] Connie Lebeau [NK] Jennifer & Keith MacLeod [NK] Barbara Menzies [NK] Bonita Neri [NK] Betty Person David Poore [NK] Julie Robinson Gail Squire [NK] Brent St John [NK] Patricia Taylor [NK] Margaret Thornthwaite [NK] Amanda Vasilakopoulos [NK] Theresa Wickes [NK] Sandra & Michael Wiggins [NK] Frances Wren BBC = Ballet BC commission NK = Nutcracker Kids RE = Residencies
A big thank-you to these folks for their support! FN
DanceVictoria.com • 11
Chrystal Dance Prize Recipients Receive $44,000 to Support International Projects Dance Victoria is excited to announce the recent recipients of the Chrystal Dance Prize - Projects, committing $44,000 in commissioning support in 2022. Kevin Fraser (Vancouver) receives $36,000 for his dance collective, Immigrant Lessons, to travel and collaborate with dance artists/producers Margarida Macieira and Nicolas Ventura and other international dance associates at Meeting Point: Portugal. Fraser will use the funds to support an artistic residency at Performact studios in Portugal in July and August 2022. Kayla Henry (Victoria) receives $8,000 for her project Luminaries, which draws inspiration from mycelium, a network of underground fungal threads acting as a communication system for mushrooms. Henry will use the funds to support travel, research, and performances at the Arts University of the City of Vienna, collaborating with Austrian choreographer Christina Medina. More details are at DanceVictoria.com.
Spring 50-50 Raffle Proceeds from our raffle support the many artists whose projects are developed in our studios and then performed across the country and around the world. Tickets will first be on sale at the John performance at the Mary Winspear Centre on January 20, 2022. They will also be available at all of our performances at the Royal Theatre in the lobby. You can also purchase them online at DanceVictoria.com. Tickets are $10 each or a book of five for $40. With fewer than 2,400 printed, your odds are great, plus you’ll be supporting Victoria’s vibrant dance community. Draw: April 26, 2022, 2:00 pm at Dance Victoria Studios. Licence #130806
Chrystal Dance Prize – Training Application deadline: April 15, 2022 Applications for the Chrystal Dance Prize - Training are due April 15, 2022. This prize supports young western-Canadian dancers completing their training at an international dance institution. In 2021, Dance Victoria will award up to $6,000 for emerging artists. Applicants must be residents of western Canada and this prize only supports full-time studies (intensives and summer programs are not eligible). Dance Victoria recognizes that international studies may not be feasible in 2022/23 due to COVID-19. Applicants are given the opportunity in the application to explain how they can continue their studies remotely given current travel restrictions. Application guidelines and the submission procedure are at DanceVictoria.com. NEW in Spring 2022! Dance Victoria will also be awarding its first annual Arabella and Robert Award for Dance. Like the Chrystal Dance Prize – Training, this new award supports dancers completing their training at an international dance institution. Whereas the Chrystal Dance Prize is only open to western-Canadian dancer, the A&R Award is pan-Canadian. The application form and deadlines are the same as the Chrystal. Applicants can be considered for both or just one depending on their principal resident address. FN
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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 World’s Best Dance to our community. Maureen Vincent | maureenvincent68@gmail.com • 250-656-0131
Terry Moore | tlmoore@shaw.ca • 250-477-7291
John Melvin | john@johnmelvinproperties.ca • 250-477-7291
Dorothee Friese | dorothee@shaw.ca • 250-477-7291
Peter Crichton | crichton@islandnet.com • 250-477-7291
Rosemary & Gary Victoria Homes Team | homes@rosemaryandgary.ca • 250-477-7291
12 Footnotes • Issue 70 • Winter 2022
Return to the Royal Sponsor
Best seats. Best prices. The World’s Best Dance. Subscribers can buy additional tickets at Dance Victoria any time of the year and save up to 20%. DanceVictoria.com All performances at the Royal Theatre.
Next NEW! Visit DanceVictoria.com a week before our shows for a sneak peek of the program notes.
BALLET BC (VANCOUVER) MARCH 11 + 12, 2022 • 7:30 PM
BALLET HISPÁNICO (NEW YORK) APRIL 8 + 9, 2022 • 7:30 PM
Photos (Clockwise from left): Compagnie Hervé KOUBI in The Barbarian Nights by Frédéric De Faverney; Ballet BC in the REACHING U program - Bedroom Folk by Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar by Cindi Wicklund; Compagnie Hervé KOUBI in The Barbarian Nights by Didier Philispart; Ballet Hispánico in Tiburones by Paula Lobo.
Celebrating our Return to the Royal