Dance Victoria Footnotes 76 (Spring 2024)

Dance at the Royal Ballets Jazz Montréal Essence

April 26 + 27 • 7:30 pm

Royal Theatre

Running Time: 93 minutes (including intermission)

Ōkāreka

Dance Company

Mana Wahine [Powerful Women]

March 27 • 7:30 pm

McPherson Playhouse

Running Time: 75 minutes (no intermission)

2024/25 Season

Immerse. Imagine. Ignite.

DANCE AT THE ROYAL SERIES

A.I.M BY KYLE ABRAHAM NEW YORK

LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO NEW YORK

BALLET BC VANCOUVER

COMPAÑIA RAFAELA CARRASCO

SPAIN

PLUS ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET + VICTORIA SYMPHONY WINNIPEG

Nutcracker

Royal Theatre

DANCERS OF DAMELAHAMID

SḴWWÚ7MESH (SQUAMISH) TERRITORIES

McPherson Playhouse

SHAMEL PITTS | TRIBE NEW YORK

McPherson Playhouse

BOX OFFICE: 250-386-6121

DANCEVICTORIA.COM

SUBSCRIBERS SAVE UP TO $136 OVER REGULAR PRICES!

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham.

Photo: Alexander Diaz

Dance Victoria’s 2024/25 Season

Immerse. Imagine. Ignite

As I write this, it is the morning after our first-ever Season Reveal event — a pre-announcement of the new season to Dance Victoria’s sponsors and supporters. Our team has had a very busy couple of months with performances and events, but we are energized! There is nothing quite like spending months (in some cases, years) planning a season, negotiating contracts, designing marketing materials, and assembling all the various moving parts, in anticipation of sharing what begins to feel very personal, with the public.

I’m thrilled to report that the Season Reveal was a success. Importantly, it doubled as an opportunity to recognize and thank Dance Victoria’s biggest champions — the local individuals and businesses who so enthusiastically support the arts in our city. And at last, it’s official: the 2024/25 Dance at the Royal Series will include four internationally renowned companies hailing from locations that span from Vancouver to New York to Sevilla. We’ll also bring two special presentations to the McPherson Playhouse, along with the return of Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s large-scale Nutcracker, accompanied by Victoria Symphony at the Royal Theatre.

Our theme for next season is Immerse. Imagine. Ignite The companies within our lineup imagine, create, and invite us into their artistic worlds. In some cases, their visions are rooted in an ideal future, a fantasy, or a dream (in one case, a nightmare). The result offers a window into these creators’ inner worlds and is transformative.

The 2024/25 season opens with the Victoria premiere of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham (New York). In addition to performing and developing new works for A.I.M, Artistic Director Kyle Abraham has been commissioned by companies like London’s Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, and the National Ballet of Cuba. Our mixed repertoire program will include If We Were a Love Song, a series of vignettes set to Nina Simone songs; and MotorRover, a male duet created in conversation with Merce Cunningham’s 1972 ensemble work, Landrover

Next, we are delighted to welcome Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (New York) back to Victoria! The all-male comic ballet company graced the Royal stage back in February 2020 in a one-night, sold-out performance. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the company will perform a mixed repertoire program that is sure to charm ballet aficionados, alongside “those who don’t know a plié from a jeté.”

In March 2025, the beautiful and thought-provoking Ballet BC (Vancouver) will return to Victoria with a dynamic mixed repertoire program. For those of you who enjoyed Gibney Company’s performance of Swedish choreographer Johan Inger’s Bliss last November, you are in for a treat, as Ballet BC’s dancers bring Inger’s newest creation, PASSING, to the stage.

The season concludes with a Dance Victoria first — and a North American premiere. It’s an understatement to say we are excited for Compañia Rafaela Carrasco (Spain) to perform their all-female, evening-length work Nocturna The piece won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Dance Show at the XXVII Flamenco Festival of Jerez de la Frontera.

Our special presentations at the McPherson are intended to offer more intimate performances by creators who are innovating and pushing the limits of their respective forms. In January 2025, Dance Victoria presents Dancers of Damelahamid’s (Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Territories) newest work Raven Mother as one of four cocommissioning organizations. The acclaimed Indigenous dance company is founded on over five decades of song and dance reviltalization. In February, Shamel Pitts | TRIBE (New York) performs BLACK HOLE with a trio of Black performers sharing the stage in a narrative of unity, vigour, and unrelenting advancement.

I hope you are as excited about this new season as we are. Current subscribers are invited to renew your subscriptions from March 8 until April 5. On April 29, we’ll invite new subscribers to claim their seats! FN

By Gillian Jones, Executive Director

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. As a non-profit charitable society, Dance Victoria operates with the mission to promote the appreciation of dance by developing and presenting diverse local, Canadian, and international artists, and by engaging the community in the celebration of dance. DanceVictoria.com

Dance Victoria Board:

President: Colette Baty

Vice President: Brendan Ralfs

Treasurer: Joost Pelt

Secretary: Sarah Millard

Directors: Kemi Craig, Linley Faulkner, Marlon Murr, Philip Pierce, Carrie Smart

Staff:

Executive Director: Gillian Jones

General Manager: Dayna Szyndrowski

Development & Operations Manager: Shireen McNeilage

Marketing Manager: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer

Production Manager: Holly Vivian

Community Engagement Manager: Larissa Sharma

Artist Programs & Studio Manager: Kiera Shaw

Graphic Design: Rayola Creative

Advertising Sales: Bonnie Light Advertising

If you’d like to volunteer for Dance Victoria, please complete the online form at form at DanceVictoria.com/volunteer

Studios and Office:

#111 — 2750 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4E8

DanceVictoria.com

Box Office: 250-386-6121

Footnotes is written by Anne-Sophie Cournoyer and Gillian Jones (unless otherwise noted).

Gillian Jones by Jo-Ann Richards Works Photography

Aeriosa Dance Society vertical dancing at Paklenica National Park. Photo: Marco Lorenzo Blaslov.

Air Underneath Your Wings

Interview with CDP Winner Julia Taffe, Aeriosa Dance Society

By Gillian Jones, Executive Director

Each year, Dance Victoria awards the Chrystal Dance Prize - Projects to support exceptional research and/or creation between a Western Canadian artist, collective or company, and an international collaborator. Named for Dr. Betty “Chrystal” Kleiman and funded by a generous bequest to the Victoria Foundation, the “CDP” has awarded almost $500,000 to Western Canadian dance artists since 2010.

Executive Director Gillian Jones recently connected with Julia Taffe, Artistic Director of Aeriosa Dance and winner of the 2022/23 Projects award, to hear about Aeriosa’s recent visit to Croatia’s Adriatic Coast to realize their CDP-funded project, ADAPTATION. With Marija Šćekić and the dancers of Histeria NOVA, Aeriosa’s dancers and safety director spent 20 days in collaboration, coinciding with the first-ever international Biennale of New Movement (BNM). What follows are excerpts from that conversation.

Gillian Jones: Our CDP jury last year was excited not only about the impact we believed this collaboration would have on you as an artist, and on the dancers of Aeriosa — but also the reciprocal relationship with Marija Šćekić and the development of vertical dance in Croatia. How did your collaboration with Marija begin, including the concept for the Biennale of New Movement?

Julia Taffe: My partnership with Marija has been going for more than 10 years. There’s something about her integrity and roots in Butoh, and the way she does her work in smaller communities in the landscapes where she feels anchored, that has drawn us together. Both of us have formed collaborations with the non-dance community — for example, National Park collaborations.

I took a few years off dance in my early 20s when I moved to the west coast, and I trained to become a certified rock-climbing guide. At that time, I wasn’t sure I’d continue dancing. I didn’t know I was going to be a choreographer and start a company. I was just called to a different kind of physicality, a different movement. I see a lot of parallels between the art of climbing and the art of dance. It felt like full circle to share that with Marija.

The Biennale of New Movement was Marija’s baby, and we started talking about it together in 2020. It was during the pandemic, and we had just wrapped up a 5-year project called the Vertical Dance Forum. The forum was an international artist-driven working group formed by French choreographer Fabrice Guillot. Fabrice contacted seven

Aeriosa Dance Society vertical dancing at Paklenica National Park. Photo: Marco Lorenzo Blaslov.

Julia Taffe. Photo: Mark Morriseau

Aeriosa Dance Society vertical dancing at Paklenica National Park. Photos: Marco Lorenzo Blaslov.

Artistic Directors and proposed we support each other in the development and promotion of the [vertical dance] discipline. We all met in Ireland in 2014, and from there started meeting annually. We held professional development workshops and public symposia, and were able to do some publications, including a technical template for safety documentation for artists wanting to do this work. There was quite a legacy that came out of that. Marija and I had a synergy because the two of us had a strong connection to national parks, and to the mountains.

GJ: You’ve shared that landscape played an important role in the development of ADAPTATION, and my understanding is that shaping your work to the context of spaces is significant across your artistic practice. Can you speak to some of the challenges of working in Paklenica Canyon, and how the environment impacted your process?

JT: The Velebit Mountain Range is famous for strong winds. Everybody takes it very seriously. There are two prevailing winds: the Bura is a cold, ferocious wind that blows down from the mountains. It’s kind of a cleansing, drying, wind that focuses people’s attention. There’s another wind, the Jugo, onshore. It ruffles the Adriatic Sea — and it ruffles moods. It’s very disruptive. There’s a real local sensitivity to those winds. They take the words out of your mouth, and steal your breath. They force you into certain shapes, like the twisted krummholz trees you find in windy places - you orient yourself to the direction the wind blows. You have to adapt to the impact on your body while you dance; you learn to ‘root’ yourself, to let the wind flow around you.

As artists, we’re working with fabric and there are ropes tangling and you have to make decisions about safety. Is [the wind] going to blow rocks down the mountains? This is one of the things that makes vertical dance quite unique to practice. I was taught that traditional old trope,“The show must go on!” You’re injured, but you find it somewhere in yourself to continue dancing. After the show, you collapse, and you can’t move — but you did the show! With vertical dance, we need more restraint than that. If we don’t respect safety, there can be enormous consequences.

GJ: Given the number and scope of collaborators on this project — which included climbers, dancers, biologists, parks staff, and a visual artist (Sarah Fuller) — I’m curious, who was in the audience for ADAPTATION?

JT: Paklenica is the mouth of the canyon of a large mountain range. There’s a very small town called Starigrad there. The audience was a mix of locals — people who knew Marija, as she lived in that area for years. She actually made a film about one of the last elders in the community, a grandmother who was still living in her cottage in the mountains. Marija is the contemporary dancer in [Starigrad], so she’s always bringing something new to her community. That was one component. Then there was the network of park staff that supported us: the biologists and mountain rescue people. There were the climbers on holiday, and the hikers and trekkers and tourists who came to this gorgeous limestone canyon. Plus, we had schoolchildren because we did some workshops. We had dancers come up from the Croatian contemporary dance community. It was a really interesting mix of audience.

GJ: How would you describe the impact of winning the Chrystal Dance Prize to you and Aeriosa Dance, and similarly to Marija Šćekić and Historia NOVA?

JT: The metaphor “air underneath your wings” is apropos for my art form and practice. For us to be able to go to the Canadian Embassy in Zagreb, for example, and let them know our collaboration had won this award — which had both financially and energetically added so much — really helped smooth the way. It brought attention from national media. Two Canadian embassy staff traveled overnight to Djakovo, to attend our performance and workshop. The CDP gave us so much energy and momentum.

GJ: If you had to describe the experience of this project in three words, what would you use?

JT: Dream come true. FN

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED VIA ZOOM ON MARCH 1, 2024

Ōkāreka Dance Company in Mana Wahine. Photos: Alex Efimoff

Who Is Your Mana Wahine?

Ōkāreka Dance Company

Mana Wahine [Powerful Women]

March 27 • 7:30 pm

McPherson Playhouse

Tickets: DanceVictoria.com or 250-386-6121

Choreographers:

Taane Mete, Taiaroa Royal, Malia Johnston

Music/Soundscape: Victoria Kelly

Chant:

Tui Matira Ranapiri-Ransfield

Lead Sponsor

It’s not uncommon for the creative process to draw from personal experiences as a source of inspiration. Often, through the creative act, artists can arrive at a new understanding of themselves and of their stories that blurs the line between the personal and the collective. In Ōkāreka Dance Company’s Mana Wahine [Powerful Women], personal stories informed every level of creative leadership, from Taiaroa Royal’s artistic direction to Taane Mete and Malia Johnston’s choreography, to the all-female cast of dancers that breathe life into the acclaimed work. While Mana Wahine [Powerful Women] is largely inspired by the true story of Te Aokapurangi, a young Māori woman who was captured in battle and then returned home many years later to single-handedly save her people from slaughter, the prompt “Who is your Mana Wahine?” also guided the creators’ work. Here’s what some of the New Zealand company’s members had to say about their mana wahine:

Maria Munkowits, Dancer

“I would say my mother and grandmothers have to be the women I identify as mana wahine in my life. My grandmother Trix has passed away now, but my brother and I spent a lot of time with her growing up, and I remember her as such a generous and loving person — the quintessential Nana (even when we were young and naughty). Her husband died when my father and his siblings were still young so she would have had to have a lot of strength to raise them on her own in those days. The other, Pauline, is now 93 and still full of vitality — especially for such a tiny person! The last time I saw her we went hiking in the bush! I hope to be as resilient as she is if I get to that age… Of course, my mum is a very strong female influence in my life, and I rely on her a lot even now at 29. I would be lost without her! I feel blessed to have had them all in my life and proud to call them mana wahine!”

Nancy Wijohn, Dancer

“I am the youngest of eight kids, four sisters and four brothers. My mother and my sisters are strong wahine toa that definitely kept me in check and showed me love and discipline. They were/are my teachers. When I think of mana wahine, I do think of my dad’s great aunt Whina Cooper, who paved the way and created a positive and strong voice in so many ways for Māori. There are many strong wahine in this day and age. My partner Kelly is a wahine toa as a parent and friend, who teaches and supports me in so many ways.”

Bianca Hyslop, Dancer

“Both my grandmothers have played a big part in my life. They are from two very different cultural backgrounds, but both have the underlining qualities that define them as mana wahine — charisma, prestige, integrity, authority, spiritual power, and strength. These two amazing women have been highly influential to my life and have allowed me to dream bigger, better, beyond and to keep dancing!  Ramari Rangiwhuia Haslem (Te Arawa, Ngati Whakaue), Peggy Hyslop (London UK, Whangarei New Zealand). And my mother, Donna Haslem. She really is (as my father once described her) a ‘force of nature’. With such a strong and powerful wairua, she is beautiful inside and out. Thank you, mum, for all your love, time and energy, and for being my number one fan!”

Malia Johnston, Co-choreographer

“I am lucky to have many inspirational women in my life. From the age of seven, I had a Dutch family friend, Clair Leistra, take a hands-on interest in my artistic side, support that has been everpresent in my life. I invited her to be my godmother for my adult years, and she has been a huge inspiration. Mana wahine are alive, kicking and making strong impacts on my life, from family members, friends, to my family in Nelson, and work colleagues in the dance community.”

Dance Victoria presents Mana Wahine [Powerful Women] by Ōkāreka Dance Company at the McPherson Playhouse on March 27. The work explores many aspects of mana wahine, including strength and femininity but also aspects of the land and creation through the lens of Māori myths. Ultimately, the work is an invitation for the audience to ask themselves: “Who is your mana wahine?” FN

Top: Dance Days feature presentation Borrowed Time by Inverso Productions.

Photo: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer. Bottom: DV staff enjoyed a sweaty lunch break with a virtual Party Fit class by VeroFitness, a Dance Days participating studio. Photo: Shireen McNielage.

Dance Days Thank you to our Dance Community!

By Larissa Sharma, Community Engagement Manager

Dance is not just a form of expression; it’s a celebration of movement, culture, and community. And what better way to celebrate than bringing people together to share the joy of dance? Each year, Dance Victoria organizes the 10-day Dance Days festival. Local studios, instructors and artists submit free adult dance classes, workshops, and performances to the Dance Days Calendar. This year, 25 providers participated, translating into over 80 free classes and events for the community! Classes ranged from ballet to contemporary, belly dancing, ballroom, hip-hop, and roller-skate dancing, among many others.

Dance Days’ most important values are inclusivity and connection. At Dance Victoria, we believe that dance is for everyone, regardless of background, age, experience level, ability, or financial barriers. Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or a complete beginner, we aim to offer something for everyone, and encourage our community to step outside your comfort zones and try something new. Dance Days is much more than an opportunity to learn a new skill; it’s a chance to connect with others who share a passion for movement. There’s something undeniably uplifting about moving to the rhythm of music in the company of others.

Dance Days also offers a platform for local studios and class providers to showcase their offerings — and attract new students! Participating studios provide an accessible entry point for new students to experience their unique teaching styles, and a diverse range of class offerings. Many participants find themselves so inspired that they sign up for regular classes at the studio they visited. As one studio shared: “Participating in Dance Days is exactly what our little business needs to get us from ‘grassroots’ to being the more established business we want to be. Thank you so much for offering this! Next year, we will be offering even more classes.”

Dance Victoria expresses our gratitude to all the participants, studios and dance instructors who took part in this year’s Dance Days. We are extremely proud to continue fostering community through free dance and look forward to Dance Days 2025! FN

Dance Days 2024 Studios & Partners

Arthur Murray Dance Studio

Ballet Étoile

Ballet Victoria Conservatory

Broken Rhythms Dance Company

Canned Heat

English Country Dance Society

English Morris Dancing

Flamenco Victoria

Island Rhythmics

Maple Leaf School of Russian Ballet

Moon Dance

Out of Ego

Passion and Performance

Practice Studio

Raino Dance

RNS Dance

Roller Skate Victoria

Seda Dance Arts

Tapestry Victoria Harbour

The Beat Dance Studio

The Rising: Centre for Circus Arts

Vero Fitness

Vertical Performing Arts

Vibestreet Dance Studio

Victoria Academy of Ballet

Masterclass with Guillaume Gabriel, Co-Founder of Compagnie Hervé KOUBI. Photo: Larissa Sharma Larissa Sharma by Jo-Ann Richards Works Photography

Photos (clockwise from top left): Post-show reception for donors and sponsors at the Royal Theatre. Photo: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer; Dance Victoria sponsors Scott Elias and Darren Ausmus of Luxe Home Interiors and Lise Gyorkos of YAM Magazine with Gillian Jones. Photo: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer; Andy Stephenson of Sotheby’s Realty & Molly MacShannon of RBC.

Photo: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer; Gibney Company Director Gilbert T Small II, with Dance Victoria supporters Allan and Jan Dong.

Photo: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer; Dance Theatre of Harlem company artist Kamala Saara with Jane Hollis of Derma Spa, Season Sponsor for Dance Victoria. Photo: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer; Lynda Raino, Alex Del Angel, Daniel Lugo and Malpaso dancers Daniela Miralles and Esven Gonzalez. Photo: Tracy Smith

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Season Sponsor

Derma Spa

Lead Presentation Sponsors

Andy Stephenson, Sotheby’s Realty

Another Brick in Nepal

Cameron Izard Snell LLP

Cascadia Architects

Departures Travel

JB Lawyers LLP

Jones Emery LLP

Luxe Home Interiors

RITUAL Nordic Spa

Rob Tournour Masonry

Tulipe Noire Boutique

Turnabout Luxury Resale

SEASON RECEPTIONS SPONSOR

Tulipe Noire Clothing

RECEPTIONS CO-SPONSORS

À La Mode Consignment

Fort Properties Ltd

The Natural Hair Salon

Turnabout Luxury Resale

PRE-SHOW CHAT SPONSOR

DFH Real Estate Ltd

Become a Sponsor!

At Dance Victoria, we are fortunate to have a generous and engaged community of sponsors and advertisers. Sponsorship opportunities are available for performances in the Dance at the Royal Series, special presentations, post-show receptions, dance creation, and more! Benefits can include premium logo placement on Dance Victoria’s season collateral, website, and advertisements; complimentary tickets to performances; customized social media engagement; and verbal recognition from the stage.

Dance Victoria has another fabulous line-up of performances next season, and we’d love to highlight you and your business through these programs. A sponsorship gift expresses your leadership in the arts community, while achieving your philanthropic, marketing, and community outreach goals. If interested, please contact Development & Operations Manager Shireen McNeilage (shireen@dancevictoria.com) with any questions. We’d love to hear from you!

STUDIO CREATION + RESIDENCIES SPONSORS

DAU Studio

JB Lawyers LLP

NIGHT MOVES PROGRAM SPONSOR

YAM Magazine

PAY YOUR AGE PROGRAM SPONSOR

Toes ‘n’ Taps Dance Shoppe

NUTCRACKER KIDS CAMPAIGN CHAIRS

Julie Rust & Greg Phillips, Engel & Völkers

SUGAR PLUM PARTY SPONSOR

RBC Bank

HOTEL SPONSOR

Chateau Victoria

TRANSPORTATION SPONSOR

Helijet

IT SUPPORT SPONSOR

Mac Zen

FLORAL SPONSOR

Poppies Floral Art

CATERING SPONSOR

Little Piggy Catering

PRINT AND MARKETING SPONSOR

Fastrac Print & Marketing

MEDIA SPONSOR

Times Colonist

Support Dance Victoria

As a not-for-profit organization, we rely on sponsors, donors, and volunteers to achieve our mission. Would you consider donating to Dance Victoria? You can choose a specific program or make a general donation. All donations of $10 or greater receive a charitable tax receipt. Thank you in advance for your support!

Top left: the Hollis family of Derma Spa, Season Sponsor for Dance Victoria, with Gillian Jones and Dayna Szyndrowski, Dance Victoria General Manager. Photo: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer; top right: Beautiful arrangement by Floral Sponsor Poppies

Floral Art. Photo: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer

Up Next

Ōkāreka Dance Company CONTEMPORARY MĀORI

Mana Wahine [Powerful Women]

March 27, 2024 • 7:30 PM

McPherson Playhouse

Ballets Jazz Montréal CONTEMPORARY BALLET

Essence

April 26 + 27, 2024 • 7:30 PM

Royal Theatre

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Top: Ōkāreka Dance Company artist Nancy Wijohn. Photo: Alex Efimoff; bottom: Ballets Jazz Montréal. Photos: Sasha Onyshchenko