Dance Victoria Footnotes 77 (Fall 2024)

Footnotes Dance Victoria’s subscriber newsletter. ISSUE 77 • FALL 2024 Season Sponsor

Print and Marketing Sponsor

INSIDE: Interview with Kyle Abraham + Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker + Simran Sachar + more

Dance at the Royal

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Mixed Program Nov 15 + 16 • 7:30 pm Royal Theatre Special Presentation

Royal Winnipeg Ballet + Victoria Symphony

Nutcracker Nov 29, 30 + Dec 1 • 7:00 pm Nov 30 + Dec 1 • 1:00 pm Royal Theatre

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in YEAR. Photo: Chris Strong

Fundraising Event

IGNITE! A Dance Victoria Launch Party Nov 2 • 7:00 pm Luxe Home Interiors

Simran Sachar and Sophia Sosa in ACT TWENTY FIVE. Photo: Diane Smithers

A New Season of Dance

By Gillian Jones, Executive Director

As I sit down to write this first Footnotes of the season, we are one week away from IGNITE! A Dance Victoria Launch Party (Nov. 2) at Luxe Home Interiors, and three weeks from the much-anticipated Victoria premiere of NYC’s A.I.M by Kyle Abraham (Nov 15 + 16). As you can imagine, the office is buzzing! Auction items, donated by a record number of generous local businesses and community members, are stacked on every possible free surface. I am sharing space with four pieces of donated artwork, a vintage picnic basket, and a gorgeous tropical floral arrangement. I am genuinely in the middle of preparations!

Our Production Manager, the masterful Holly Vivian, is busy wrapping up final details with A.I.M’s team to ensure the company looks stunning on the Royal Theatre stage, while our Marketing Manager, Anne-Sophie Cournoyer, skillfully juggles media releases, ad campaigns, and interview opportunities for the company. Take advantage of our exclusive interview with Artistic Director Kyle Abraham on page 4 of this issue. I could go on and on about the care and level of excellence our small but mighty team is bringing to ensure this season will be especially magical.

The enthusiasm for every Dance Victoria season is palpable, and I hope you feel your excitement building as we approach November. Many of you have joined our now-annual kick-off event at Luxe Home Interiors.

IGNITE! and its accompanying online auction serve as a vital fundraising effort in advance of Dance Victoria’s new season. All proceeds support our Artist Residency programs, community engagement, and ticket access programs like Nutcracker Kids, Dance Is For Everyone, and Pay Your Age. The event also allows us to reconnect

with fellow dance-lovers and celebrate what is to come: another season of the World’s Best Dance.

This year, I’m thrilled that IGNITE! will feature a live performance by Vancouver-based contemporary and street dance artist Simran Sachar with live musical accompaniment by Sophia Sosa. While attending the Dancing on the Edge festival this summer, I had one of my favourite kind of moments: experiencing the work of an artist I am unfamiliar with – and being blown away.

Sachar’s ACT TWENTY FIVE is a visually-striking piece that channels contemporary dance and waacking, a dance form with roots in the ‘70s Los Angeles disco scene. The work features artists in two chairs, one facing the audience and the other turned away. After Dancing on the Edge, I approached Simran, hoping she and Sophia would consider performing a site-specific excerpt of ACT TWENTY FIVE at Luxe Home Interiors. I’m delighted she said yes! Guests can look forward to a unique performance set amongst Luxe’s lavish furnishings and in their historic bay window overlooking Yates St. IGNITE! will also feature an all-vinyl set by DJ Bill Stuart, house DJ at Friends of Dorothy on Friday nights (and a Dance Victoria subscriber); curated Wayward Distillery gin tasting and signature cocktail (created by bartender extraordinaire Anton Wilson from Magnolia Hotel) by Storied Wines & Spirits; wines from Emandare Vineyard poured by vineyard owner Mike Nierychlo; and hors d’oeuvres by local artisan suppliers. I hope you’ll join us for the festivities, and to support Dance Victoria’s programs over the coming year.

I’ll share one more story before letting you dig into this issue. A.I.M by Kyle Abraham has been on my programming wishlist for years. I first saw the company

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in If We Were a Love Song. Photo: Steven Pisano

perform at Ailey Studios in NYC while attending the Association for Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) conference in January 2019. The company performed a mixed repertoire selection of excerpts by Abraham, including SHOW PONY, DRIVE, and THE UNTITLED D’ANGELO PROJECT. Seeing the company in the intimacy of a studio — having the experience of sitting feet away from the artists (not to mention Abraham as he performed his beautiful and subtle solo work) — marked the beginning of a change of course for me.

At this time, I was a multi-disciplinary presenter in Edmonds, WA. A few weeks after seeing A.I.M, I would apply for the Jacob’s Pillow National Dance Presenters’ Forum in Becket, MA. Pre-COVID, the Forum invited 20 emerging dance presenters from across the United States to spend an unbelievable week seeing world-class companies; discussing timely issues in dance presentation with artists, presenters and scholars; and exploring new models for community engagement. It is not an exaggeration to say that the spark of seeing A.I.M at Ailey Studios, followed by my experience at Jacob’s Pillow, changed my life. I was inspired and energized, and I knew I wanted to present dance exclusively.

My deepest hope is that your experience of A.I.M at the Royal next month – in a jaw-dropping program that will include the Canadian premiere of Andrea Miller’s YEAR — echoes those early feelings I had in Ailey Studios. I can’t wait to sit in the audience with you.

With appreciation, Gillian Jones FN

Dance Victoria brings the World’s Best Dance to the Royal Theatre and supports the development of new dance for the international stage from our studios in Quadra Village.

Dance Victoria is a non-profit charitable society with the mission to cultivate a connection to dance by presenting and supporting diverse local, national, and international artists, and inspiring all communities through the magic of dance. Our vision is that everyone in Greater Victoria can experience the transformative power of world-class dance.

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 DanceVictoria.com/volunteer.

Studios and Office: #111 — 2750 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4E8 DanceVictoria.com for trailers, tickets and more information Box Office: 250-386-6121 Footnotes is written by Anne-Sophie Cournoyer and Gillian Jones (unless otherwise noted).

Footnotes 77 • Fall 2024 • DanceVictoria.com

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in YEAR. Photo: Chris Strong

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Exclusive Interview with Choreographer and Artistic Director Kyle Abraham A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Mixed Program Nov 15 • Friday • 7:30 pm Nov 16 • Saturday • 7:30 pm Royal Theatre Tickets: DanceVictoria.com or 250-386-6121 Choreographers: Kyle Abraham, Paul Singh, Andrea Miller Lead Sponsor

Dance Victoria kicks off the 2024/25 Season with one of the most sought-after contemporary dance troupes worldwide: A.I.M by Kyle Abraham. The New York-based company is led by Artistic Director Kyle Abraham, a Princess Grace Statue Award Recipient (2018), Doris Duke Award Recipient (2016), and MacArthur Fellow (2013) who who kindly answered the following three questions for our Footnotes readers.

Dance Victoria: We were fortunate to see your work Untitled America when we presented Alvin Ailey in May 2018. Dance Victoria’s audiences will be excited to see your creations again at the Royal Theatre this fall.

Does your more recent work share influences with this past work?

Kyle Abraham: They’re actually totally different worlds.

Although Untitled America and some of the works that we’re presenting for this year’s program were

Footnotes 77 • Fall 2024 • DanceVictoria.com

choreographed by me, the worlds that I’m creating or have created are totally different.

DV: Since A.I.M’s founding in 2006, you have choreographed more than 30 original works for and with the company. You have also been commissioned by a wide variety of dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The National Ballet of Cuba, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, and The Royal Ballet. How would you describe what is fundamental to your work – what elements are “signature Kyle Abraham?”

KA: I’d like to say that there’s a lot of humanity in the work.

There’s also a movement vocabulary that references a variety of movement languages and techniques.

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in MotorRover. Photo: Christopher Duggan

DV: Dance Victoria will present two of your acclaimed works: If We Were a Love Song, a series of poetic vignettes set to some of Nina Simone’s most intimate songs, and MotorRover, a silent duet. With music being so essential to one of the pieces, what was it like to choreograph a work without it? Did it transform your approach to choreography and movement in any way?

KA: I’ve actually choreographed other works in silence and enjoy doing so from time to time. MotorRover is a work inspired by Merce Cunningham’s Landrover. I wanted to focus more on movement…and creating a movementbased score rather than a music-based score. FN ABOUT KYLE ABRAHAM Abraham has premiered his work to international audiences and acclaim since 2006. He is the proud recipient of a National Dance Critics Award for

Choreography (2024 – Are You in Your Feelings/Alvin Ailey Dance Theater) and Dance Magazine Award (2022) among many other prestigious recognitions. In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Abraham has been commissioned by a wide variety of dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The National Ballet of Cuba, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, and The Royal Ballet.

A.I.M will perform at the Royal Theatre on November 15 and 16 with a mixed contemporary program that promises to transport audiences. The evening features two works

by Abraham: If We Were a Love Song, a work set to a tender soundtrack of songs by Nina Simone, and the stunning silent duet MotorRover. Also showcased are two A.I.M-commissioned works by rising choreographers: Just Your Two Wrists by Paul Singh and YEAR by Andrea Miller.

Pre-Show Chat

Join us in the lobby from 6:50 to 7:15 pm for a chat with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham’s Rehearsal Director Jessica Tong.

The company’s acclaimed mixed repertoire will be sure to generate an interesting discussion followed by a Q&A with audience members.

Pay Your Age

Night Moves

Your age. Your price. If you’re between 12 and 29 years old on the date of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham’s performance, you can purchase a ticket for the same price as your age (plus a small administrative fee).

This offer is also available for Dance at the Royal Series performances and special presentations of Dancers of Damelahamid and Shamel Pitts | TRIBE at the McPherson Playhouse. There are only a limited number of PYA tickets, and they often sell out before show time. Order in-person at the Royal & McPherson Theatres Box Office or over the phone (250-386-6121). Proof-of-age photo ID is required at ticket pick-up.

Night Moves invites audience members between the ages of 30 and 45 to experience all Dance at the Royal presentations at a substantial discount. Night Movers not only save money — they access exclusive pre-show Happy Hours with a complimentary drink, light appetizers, and special guests! Night Movers can subscribe to all four shows and save up to $188 or enjoy discounted tickets for one night only. Proof-of-age photo ID is required at pick-up.

Footnotes 77 • Fall 2024 • DanceVictoria.com

RWB in Nutcracker. Photo: David Cooper

Nutcracker Behind the Scenes with the Children’s Ensemble Nov 29, 30 + Dec 1 7:00 pm Nov 30 + Dec 1 1:00 pm Royal Theatre Tickets: DanceVictoria.com or 250-386-6121 Lead Sponsors

Did you know that since the first ever Nutcracker presentation in 1892, the work has become the most frequently performed of all ballets and has served as an introduction to classical music for young people worldwide? Moreover, one of the most exciting elements of Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s production is that a cast of 56 local youth will share the stage in full costume with RWB’s professional dancers, as mice, Mounties, angels, party children, reindeer, and polar bears. What a perfect way for the whole family to get into the spirit of the holidays!

The Nutcracker Children’s Ensemble will learn their parts from repetiteur Ursula Szkolak, Rehearsal Coordinator at Victoria Academy of Ballet (VAB) — also this year’s Children’s Ensemble Sponsor. We are grateful for VAB’s support in keeping this tradition alive, and for Ursula, who is hard at work preparing the young dancers to perform in such a grand production!

Sugar Plum Party

Top: The Nutcracker Children’s Ensemble. Photos: Tracy Smith. Ursula Szkolak. Photo provided by the artist.

Orchestra

Children’s Ensemble

“In my role of serving as this year’s Children’s Rehearsal Assistant, I’ve had the exciting responsibility of preparing over 50 young local dancers for Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker. The selected students come from various ballet schools from across our city, uniting Victoria’s dance

Sugar Plum Party

community around the shared goal of contributing to the magic of this production.

The chance for these young dancers to perform alongside seasoned company members — from the beloved party scene to the energetic battle beneath the giant Christmas tree — is truly special. In addition, it provides a valuable behind-the-scenes look at the scale of a large professional show. Through technical rehearsals, costume fittings, and elaborate sets, they’re offered a glimpse of what it means to be part of a performance of this calibre.” — Ursula Szkolak Note: You will see children of all ages and abilities in our Nutcracker audiences. The noise level and enthusiasm may be higher than you are accustomed to in the theatre, but that is what makes these performances special. Thank you in advance for your patience! FN

Nutcracker Kids Donate today!

Nutcracker Kids Campaign Chair

Join us in both lobbies for the RBC Sugar Plum Party, an enchanting pre-show event beginning an hour before each Nutcracker presentation. Enjoy photo opportunities with Victoria Academy of Ballet’s dancers in full ornate costume, engage in creative crafts, and discover delightful surprises that spark the imagination, adding a sprinkle of magic to this memorable family outing.

Footnotes 77 • Fall 2024 • DanceVictoria.com

Dance VIctoria is proud to support local children and families facing barriers to attendance with free tickets to Nutcracker through our partnerships with community organizations. With the generous support of donors like you, together we can make the holiday season bright for lots of Nutcracker Kids!

A big thank you to Julie Rust and Greg Phillips of Rust Phillips Group | Engel & Völkers. Please consider donating to Nutcracker Kids by calling Dance Victoria at 250-595-1829 or scanning the QR code above to visit our website.

Simran Sachar. Photo: Richie Lubaton

Simran Sachar. Photo: Diane Smithers

IGNITE! Artist Spotlight: Simran Sachar Nov 2 • 7:00–10:00 pm Luxe Home Interiors Tickets: DanceVictoria.com or 250-386-6121 Co-Chairs

Venue Host

Media

Wine

Chocolate

Event Partners

An exciting addition to this year’s IGNITE! A Dance Victoria Launch Party is a live, site-specific dance performance in Luxe Home Interiors’ historic downtown showroom.

Vancouver-based artist Simran Sachar (also known as “Simziez”) will perform an excerpt of her new work ACT TWENTY FIVE, accompanied by live musician and dancer Sophia Sosa. Sachar is trained in classical, contemporary, and street dance forms. She is a versatile performer and captivating anomaly in the industry, consistently working in non-traditional and ground-breaking spaces.

ACT TWENTY FIVE takes place during the final act of love: Grief. An entity moves across the stage in hopes to touch a garment belonging to the ghost of someone familiar. The piece explores the complexity and duality of relief and grief in a South Asian intergenerational household and considers how even after our loved ones pass away, acts of service continue to bring us closer to “touching the veil.”

Sachar’s work is channeled through the dance forms of contemporary dance and waacking, an energetic street style that emerged from the ’70s Los Angeles disco scene.

Characterized by striking arm movements and dynamic footwork, waacking has historically celebrated selfexpression and resilience among marginalized groups, namely the people of colour and LGBTQ2S+ communities that popularized the form. Originally, its movements drew inspiration from the glamour and drama of classic Hollywood stars, as well as the sharp, quick gestures seen in ’70s martial arts films. Today, waacking continues to evolve under the influence of contemporary dance while maintaining its focus on individuality, expressiveness, and storytelling.

Footnotes 77 • Fall 2024 • DanceVictoria.com

ACT TWENTY FIVE premiered in Vancouver, BC at the Dancing On The Edge festival in June 2024 at the Firehall Arts Centre. While in town for IGNITE!, Sachar will facilitate a beginner-friendly waacking workshop at PoleCoven on Friday, Nov 1. Thank you Stretch Dancewear, our 2024/25 Masterclass Sponsor.

“I watched transformations happen in real time, as she trusted her instincts and began reshaping the work. She has a beautiful balance of confidence in her choreographic process and acknowledges that outside feedback can bring to light new possibilities to expand upon.” — Heather Laura Gray on Simran Sachar FN

IGNITE! the 2024/25 Season

Get tickets!

Escape to the Oak Bay Beach Hotel for a one-night stay in an Oceanview Suite with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.

IGNITE! Online Auction Enjoy dazzling prizes and support the World’s Best Dance!

Don’t wait! You have until November 5 at 12:00 pm PDT to participate.

All auction proceeds benefit Dance Victoria’s artist support and community engagement programs. Don’t miss your chance to win exclusive prizes while supporting local artists and increasing access to dance in our community. Bid now! FN

Explore the Auction Catalogue

Featured Auction Item

Support Dance Victoria

Penthouse Cocktails with Shamel Pitts: Purchase individual tickets to this intimate soirée (max. 30 guests) hosted by DV supporters in their personally designed waterfront penthouse (hint: formerly owned by a beloved and local Order of Canada celebrity!) Mix and mingle in a sky palace with canapés, beverages, the company of artists and fellow dance-lovers, and accompaniment by a renowned local talent on our hosts’ splendid grand piano.

Our guest of honour will be Shamel Pitts, multi-award-winning performance artist, including a MacArthur Fellowship (2024) and the Doris Duke Artist Award (2024), and Artistic Director of the NYC-based Afrofuturist dance collective, TRIBE. Shamel will be in Victoria to perform BLACK HOLE – Trilogy And Triathlon at the McPherson Playhouse on February 20.

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!

Scan the QR code, or mail Dance Victoria a cheque at our administrative offices: 1112750 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4E8.

Donate today!

Footnotes 77 • Fall 2024 • DanceVictoria.com

Photo provided by Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Shamel Pitts. Photo: Itai Zwecker

We are over the moon about this year’s amazing selection of auction items. We have over 50 exciting individual articles and packages available! Bid now on a variety of unique products, experiences, and services generously donated by local businesses and community members to support Dance Victoria’s annual fundraising efforts.

Highlights include luxurious hotel accommodations, indulgent spa packages, and tickets to a range of activities and performances. To browse our online catalogue and participate, you will need to create a free account on hibid.ca.

ABIN Board members Craig & Rob with Deaf students & former student, now teacher, at Mahendra School & Dormitory dedication ceremony, October 2023

Another Brick in Nepal Sponsor Spotlight Nutcracker Orchestra Sponsor

Support ABIN

Another Brick in Nepal’s Projects

1

Victoria-based Another Brick In Nepal (ABIN) was founded in 2015 following devastating earthquakes in Nepal that damaged or destroyed more than 5,000 schools. As a registered charitable non-profit, ABIN has contributed over 90% of raised funds directly to helping rebuild and refurbish schools damaged or destroyed in the earthquakes thus making possible the construction of five schools since its establishment. Its all-volunteer Board of Directors takes pride in their hands-on, grassroots approach and work closely with local council and villagers to ensure their needs are met and money raised benefits the local economy.

ABIN has recently taken on a new project — its largest to date — the Kandbhari Women’s Safe House & Shelter. The facility will be the first of its kind in Eastern Nepal and is on schedule to be completed in March 2025. The building is designed with twelve residential bedrooms, including two suites for families, and isolation/patient rooms in cases where women or children arrive with illnesses. The facility also includes a kitchen, dining area, offices, counselling room, community meeting room, children’s care area, and more. Some women stay only a few days as issues are resolved or police cases filed, but in many cases, women need months before their next steps can be determined, and they can heal both physically and mentally.

To get involved or support ABIN’s work, visit AnotherBrickInNepal.com or scan the QR code on the left. FN Footnotes 77 • Fall 2024 • DanceVictoria.com

Bandevi School, Nuwakot Completed: May 2018 | Cost: $28,000

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Sharada Secondary School, Trisule Completed: May 2019 | Cost: $90,000

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Him School, Swachi Completed: May 2020 | Cost: $55,000

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Mahendra School for the Deaf, Khandbari Completed: April 2023 | Cost: $94,000

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Kharang Sharada School, Chainpur Completed: October 2023 | Cost: $62,000

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Khandbari Women’s Safe House, Khandbari Under construction; estimated completion March 2025 | Cost: $230,000

Next

NEW! Visit DanceVictoria.com a week before our shows for a sneak peek of the program notes.

Dance at the Royal Series

Plus

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham CONTEMPORARY November 15 + 16, 2024 • 7:30 PM MotorRover Kyle Abraham Just Your Two Wrists Paul Singh If We Were a Love Song Kyle Abraham YEAR Andrea Miller

Royal Winnipeg Ballet CLASSICAL BALLET + Victoria Symphony Nutcracker Nov 29, 30 + Dec 1, 2024 • 7:00 PM Nov 30 + Dec 1, 2024 • 1:00 PM

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo BALLET February 7 + 8, 2025 • 7:30 PM Mixed Program Ballet BC CONTEMPORARY BALLET March 14 + 15, 2025 • 7:30 PM ZENITH

Dancers of Damelahamid INDIGENOUS DANCE January 24, 2025 • 7:30 PM – ONE NIGHT ONLY! McPherson Playhouse Raven Mother Margaret Grenier Shamel Pitts | TRIBE CONTEMPORARY February 20, 2025 • 7:30 PM – ONE NIGHT ONLY! McPherson Playhouse BLACK HOLE – Trilogy And Triathlon Shamel Pitts

Compañia Rafaela Carrasco CONTEMPORARY FLAMENCO April 11 + 12, 2025 • 7:30 PM Nocturna (Architecture of Insomnia) Rafaela Carrasco

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