Editor's Note

Welcoming 2025 – A Year of Renewal and Reflection

As we step into the new year, we also step into a new chapter for Dance Central. You may have noticed a small but significant shift in our title—one that signals our continued evolution alongside the ever-changing landscape of dance. And who can believe it? Dance Central is now entering its 40th year of publication! It is an immense privilege to serve as the Editor for such a well-established and deeply rooted organization as The Dance Centre that continues to meet the needs of our dance community in British Columbia and beyond.

In this milestone issue, we highlight two thought-provoking pieces from artists who participated in Dance In Vancouver 2024. These artists not only shared their works in performance but have also taken the time to reflect and articulate their creative processes in writing, offering deeper insight into their choreographic methodologies and artistic inquiries.

First, Lee Su-Feh’s Touch Me Hold Me Let Me Go reflects on the search for collective effervescence through choreographic gestures that blur the line between performer and audience. Su-Feh’s work explores movement as a social practice and offers an alternative to the digital algorithms shaping our relationships.

Our second feature, Claire French’s re:group, takes us into the realm of choreographic sensemaking. Rooted in a desire to create a space for compositional thinking beyond traditional dance-making, re:group brings together a cohort of choreographers including Jeanette Kotowich, Simran Sachar, Virginia Duivenvoorden, Vanessa Goodman and French herself to engage in collective and independent exploration.

This issue marks Part 1 of a two-part reflection on Dance In Vancouver 2024. In our next issue, we will feature additional voices, offering a broader tapestry of reflections from participating artists. We thank all the artists who have contributed, and we welcome new writing and project ideas at any time to make Dance Central a more vital link to the community. Please send materials by email to editor@thedancecentre.ca. Here’s to 2025—a year of movement, renewal, and deepening connections!

Shanny Rann

Editor

Photo Credit: Lee Su-Feh in Touch Me, Hold Me, Let Me Go © Yvonne Chew