winter 2024
ON PROCESS
REMAKING DANCEMAKERS
How is the company reimagining its future?
NOTEBOOK CURIOSITIES
Peer into the pages and processes of three artists
BREAKTHROUGH
Conversations with Olympic breaking hopefuls
Display until April 30, 2024 / $11.95
contents
Volume 27 Issue 1 winter 2024
20
33
DEPARTMENTS
CURRENTS
POSTSCRIPTS
4 Masthead
W HAT’ S O N ?
REF L ECTIONS
10 Event Previews
5 Now Online 7 Editor’s Letter Left to right: Obeid and Rajha in Bluff / Photo by Mike Tan; Collantes / Photo by Jerick Collantes; Tomita / Photo by Rianna Logan On the cover: Tzeng / Photo by Suzanne Nolan Photography
25
9 Contributors
R E S E A RC H S P OTL IG HT
12 Access in Counterpoint
Aaron Richmond develops a tool for rethinking dance beyond the visual by erin joelle mccurdy
FEATURES
40 Building a Bridge From Human
to Machine
An artist reflects on possibilities of AI technologies in her dancemaking by anastasia evsigneeva H ISTORICA L MOMENT
41 Kababayang Pilipino
Exploring and sharing identity through Filipino folk dance by clara chemtov
F E ATURE P RO F IL E
20 Living in the Moment
Zaria Rajha and Mario Obeid process their experiences of war while spreading joy in the Calgary dance community by jenna shummoogum
ON THE COVER P HOTO E S SAY
25 Notebook Curiosities
FEATUR E
14 Remaking
Dancemakers
How do you become a nextgeneration, progressive dance institution? by dylan schoenmakers winter 2024
Peer into the pages and processes of three Modus Operandi students curated by lamont
TIPS
42 Connecting Creativity
and Physicality
How physiotherapists can be important collaborators by geneviève renaud POETRY
43 Taking Ballet Class as a Freelancer by stefanie leigh tsabar
Q & A
33 Breakthrough
Team Canada breakers reflect on their journeys as they pursue the chance to compete at the Olympics interviews by valérie herdes
ON PROCESS
REMAKING DANCEMAKERS
How is the company reimagining its future?
NOTEBOOK CURIOSITIES
Peer into the pages and processes of three artists
BREAKTHROUGH
Conversations with Olympic breaking hopefuls
thedancecurrent.com
3
Photos by Leif Norman, Sasha MacBain, Jeremie Warshafsky and Katy Whitt Photography
contributors
ANASTASIA EVSIGNEEVA “Building a Bridge From Human to Machine” p. 40
LAMONT “Notebook Curiosities” p. 25
For me, the creation process starts with research and requires time. I’m
Writing is a very meaningful part of my creative practice. I find that
a curious person by nature, and that’s why I always have a lot of ideas
there is rhythm, intimacy and imagery with both movements and
for new creations, and a lot of potential fields I want to dive into and
words that I enjoy bringing together. As a third-year student in
research. I believe that curiosity is something essential for both artists
Modus Operandi’s contemporary dance program, I am constantly
and scientists. While researching the history of dance and technology,
learning from my peers and feeling inspired by the multiple
I’ve been particularly interested in the relationship between machine
approaches that I witness in the room. I came to understand that
and human. Before artificial intelligence was developed, computers
for some of us, there is a vulnerability in revealing the content of our
were used as a tool to add layers of meaning to artists’ creations.
notebooks. Generosity and care are what hold together this photo
Now, AI offers not only another tool but almost another collaborator. I
essay; it’s almost like unpacking a series of small hidden treasures.
look forward to sharing with readers my thoughts on ways to integrate
I am grateful for the way our conversation sharpened my own
AI into the creative process while prioritizing human participation and
relationship to my notebooks and brought me closer to the artist
the artist’s unique vision.
that I aspire to be.
Anastasia Evsigneeva is a contemporary movement artist, dancer
Lamont is a movement artist and creator based in so-called
and circus performer, currently based in Winnipeg.
Vancouver.
DYLAN SCHOENMAKERS “Remaking Dancemakers” p. 14
JENNA SHUMMOOGUM “Living in the Moment” p. 20
“Reimagining an Institution: Dancemakers and Beyond.” This is
Learning about the creative process from Mario Obeid and Zaria
the title of the report prepared after a lengthy research period to
Rajha has been an honour and a privilege. I’m inspired by their
consider the organization’s possible futures after near-closure. That
story about expressing trauma and grief through art as a healing
title is something I kept at the front of my mind while speaking with
practice, and I’m enamoured with their process of improvising in
others and writing about Dancemakers’ transformation because a
dance movement with the feelings and ideas that live within the
process of change at this scale really does depend on imagination –
body. Their drive to realize their dreams of creating a space where
along with guts and a lot of good faith in the work being done and
everyone is welcome to dance with them is worth hearing about. It
the people you’re doing it with. In process, there is possibility, even
was such a joy to capture this compelling newcomer story, and I am
if (especially when) the destination itself remains just out of view. It’s
so excited to share it with you.
what keeps things going and growing, 50 years on. Jenna Shummoogum is a freelance theatre and dance critic Dylan Schoenmakers is a Toronto-based freelance writer and editor.
based in Calgary who has served as The Dance Current’s Alberta regional reporter. thedancecurrent.com
9
Remaking Dancemakers What does it mean to be a next-generation, progressive dance institution? And how do you actually become one? BY DYLAN SCHOENMAKERS
14
the dancecurrent WINTER 2024
Source image: Dancemakers company members performing James Kudelka’s unfinished business in 1984 / Photo credit Cylla von Tiedemann; digital collage by Lois Kim
feature
Participants from Engaging in Repertoire, co-curated by Tanveer Alam and Nithya Garg in 2023 / Photo by Akshay Moncy, courtesy of Dancemakers
On the homepage of its website, where
elsewhere you might expect to see an organization enthusiastically declaring its artistic mission, one of Toronto’s oldest dance companies is unusually indeterminate in describing itself. Instead of explaining what it is, Dancemakers describes what it hopes one day to be. “Dancemakers,” it reads in part, “is becoming a decentralized community-led dance organization.” Underneath that text is a photo from a 2023 event the organization hosted. In it, seven people are seated in a circle on the ground, with notebooks close at hand. There is a focused sense of direction: participants are looking to the right, where, at one end, a group member is speaking with their eyes lightly closed. The image seems emblematic of the new yet-to-berealized incarnation of Dancemakers. We are with you, it suggests. We are listening. We are ready to become what you need. How does a company nearing its 50th
anniversary become so upended that it must completely re-examine what it is and does? This is one of the contradictions of Dancemakers, a Toronto dance institution but one whose legacy and contributions have undergone fundamental shifts over its lifetime. In its early years, Dancemakers was a collective, before evolving into a more traditionally structured company organized under the vision of an artistic leader, which is how it operated for decades. Then, in 2014, the role of artistic direction shifted to one of curation: Dancemakers radically changed its organizational model to become an incubator, offering multi-year artistic residencies. Despite having a history that is in some ways an account of reinvention, there is a true precarity to this moment. The organization may have been around for decades, but that doesn’t mean it will continue; if it does, it won’t resemble anything it has before. Many in the dance community say it shouldn’t. This most recent and lasting inflection
point began in November 2020, when Dancemakers’ board of directors announced the company’s closure in 2021, citing rising operating costs and decreased support from funders and audiences. The dance sector was shocked not to have been consulted before such a consequential decision, and a petition to halt the closure pending further discussion was signed by nearly 300 people. As a result, the board stepped down and a new board of artists was installed, who were committed to envision some future – any future – for the organization. The new board made clear in its “Values of Transformation” that, without knowing what that future would look like, Dancemakers would have to operate differently: more transparent, collaborative and inclusive than it had been. Dancemakers’ identity crisis is not of a single organization but one of the dance and arts sector more broadly. What does it mean to be a next-generation, progressive dance institution? And how do you actually become one? thedancecurrent.com
15
breakthrough
A
long with the usual Olympic disciplines, the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will see the addition of four new sports: surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing and breaking. In August, 32 breakers from around the world – who will be finalized this summer – will compete in one of two Olympic breaking events (men’s and women’s). With the Games approaching, Canada’s national breaking team has
been taking form. It currently includes eight members, four b-girls and four b-boys from across the country, who all share the goal of competing at the Paris Olympics. Valérie Herdes spoke to four of Team Canada’s Olympic hopefuls to learn about their breaking journeys and their processes of preparing mentally and physically as they try to secure spots at the Games.
Jayson Collantes, also known as b-boy JC Fresh, is a breaker representing Unknown Floor Force and BreadCrumbs Crew. Originally from the Philippines, he grew up in Ottawa and now lives in Toronto.
Valérie Herdes: How long have you been breaking? And what got you interested in it initially? Jayson Collantes: I’ve been breaking for maybe 12 years; I started in September 2011. And it was my brothers who got me into breaking – and
my mom as well – they just forced me to try it, not knowing I would still be doing it today. [My brother] Mark started dancing, let’s say, a year and a half before me, and then he brought [our other brother] Jerick along. Things were getting too expensive for basketball (because I was playing basketball before I started breaking), so my mom forced me to go into our Ottawa street dance studio The Flava Factory and try a class. In the first week, I hated it, but then once I started getting moves and just being more aware of my body, that’s when I started falling in love with it. VH: What made you decide to pursue competing in the Olympics?
Collantes / Photo by Jerick Collantes
JAYSON COLLANTES / B-BOY JC FRESH
34
the dancecurrent WINTER 2024
JC: For me, it’s there. It’s another pathway, so I might as well do it, right? People complain there’s nothing in the breaking scene opportunitywise, but the Olympics are an opportunity that can allow breakers to make a living out of dance. So for me, I just took this as an opportunity to try to make dance my career. VH: When did you join Team Canada? And what does it mean to you to be part of the team? JC: I joined Team Canada at the last Canada DanceSport Nationals in June. Placing second solidified that I am strong enough to be part of Team Canada. And for me, it means more things will come my way. I’m looking forward to being able to represent Canada [and] what I see breaking as.
BÉRÉNICE DUPUIS / B-GIRL B-NICE Bérénice Dupuis, or b-girl B-Nice, represents the Legendary Crew, an all-female crew from Montreal.
VH: What has your training journey been like since you decided to pursue going to the Olympics? JC: I’ve always trained hard whether or not the prospect of going to the Olympics was there. Me and my brothers would always practise five, six days a week, so nothing has really changed. It’s just that now, in terms of training, we have to think about solidifying our combos or our choreographed sets, so that aspect of the training put into perspective what competition breaking is like. There are some freestyle aspects to it, but if you really want to move further in the competitions, you need to have combos or signature moves within your routines or sets. So that disciplined me in a way – I have to make this amount of rounds in this amount of time before this competition. In terms of training, I have always been physically active, so training-wise or stamina-wise, it was never an issue for me. But mentally, I have to make more rounds than I usually would, just to be prepared. Now that there are deadlines, I really have to put myself in an athletic mentality. VH: Do you have a favourite move or combo? JC: I really want to be able to do continuous elbow tracks. The first time I saw it, it was Lil Kev from Vagabond Crew – when I first saw him do it, I really wanted to be able to do it too.
Dupuis / Photo by Nika Kramer
VH: Olympics aside, do you have an ultimate goal as a b-boy or something specific you’re hoping to achieve in your breaking career? JC: I guess my end goal is just to continue breaking for as long as I can. Some breakers, they push themselves too much and their breaking lifespan becomes shorter. With that attitude, you’re putting yourself at risk and you’re limiting your longevity with breaking. So I want to be able to have longevity and also make an impact on the breaking scene, to be one of those people like Poe One [a dancer and teacher known worldwide for promoting the ‘Each One, Teach One’ philosophy within the hip-hop scene] and make an impact for the better of my community. I want to be able to give to the next generation because in Toronto the breaking scene is definitely deteriorating as time goes on. So I want to bring back breaking how it was in the ’80s.
VH: How long have you been breaking? And what sparked your passion for it? Bérénice Dupuis: I started breaking in 2003; my boyfriend at the time was a b-boy. There were many people breaking at my school, so I started with them. And what really sparked my curiosity was that it’s really well-rounded: it’s an art, but at the same time, it’s also a sport. It’s also a type of martial art. There is a community around it; there are other art forms surrounding it, like spoken word and graff. I grew passionate about the culture, the history. You can always explore something different: musicality, technicality, creativity. There’s also a theatrical aspect. It’s very rich; there are rituals. And it seemed like an art form that was closer to us in Montreal, and in Canada, because it comes from the Bronx originally. It also has a lot of depth to it; it’s very political. VH: What made you decide to pursue competing in the Olympics? BD: I just like competing because it’s a huge motivator to pursue dancing. I think that the Olympics might be a beneficial new platform for this art form, and I wanted to be present – I was just curious about how things would unfold for breaking. It’s really one of the first art forms to be put into a sport setting, so I was very curious and I wanted to be part of the adventure. VH: When did you join Team Canada? And what does it mean to you to be part of it? BD: I joined the team last year in August at Nationals. For me, it’s an accomplishment. I’m proud of it because I held on, and even though I do other things, I still find time to compete and challenge myself. VH: What kinds of other things do you do? BD: I have a dance company based in Montreal called Circul’R. We do choreographies with breakers. It really revolves around floorwork and around the language that’s been created by breaking, [a movement language] that’s huge and that’s a real revolution in the history of dancing. I want this art form to be in arts institutions, in performance thedancecurrent.com
35
poetry
Taking Ballet Class as a Freelancer BY STEFANIE LEIGH TSABAR
I stand at the barre every morning with a million dancers around the world and bend our knees. We roll out ankles. Stretch calves, backs. Slowly discard heavy sweats, lighter knits. Glance in the mirror, lift elbows, lower shoulders—tendus, jetés, frappés— The ritualistic meditation of predictability and grit. The sweat forming right before rond de jambes, the first sip of water as soon as they’re done. I spread my toes and all the tiny bones under my feet, steadying myself for the eventual performance. No longer right after class, or at the end of the day. In my new freelance life, it’s a few months—or, never—away— So, I wrap my torso and heart around the notes, let my gut initiate all the movements, as my arms flow and rush and pull. Press the air and move through imaginary sand. Right there in the studio, I share the candle that started burning at six years old. The one I blew out instantly. Not wanting to hurt myself. Or, someone else— I would churn my muscles into form, climb until I got invited to the holy place. But, minding the flame, keeping it low. Though, recently, now in middle age, I found a match and lit the wick deliberately. It flickers safely inside of me. You can see it twinkle in my eyes, from my fingers in arabesque. It glimmers around my shoulders, from my pores when I balance, turn, yearn for connection, expansion. It is Photo by Igra, courtesy of Pexels
in the emotional resonance of every step, every breath. It shines right through me when I dance—
Stefanie Leigh Tsabar is a poet and former dancer with American Ballet Theatre who is based in Toronto.
thedancecurrent.com
43