JULY/AUGUST 2020
OUT OF STUDIO
Photo shoots during COVID-19
ANDREW NEMR
Vancouver Tap Dance Society
POLE DANCING Digging into the stigma
Display until September 2, 2020 / $8.25
Welcome to Tap Dance Land Andrew Nemr, artistic and executive director of Vancouver Tap Dance Society, is dedicated to conveying the joyful, yet painful, history of tap to the next generation. He believes a comprehensive understanding of the historical roots in slavery and minstrelsy, and the multiple identities within the community, is just as important as mastering the steps. by philip szporer
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Out of Studio To document dance during COVID-19, we asked three dancers/photographers to capture how they are finding inspiration within their walls and amid their furniture and possessions.
VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4 JULY/AUGUST 2020
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Why does pole dancing carry a harmful stigma that often places dancers and instructors in a degraded position? Kendra Guidolin digs into pole dancing, unveiling the layers beyond the controversy.
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How Do You Understand Your Work as Queer? Stephen Low speaks with three dance artists about their work: Robert Binet, choreographic associate at The National Ballet of Canada, who challenges the norms of ballet; Twysted, a ballroom dancer and community educator who has been at the fore of the resurgence of vogue culture in Toronto’s LGBTQ2+ community; and Hari Krishnan, a scholar/choreographer/dancer whose work merges Indian classical dance and western aesthetics.
On the cover: Marlowe Porter / Photo by Porter This page: Nemr / Photo by Bret Hartman
features
Spinning Around Stigma
thedancecurrent.com
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FRONT OF HOUSE 6 Editor's Letter Featured Contributors
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8 Online
WARM-UP 9 Movers Tango Soul: Performing in a pandemic by leah borts-kuperman
Tatiana Lerebours: An interrupted apprenticeship by dylan schoenmakers
14 Practice
Educators offer thoughts about teaching online
in every issue
16 Influences
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Reflecting on what the dance community has lost during COVID-19 by kathleen rea
The Inspired List: World champion hoop dancer Lisa Odjig
18 Body
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Training at home is not the same as in a studio, so take precautions to prevent injuries and maintain strength by blessyl buan
STUDIO TO STAGE 48 Reflections The role of the dance artist during COVID-19 50 Backstage
A note of encouragement from the Canadian Dance Assembly by aviva fleising
Ashley Rhianne / Photo by Iván Recuenco Photo courtesy of Canva Julie McLachlan / Photo by Stelth Ng
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feature profile
Welcome to
Nemr / Photos by Bret Hartman
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the dance current JULY/AUGUST 2020
Tap Dance Land Andrew Nemr brings tap forward by embracing the form’s joyful, yet painful, history by philip szporer
Andrew Nemr, artistic and executive director of the Vancouver Tap Dance Society, or VanTap as it’s popularly known, offers some sage advice: “Just dance from your heart.” He’s devoted to bringing people together, audiences and artists alike, to what he calls “tap dance land.”
thedancecurrent.com
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photo essay
OUT OF STUDIO
What does dance look like during a global pandemic? 24
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thedancecurrent.com
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backstage
FROM CANADIAN DANCE ASSEMBLY Right now, dance artists are waiting in the wings. Waiting patiently to reconnect, to welcome audiences, to catch a smile, a tear, a gesture, a laugh. We close our eyes, dreaming about returning to the stage again – safely. Imagine your first show back and what that will feel like. Like your first performance ever: sweaty palms, a dark stage and excitement! An invisible magnetic energy connecting both audience and performer. Even though we have been physically apart, we feel that connection now more than ever. We are bound by our commitment to the art form and to each other. We are finding ways to support one another and come together as a community from all over the world – and that has been our greatest dance of all. It has not and will not be an easy road. As weeks of physical distancing and restrictions turn to months, many of us are feeling an increased sense of anxiety and grief. We will be challenged in new and unimaginable ways, but we will find our path because we are resilient, creative and innovative. Until then, I wait in the wings with you, anticipating the beauty that will emerge from this collective experience. From the mud emerges the lotus flower. We too will emerge, shining brightly.
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Photo courtesy of Pixabay
by aviva fleising