Dance Victoria announced support for 11 (eleven) artists/collectives at its newly refurbished studios in Quadra Village. Successful proponents were selected for a request for proposals that closed on May 31, 2022.
“I am very pleased to see so many strong submissions from local artists,” says retiring Executive Producer, Stephen White. “I am personally gratified, having worked with my team at Dance Victoria over recent years, to contribute to the development of a vibrant local scene.”
This season, nine (9) local dance makers (and collectives) will be resident at Dance Victoria, joined by two (2) Vancouver-based collectives. In most cases, the local artists will work for a few hours each week over an extended period. By contrast, out-of-town artists will be resident at Dance Victoria Studios for a shorter time period.
In 2021/22, Dance Victoria was successful in receiving support from all three levels of government that it paired with a contribution from its reserve funds to undertake a complete refurbishment of its studios. Resident artists will have access to new state-of-the-art equipment providing them with the ability to play with sophisticated lighting as they build their new works. In most cases, the artists’ work will be filmed to be shared with an online audience and/or included in grant and festival presentation proposals.
The 2022/23 artist residencies include:
Amber Downie-Back will develop a series of video vignettes that map a brain filled with memories that can be incorporated into short-film and digital installation.
Senior artist Constance Cooke will be resident with a group of seven (7) dancers in spring 2023 to finish work on her newest piece Hope: The Us in We that will premiere at the Metro Studio in May 2023.
Vancouver-based artists Luciana Freire D’Anunciação and Kelly McInnes will continue the development of a new duet they are co-creating entitled Mouth to Mouth that celebrates animality, sensuality, biological cycle, and interdependence with all living beings.
Solo dance artist Jordan Dalley will work to refine her practice in an exploration of making ordinary movement meaningful and valuable in a new work entitled al.che.my.
Dance maker and popular local studio owner, Kathy Lang will continue her development of a piece that plays with light, casting one dancer in shadow while the other remains illuminated. She will also dig deeper into a solo she has been developing in recent months.
Kayla Henry (Noble Riot Dance Theatre) received a 2022 Chrystal Dance Prize from Dance Victoria to work with Vienna-based dance artist Christina Medina on a new work entitled Luminaries. Her time at Dance Victoria Studios will prepare her for a public presentation of the work at the Metro Studio Theatre in May 2023.
Dancer/media artist Kemi Craig will continue her exploration of dancers and film projection that she initiated at the studios in 2021. Craig will work with two dance artists and film consultants, taking advantage of the new lighting at Dance Victoria.
Local dancer/teacher Kiera Shaw will continue her training in Ohad Nahrin’s Gaga movement language, developing a new solo and additional choreographic works.
Lee Ingram is working on a new project entitled frozen candle (working title) and continuing her training in Butoh Dance with Vancouver’s Kokoro Dance.
Vancouver dancers Sarah Hutton and Aiden Cass will return to the studios to continue developing a duet entitled by means of each other that was originally commissioned by Vancouver’s Dancing on the Edge Festival.
Finally, Victoria’s Suddenly Dance Theatre will be in the studios this summer working with South Korean artists filming the third installment in their trilogy Lucky Maybe. The first two installments have played at international festivals engendering strong reviews.
Dance Victoria is providing more than $50,000 in fees and studio time for the residencies. At various times through the year, the public will be invited to meet Dance Victoria’s resident artists and see the above works in progress.
Dance Victoria’s Residencies Program is supported by the RBC Foundation – Emerging Artists Fund, Jawl Bundon LLP, D’Ambrosio Architecture, Canada Council for the Arts, Victoria Foundation and donors (like you).
For more information, please contact:
Bernard Sauvé, General Manager
250-595-1829
[email protected]