South Island Community Dance Archives

In 2012, Dance Victoria established the region’s first dance archive. Named the South Vancouver Island Dance Archive (SVIDA), the collection grew under the thoughtful leadership of a volunteer Archives Committee, including Brenda Jagdis, Vivian Love, Pamela Martin, Mary Ross, Pat Taylor, and former DV Executive Producer, Stephen White.

Over time, the committee collected, catalogued and preserved a wealth of photographs, house programs, press clippings and other memorabilia from the past century. Dance Victoria was proud to provide a home for this collection, with a dedicated gallery space made possible with a generous gift from long-time supporter and patron, Betty Wilkinson. We also launched a digital Community Archives site, in honour of Dance Victoria’s 25th anniversary, in 2022.

In 2023, Dance Victoria engaged Amy Bowring, Director of Collections and Research at Dance Collection Danse, to consult around how SVIDA was being accessed and utilized by the public. Following a year-long dialogue and thoughtful consideration by Dance Victoria’s Board of Directors, Archives Committee, and staff, Dance Victoria made the decision to transfer the SVIDA collection to UVic Library & Archives. With this evolution, we anticipate new opportunities that expand public engagement and the SVIDA collection. Our goals are that the legacy of SVIDA and its founders is preserved, and that Dance Victoria is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities our partnership with UVic Library & Archives creates.

To access the South Vancouver Island Dance Archive, or to donate your own pieces of dance history, please contact UVic Library & Archives directly at speccoll@uvic.ca.