Co-presented by Dance Victoria and Impulse Theatre
March 28 + 29 | 7:00 pm (no late entry)
Dance Victoria Studios | 2750 Quadra St.
Running time: 50-60 minute experience
Program Notes
on the nature of… explores the intricate relationship between memory, nostalgia, past selves, and the act of letting go of once-imagined futures. Intertwining movement, projection, and sound, the artists create an immersive experience that invites audiences to reflect on their own journeys through time.
Three performers serve as “memory caretakers” who navigate the intimate act of holding memories. They investigate how memories evolve alongside changes in our lives, exploring how memory lives in our bodies, symbolic objects, places, sounds, and images. Through planned interactions, the performers invite audiences to make inter- and intrapersonal connections through the exploration and sharing of memories.
Once the performance doors open, audience members are invited to explore the installation space for approximately 20 minutes. Conversation is welcome at this time. Assistance is available in case support is needed. Once everyone is seated, the lights will dim and the performance will begin lasting approximately 40 minutes. While, audience members are welcome to leave at any point during the performance, re-entry is not possible.
The creative team would like to thank the people who made the materials and objects used in on the nature of… and thank the audience for their participation.
Please note, the creative team sourced recycled materials, where possible, and will donate unused material to second-hand artist supply stores.
Installation Map
To view the map of the installation, click here.
Map legend:
1 & 2. Interactive Station: lobby (open from 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm)
3. Interactive Station: accessible from the lobby and during installation (6:30 pm – 7:20 pm)
4. Video Projection: accessible once performance doors open during installation (7:00 pm – 7:20 pm)
5 & 6. Interactive Station: accessible once performance doors open during installation (7:00 pm – 7:20 pm)
Projection/Lighting:
- The performance and installation include:
- Bright and/or flashing lights and images
- Overlapping images
- Blurry images
Sound:
- The performance includes:
- Loud and/or harsh sounds
- Looping and repeating sounds
Content:
- Parts of this performance features audience-shared materials in the form of written and spoken text. Please note that sensitive topics may be discussed, such as death, mental health, discrimination, illness, etc.
Access Supports:
- There are sensory access supports available for audience use. These include earplugs and over-the-ear headphones, visors, and fidget devices, and can be found in the lobby area.
- Floor seating (cushions/mats) is available in front of the riser seating area.
- Assistance is available to guide audience members through the installation if desired.
*While audience members are welcome to leave discretely at any point during the performance, re-entry is not possible.
About the Artists
Creator/Collaborator: Movement, Projection & Installation
Amber Downie-Back (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and creates on the unceded territories of the lək̓ wəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples. Working with movement, projection, and other installation media, they are interested in integrating their curiosities through collaborative and process-focused contexts. Investigating the strange yet familiar places found at the edges of things and the spaces between, Downie-Back is intrigued by ecosystems of both the surreal and everyday.
Downie-Back’s lived experience with chronic illness propels them to generate intimate, interactive experiences that reflect the crip rhythms they prioritize while creating. Downie-Back’s multimedia artworks explore myriad combinations of what can and will be, challenging the perceived boundaries between process/product, and performer/audience.
Downie-Back has a BFA in Contemporary Dance from Concordia University and has performed professionally at Festival TransAmeriques, and with Impulse Theatre as part of UpintheAir Theatre’s fourth installment of The Array, among others. She has exhibited original creations at Toronto Harbourfront Centre as a featured performer for the Annual Healthy Dancer Canada Conference, and at Method Dance Society, the PIDC Project, and more.
Creator/Collaborator: Sound, Projection & Installation
Angus Steele-Gaffney (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist, performer, and sound designer working in myriad media, ranging from recycled object assemblages to bespoke audiovisual software programs. His work prizes play and interactivity using chance encounters, unexpected interfaces, and interactions between sound, touch, and movement. He is interested in exploring: relationships between organic and synthetic materials, forces of commodification and data-fication at work in the physical world, and the construction of personal and social mythologies.
Steele-Gaffney studied music and English literature at Concordia University. He has composed, performed, and recorded music for small bands, large ensembles, and a host of dance and theatre creators. Collaborators include: the Count Ferrara Band, Bradyworks, Murphy Movement, Impulse Theatre, and Constance Cooke, among others. Steele-Gaffney works as an arts administrator, workshop leader, and performance photographer, and develops bespoke open-source music and graphics software. He is a founding member of interdisciplinary events platform KALYX Collective and a board member at the fifty fifty arts collective.
Steele-Gaffney is grateful to live and work on unceded Lək̓ʷəŋən territory, home to the Songhees and Esquimalt nations (also known as Victoria, BC).
Movement & Installation
Emilie van der Waals currently resides in the Netherlands, but was born and raised on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten. As a contemporary dancer and artist, their work is inspired by memory, specifically nostalgia triggers. Collaboration is at the heart of van der Waals’s practice and she continues to explore projects involving live musicians, projections, fellow dancers, and installations. Van der Waals’s sight-specific works centre structural improvisation, somatically-informed and conceptually driven.
Van der Waals studied Contemporary Dance at Concordia University. Her immersive performance work I Remember How the Flowers Sound was exhibited in Montreal/tiohtià:ke (2019) and investigated themes of nostalgia using curated scent throughout the performance. She was featured in Nina van der Zouwen’s short film “When The Snow Melts” at Zingende en Beelden Festival (2021), and was a soloist at Festival Antigone (2023). Van der Waals works frequently with long-term collaborator, Julia Warren, saxophonic wizard & musician of many forms, performing various shows in venues throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. Their latest performance, Cretaceous Era Sea Shanties took place among the bones of the Mosasaurus at the Natural History Museum of Maastricht.
Dramaturg: Scout Heckel
Lighting Design: Kiera Shaw
Costume Design: Sarah Mercer
Special thanks to: Natasha Poon Woo, Tiffany Tjosvold
Production Stage Manager: Kiera Shaw
Lead Technician: Gordon Simmons
Assistant Technician: Nadia Myroon
Front of House Supervisors: Larissa Sharma, Shireen McNeilage
The creative team extends their thanks to Andrew Barrett (Impulse Theatre) & the Dance Victoria Team for their invaluable support, to friends and family who contributed to the making of this work, and to you, the audience, for your participation.
Message from the Co-Presenters
Dance Victoria’s Executive Director Gillian Jones shares: “We are proud to support Amber Downie-Back and on the nature of… through its early creation phases to today, when the piece enters its final stage: performance! This co-presentation, made possible in collaboration with Impulse Theatre, represents a full-circle moment. It’s also a reminder of the “village” of supporters, organizations, and funding needed for dance artists to create new work.”
From Impulse Theatre’s Artistic Producer Andrew Barrett: “We are thrilled to present the first production of on the nature of… by Amber Downie-Back in partnership with Dance Victoria. Amber is a cherished member of the Impulse community and a participant in our 2022 Dance Incubator program, and we are proud to see this project come to life. This performance marks a milestone as Impulse’s first presentation of a work by a participant from one of our residency programs. I join Gillian in expressing gratitude—this co-presentation shows what can be achieved when we say yes and trust artists and organizations in our community.”
Funders, Presenters & Sponsors
The creation of this project was made possible with support from Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Dance Victoria’s Chrystal Dance Prize and Artist-In-Residence Program, Impulse Theatre’s Dance Incubator, EnhanceDance, with special thanks to Scott & Anne.
Dance Victoria’s Artist Residency Program is generously supported by Victoria Foundation’s Community Grants Program, RBC Foundation – Emerging Artists, and Canada Council for the Arts – with individual underwriting support from Helen McDonald and two anonymous donors.
The production of this project was made possible by BC Arts Council, Impulse Theatre, and Dance Victoria, with special thanks to Flux Media Gallery.
Support the Creation & Presentation of New Dance Works
Help sustain Dance Victoria’s investment in commissioning and presenting new works, like on the nature of… so we may continue to champion Canadian dance talent and support the creation of the World’s Best Dance!
Your contribution will go directly towards artist residencies, commissions to support the creation of new dance works, and Dance Victoria’s free studio access program.
Dance Victoria Board of Directors
President: Colette Baty
Vice President: Brendan Ralfs
Treasurer: Sarah Millard
Secretary: Marlon Murr
Director: Kemi Craig
Director: Linley Faulkner
Director: Joost Pelt
Director: Philip Pierce
Director: Carrie Smart
Director: Emily Zeng
Dance Victoria Staff
Executive Director: Gillian Jones
General Manager: Dayna Szyndrowski
Development & Operations Manager: Shireen McNeilage
Marketing Manager: Anne-Sophie Cournoyer
Production Manager: Holly Vivian
Community Engagement Manager: Larissa Sharma
Artist Programs & Studio Manager: Kiera Shaw
Impulse Theatre Board of Directors
President: Jackie Adamthwaite
Secretary-Treasurer: Maia Crockett
Director: Randi Edmundson
Director: Hilary Ho
Director: Janet Munsil
Impulse Theatre Staff
Artistic Producer: Andrew Barrett
