The Dance Centre celebrates B.C.'s contemporary dance scene with Dance in Vancouver, November 24 to 28

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      The Dance Centre has just announced that it will present Dance in Vancouver from November 24 to 28 at various Vancouver venues and streaming online.

      The five-day celebration of B.C. contemporary dance scene was co-devised by Melbourne, Australia-based guest curator Angela Conquet with Michelle Olson and Starr Muranko of Vancouver’s Raven Spirit Dance.  

      “Dance In Vancouver works on many levels," says Dance Centre executive director Mirna Zagar in a press release. "It’s a great opportunity for audiences to experience work by local artists; our artists get to build their networks beyond the local context; and the presenters become more informed about our dance scene.

      "While travel restrictions mean we won’t see our international visitors in person in the numbers we are used to," adds Zagar, "we look forward to using the digital space to connect with our colleagues around the world.”

      Highlights of Dance in Vancouver (all descriptions in quotes provided by the Dance Centre):

           * Dumb Instrument Dance: Made In Voyage (November 24-27 & December 1-4, 5 & 7 pm, Morrow, $30/25): "A triad of solos that are odes to the performers’ grandmothers, featuring Ziyian Kwan, Shion Skye Carter, and Justin Calvadores. Each of these collaboratively created works counter historic erasure by highlighting the life stories of womxn of colour, portrayed through the memories of their grandchildren."

           * The Biting School: Orangutang (premiere, November 24-27 & December 1-4, 7 pm, Russian Hall): "The Biting School draws on history, literature and philosophy to interrogate challenging social and political issues. The company’s work translates the anxiety, trauma and beauty of our time into the language of the body in theatrical works full of physicality, daring ideas and dark humour. Orangutang (Malay for ‘the man of the forest’) is a provocative new solo choreographed and performed by Arash Khakpour."

      Mahaila Patterson-O'Brien
      Daniel O'Shea & Sepehr Samimi

           * Kelly McInnes: Blue Space/Mahaila Patterson-O’Brien: Mid-Light: A Translucent Memory (double bill, November 26, Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8 pm, $30/25): "In Blue Space, Kelly McInnes explores our intrinsic connection to water – the water that makes up our bodies and the world we inhabit. Full of startling imagery, this deeply-felt solo explores tensions be-tween the healing and the exploitation involved in our relationship to earth. Mahaila Patterson O-Brien’s choreography revolves around form and abstract gestures through the use of unison, repetition, and complex patterns. Danced by Eowynn Enquist and Isak Enquist, this work is a score-based re-imagining of a piece initially made for film and stage – an attempt to grasp an idea that is endlessly shifting into new forms."

           * Tasha Faye Evans: Cedar Woman (work in process, November 27, 8 pm, The Annex, $20): "Cedar Woman is a tribute to a legacy of strong and resilient Coast Salish women spanning all the way back to a tree. Created by Tasha Faye Evans in collaboration with artist Ocean Hyland, it is a solo about protecting what we know from the depth of our soul to be sacred. This profound and emotionally stirring work is based around a mask, held in a box carved from an ancient yellow cedar, as Evans prepares to dance Cedar Woman’s spirit."

      MascallDance
      Ame Henderson

      Dance in Vancouver also features free performances, workshops, and lectures at various venues by P. Megan AndrewsAction at a Distance + Tangja CollectiveAnouk FroidevauxZahra ShahabJeanette KotowichJustine A ChambersLee Su-Feh (battery opera), MascallDanceCo.ERASGA, DanceWest, and Lee Maracle with Tasha Faye Evans

      The program also includes IndigeDIV, which features keynotes centering on Indigenous knowledge, live performances, digital offerings, video installations, and a delegates’ program.

      For more info on Dance in Vancouver go here.

       

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