2023-24 Community Engagement
Emily Carlson
Ancillary CDC
Secwepemc (Secwepemcul’ewc), Ktunaxa, Sinixt Territory (Revelstoke)
Ballet Kelowna visited Revelstoke in March, and offered a repertory workshop to dance students from the community. The workshop pushed participants to rise to the challenge of taking class at a professional level. Participants were taught the repertoire from the beautiful performance of taqes and other works. Connecting to the repertoire after having just watched the performance the night before was an inspiration for dancers of all ages. Being a town that does not have a professional dance company, this workshop was very important for providing insight into professional dance careers for aspiring dancers.
Allison Girvan, CDC
Unceded territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx Sinixt Arrow Lakes and the Yaqan Nukiy Lower Kootenay Band peoples (Nelson)
On March 12, in collaboration with Sláva Doval's dance studio, Shay Kuebler offered a workshop with local dance students on the Unceded territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx Sinixt Arrow Lakes and the Yaqan Nukiy Lower Kootenay Band peoples (Nelson).
Participants had fun learning more about house dance techniques, delving into its rich history and evolution under Shay's expert guidance. This exploration extended beyond the surface as Shay explored the history of house music seeding a deeper integration of understanding within this style.
"Shay's extensive experience provided invaluable insights for attendees, equipping them with skills and knowledge that will undoubtedly shape their relationship with dance as a lifelong passion. The dance workshops also served as a window into future possibilities and potential career pathways for participants. By interacting with a professional dancer, participants gained valuable insights into what a career in dance might look like. This exposure was particularly significant in a smaller city context where such opportunities are limited, highlighting the importance of workshops like Shay's in creating connections and expanding horizons within the local dance community." CDC Allison Girvan
Allison Girvan, CDC
Unceded territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx Sinixt Arrow Lakes and the Yaqan Nukiy Lower Kootenay Band peoples (Nelson)
On November 11, 2023 Jessica McMann offered a Hoop Dance Community Workshop, Unceded territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx Sinixt Arrow Lakes and the Yaqan Nukiy Lower Kootenay Band peoples (Nelson)
"The workshop provided a meaningful opportunity for participants to engage with an Indigenous culture and embody principles of Truth and Reconciliation. By learning about and participating in Hoop Dancing, attendees were able to honour and celebrate the resilience of Indigenous communities whose cultures have been historically oppressed. This act of cultural learning and appreciation leads to a greater understanding that can contribute to the ongoing process of reconciliation." CDC Allison Girvan
"I didn't realize that hoop dancing would be so tricky! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up but Jessica made me feel okay about it. I'm grateful for a way to learn about an Indigenous dance. I have Indigenous family and I've been looking for ways to learn more" Workshop participant
Photo By Dahlya Smolash
Robbyn Scott, CDC
xʷənen̕əč (Salt Spring Island)
I am laying the groundwork for my next creative project:
BEING A FOREST
A project/workshop immersed in experiential explorations of creative embodiment in Nature. April- June 2024
Two summers ago, an Oglala Lakota man from South Dakota named Tony Ten Fingers (Wanbli Nata’u), visited me at my rural-based home on Salt Spring Island.
He told me, “The trees (here) know you”. His words triggered a profound affirmation of experiences I’ve had while being in Nature. The premise for creating the new Being a Forest project/workshop came from my realization that “If we don’t experience Being in nature, how can we care if it’s destroyed?”
In July of 2023, I was inspired when I attended a dinner hosted by Transition SaltSpring and heard about their recently initiated Mt Maxwell 5-year conservation project, Climate Adaptation Research Lab (CARL). I approached them with my Being a Forest project idea and shared how I saw it as a wonderful opportunity for me (and 3 local collaborators: two visual artists and one theatre artist) to connect and collaborate with Transition SS to learn, resource from and create movements, sounds and art-making reflecting their important work.
The recent groundwork and planning phase of Being a Forest will culminate with 3 intergenerational SSI-community workshops taking place in the Spring of 2024.
I see Being a Forest as an ongoing project into the future. It has an opportunity for all members of the SSI community to share resources and look for new ways to respond as a community to climate change together as well as connect with other communities to build resilience to the global climate crisis.
Thank you to Dance West Network and Coastal Community Investment Funds for their financial support and to SS Arts Council and Transition SS for their in-kind support.
Ancillary CDC Shelby Richardson,
Territory of the Lheidli T’enneh (Prince George)
In August 2023, 6 choreographers participated in our show Conversations in Six, including Anya Saugstad (past participant in Dance West Network DADAO Program), Gwynne Bilski (Scotland), Giselle Liu (Prince Rupert), Melissa McCracken (Kelowna), Amber Downie-Back (Victoria) and Cai Glover, a hard of hearing artist originally from Prince George, this being his first time back in over 17 years!
Almost 300 people attended the showings, and 30 people joined in repertoire workshops with Anya and Cai, as well as a workshop in Murphy Movement with Amber Downie-Back.
TS Choreographer Melissa McCracken Dancers Shayla Dyble, Lauren Fisher, Andrea Brown, Shelby Richardson Photo:James Doyle
MOD Choreographer Cai Glover
Dancers Sam Presley and AbigaelMcCormick
Photo Christos Sagiorgis
Choreographer Giselle Liu Dancers Caitlin Abigael McCormick Photo by Christos Sagiorgis