Bulkley Valley Concert Association
(Witsuwit’en Territory, Smithers)
Project Title: ALT Smithers Residency
Dance Artist: Eric Cheung
Eric Cheung (Ouro Collective, Vancouver BC), will engage with the dance and greater community of Smithers to share and develop interest in new dance practices from his experience as a street dance artist. Specifically, Eric will offer interactive and technological elements for dancers and community members of all ages to interact with. This project will provide an accessible opportunity to experience dance in alternative ways and continue to build on long-term relationships with the Vancouver dance community.
The residency will be composed of a workshop with invited local dance artists, of indigenous and non-indigenous descent, a Q&A and an open house for the greater community.
May 14th, 2023 - Workshop (Invite Only)
The Workshop will include two components: Learning about the actual technological components from hardware, software, and workflow and Movement with interactive installation/element and guided movement approaches with the interactive element. There will also be time for a Q&A
May 15th, 2023 - Open House
Open house/studio where anyone from the community can interact with the technology/installation and Eric will be situated around the installation answering questions and offering assistance.
Location: Old Church, Smithers
Times: May 14th 10:00am - May 15th 5:00pm
This project provided space for a range of ages and relationships to dance to engage with something new. Moving through waves of pedestrian and creative movements, the work collaboratively informed the artist's process. It was exciting to see community members and artists interacting with the technology and trying an alternative approach to dance and dance-making.
The video to the left is of Eric with Natu Bearwolf - really lovely "Natu Bearwolf brought Eric to an area in town where her family once lived, choreographing a short dance with him as an introduction to the land and to honour the ancestors there. This dance combined spoken word in Wet'suwet'en and movement.
Learning not only a piece of the nation's history, but personal history, was an incredibly generous sharing from Natu. This informed a better understanding of the pain that continues to wave through the Wet'suwet'en community, and that is is a deep privilege to learn and listen to these lived experiences."