Calder White
BABY
Photo: Tom Hsu
Calder White is a freelance dance artist based between Vancouver and Ottawa. Calder was a member of Toronto’s Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre from 2011-2014, and he holds a BFA in Dance from the Ohio State University. Calder has performed throughout Canada, the US, Mexico, Brazil, France, Austria, Scotland, and Israel, and he continues to choreograph and perform his own work across Canada, his most recent commission premiering at Dancing on the Edge 2022. He also teaches floorwork throughout institutions in Canada and the US.
BABY
BABY is a contemporary dance theatre piece that integrates puppetry, prop, and costume to distort the audience's perception of the number of 'real' bodies on stage. The characters we encounter in the piece exist at the intersection of intimacy, anonymity, and horror, multiplying and projecting themselves onto other parts of their own bodies, onto the bodies of other performers, and outwards into space in the pursuit of connection.
Performance History
"BABY", July 14th + 15th 2022, Dancing on the Edge Festival (Donna Spencer w/ guest curation by Amber Funk Barton), Firehall Arts Centre, Vancouver BC
"the trouble with stacking bones", Sept 21st 2019, self-produced with space and staff support from Le Marché St George & La Fabrique St George, La Fabrique St George (7 East 7th Ave), Vancouver BC
Project Details
Project created by: Calder White and collaborators
Key Collaborators:
Rakeem Hardy (performer)
Jessica Mak (performer)
Calder White (performer)
Stefan Nazarevich (music)
Maria Kofman (costume and wardrobe)
Chris White (prop)
Stéphanie Cyr, Clarke Blair, and Tia Kushniruk (outside eyes)
Zaya Sawchyn (creative assitance)
Audience: General Audience
Length in minutes: 26 minutes (adaptable to 30 minutes or longer with tech residency) - Mixed program
Space required: This work is adaptable to theatre or alternate venues. BABY works best in an intimate setting such as a blackbox theatre, but can be adapted to a variety of performance spaces. In the case of larger spaces with larger stages, the audience could be brought onstage to create a more proximal sharing of the work.
Preparation required: Minimum 8 hours of tech before performance for current 26-minute version of work.
General technical requirements:
LIGHTING: Basic lighting plot with both LEDS and gobos, no specials needed
STAGE: Dark-coloured marley and sprung floor preferred. Performance space of at least 35ft x 35ft with no obstructions (can be adapted for alternative venues -- warehouse, auditorium, galleries, etc.). Basic soft goods including legs or other side-stage coverings. No upstage soft goods (cyclorama, skrim, etc) needed.
SOUND: Professional stereo sound system
Availability: 2023/24 season and 2024/25 season
Number of performers on tour including choreographer: 3
Number of support staff on tour: 1
Community Engagement Activities
I would love to engage with the community through sharing open-level and more advanced workshops, as I already have a regular practice of teaching floorwork and improvisation to students at a variety of ages and with various skill levels. My pedagogy focuses on prioritizing comfort through the learning process to do away with fear and replace it with excitement. Teaching movers to use the knowledge they already have to meet new challenges is at the core of my workshops. These workshops could happen during show week, earlier in the day on show days or in the days leading up to the performance to better promote the work. Company rehearsals can also be opened to the public to give young artists and curious community members a peek inside the preparation process for BABY.
Contact: Calder White, calder_white@live.ca
Website: Calder White
Facebook: Calder White
Instagram: Calder White
Photo: Tom Hsu