Community Engagement Activities

Our work is based on an ongoing exchange between seperate people, bodies and ideas. Upholding this ethos relies on creating opportunities for this exchange to take place, which can happen in a myriad of places — most obviously in the studio when creating a piece, but this exchange can happen when presenting work and connecting with audiences. Generating this feedback-loop when presenting our work is invaluable. Company 605’s work is meant to create new ways of seeing, expressing and understanding through movement; and we hope to inspire others through what we create. We’re also invested in supporting the development of the next generation of Canadian dancers. To this end, we hold an annual winter intensive dance program in collaboration with SFU, and also hold workshops throughout the year.

PROCESS SHARING & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT: Rather than design separate community engagement activities, we take our existing artistic activity and ensure there are opportunities for different communities to interact with it. Often this takes the shape of multiple performances and showings of work-in-progress and open rehearsals, where the process is described and viewers can engage in dialogue with us. Partnerships with many organizations locally and on tour has allowed the company to create performances specifically for young audiences and high schools. WORKSHOPS & PARTNERSHIPS: 605 works to connect the pre-professional and professional dance community. We’ve strengthened our partnership with Simon Fraser University, playing a larger role to this end. For example, we’ve brought fourth year students as apprentices in our research processes, hosted work/study students for SFU’s Internships In Contemporary Arts Program (credited), mentored at SFU’s LAUNCH! Festival, and taught workshops for the University’s dance theatre/dance majors. We have similar relationships with Modus Operandi Training Program, and Arts Umbrella. These workshops also take place independent of these partnerships while on tour.