DADAO 2025-2026
DADAO 2025-2026
Gentle Glory
Gentle Glory is a solo work by Rachel Helten (choreography + performance) in collaboration with her brother Benjamin Helten (music + performance) that explores gentleness and empathy as pathways to liberation. Drawing from her personal experience navigating mental health challenges, Rachel examines how a deep connection to self, the earth, and the wisdom of animism fosters healing and strength in an often violent world. The piece advocates for emotional intelligence as vital to awareness, celebrating vulnerability as a courageous force for transformation. It calls us to lean in with care, and to honour the sensitivity, sentience, and humanity of all.
Rachel Helten
soma anima arts
Rachel Helten is an interdisciplinary artist, dancer, choreographer, and educator who also explores writing, singing, composition, and acting as integral threads in her artistic practice. She is based in so-called Vancouver on the unceded ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples, and acknowledges and honours the enduring presence and sovereignty of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.
With a BFA in Dance from Simon Fraser University, Rachel’s work emphasizes deep listening, collaboration, and interdisciplinary approaches. Her practice investigates the relationship between earthly and ethereal realms, exploring how embodied vulnerability fosters personal and collective liberation. She has collaborated with many heart-led artists, including Chaos Emblematic, Okams Racer, Voirelia, Dezza Dance, KOFI, Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, The Plastic Orchid Factory, among others, and has presented her work locally and internationally, with research, and creation taking her to cities such as Quito, Florence, Buenos Aires, Cascais, Brooklyn, Barcelona, and Berlin.
In 2024, Rachel became the Artistic Director of soma anima arts, evolving from Kinesis Dance somatheatro—an organization founded in 1986 by Greek-Canadian artist Paraskevas Terezakis. Under her leadership, the company continues its legacy of innovation while expanding its vision to reflect values of compassion, intersectionality, and imaginative inquiry. soma anima arts produces immersive interdisciplinary work that weaves together dance, music, theatre, literary arts, and visual media, engaging in storytelling, cultural exchange, site-responsive creation, and thoughtful, in-depth artistic research.
Rooted in inclusivity, equity, and care, the organization explores themes of transformation, connection to the earth, and unseen worlds—aiming to inspire radical empathy, decolonize consciousness, foster community well-being, and contribute to a more just, loving, and interconnected world.
Contact:
Carline Dolmazon for soma anima arts, admin@kinesisdance.org
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Details:
Year of creation: 2025
Choreographer: Rachel Helten
Key collaborators:
Concept, choreography, performer: Rachel Helten
Composer, musician, performer: Ben Helten
Outside Eye: Alyssa Favero
Audience Type: Elementary (Gr. 1-7), Youth (Gr. 8-12), Families, Young Adults, Adults, Seniors
Length of work: 25-30 minutes
Preparation time required on site: Set up: 1 to 2 hours if possible so we can set up, warm-up and ensure the site is safe ; Strike: 30 minutes or less
Technical requirements required on-site: We will bring our own amp & guitar.
Support with the following would be helpful but not essential: access to a plug for the amp, a chair, access to water, a (portable) sound system, a projector & projector screen if available.
Space required: About 22-25 square feet, but can be flexible. Floor type is flexible as long as terrain is not too uneven
Availability: We are available for touring and presentations in Spring/Summer 2026 and / or Spring/Summer 2027. Our objectives include offering Gentle Glory as a site-specific performance and, when applicable, facilitating workshops that deepen community connection through embodied practices. We aim to engage with presenters and communities who value inclusive access to dance, mental health awareness, and care-centered dialogue. Touring this work across BC allows us to collaborate with diverse environments and audiences, fostering reflection, empathy, and connection through outdoor, site-responsive performance and participatory experiences.
Community Engagement
Alongside the performance, we could offer:
- Outdoor movement workshop for local artists and community members, creating a space for collective exploration of themes such as embodied empathy and resilience. This participatory element aligns with our broader mission at soma anima arts: to cultivate spaces where dance becomes a means of connection, dialogue, and healing.
- Post-show Q&A sessions where audiences can discuss themes, process, and artistic choices with the creative team.
- Informal artist talks sharing insights on site-specific dance, movement research, and interdisciplinary collaboration