MAINSTAGE 2025-2026
Fortress
Rebecca Margolick & Livona Ellis
Photo: Michael Slobodian
In their debut collaborative piece, Ellis and Margolick explore their connection to their ever-evolving relationship to femininity, and the balance between their strength and vulnerability. Seeking both discomfort and safety, they draw inspiration from the matriarchs in their lives, building toward a deeper understanding of themselves. The work builds from stillness and simplicity to a rigorous grind of repetition. What begins as contained erupts into a raw, physical testament to endurance and the resilience of the female body.
Trailer
Rebecca Margolick & Livona Ellis
Livona Ellis was born on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəyə̓ m (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and s ̱ əlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She has performed with Ballet BC (11 seasons), Buhnen Bern, and many others. Livona has created works for Dances for a Small Stage, Dance Deck, Public Salon 2019, CAG Gala 2018, Arts Umbrella Season Finale, Ballet BC Take Form, and most recently City Opera of Vancouver. In 2017 she received the Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for Emerging Artist and in 2023
received the inaugural Louise Bentall Award for Emerging Choreographer.
Livona joined Kidd Pivot in June 2023 and is currently on faculty at Arts Umbrella.
Rebecca Margolick's dance creations have been presented in over ten countries, and her solo works have won multiple awards. She recently returned back to her hometown of Vancouver, B.C. after living in NYC for 15 years. She was named one of Dance Magazines Top 25 to Watch in 2021 and has received fellowships and residencies from Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab, Banff Centre, Derida Stage, Centro de las Artes San Luis Potosí, and more. She has been commissioned to create original works on Oregon Ballet Theater, La Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Arts Umbrella, NW Dance Project’s MOVE, and Ballet B.C.’s Annex. She has freelanced with many choreographers and was a company member of Sidra Bell Dance New York and UNA Productions. Alongside her projects, she is currently dancing with Company 605, Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, Jason Martin, and Andrea Peña & Artists. Rebecca is an artistic advisor for BC Movement Arts Society, bringing contemporary dance to rural B.C. communities. She graduated from New York University and trained at Arts Umbrella.
Performance History & Upcoming Performances
Premiere date: November 2024 The Dance Centre, Vancouver (presented by the Chutzpah! Festival)
Upcoming Performances:
Presented by BC Movement Arts Society - September 12th 2026 - Courtenay, BC
Festival Quartiers Danses - September 15th 2026 - Montreal, QC
Past work in progress performances:
2024 - Left of Push at Left of Main (Vancouver)
2022 - The Dance Centre (Vancouver)
2021 - BC Movement Arts Society (Sointula, and Campbell River)
Project Created by: Co-created by: Livona Ellis & Rebecca Margolick
Key Artistic Collaborators: Rebecca Margolick - Choreographer and Performer
Livona Ellis - Choreographer and Performer
Alan Brodie - Lighting Designer
Jonathan Goulet - Composer
Performance type: THIS WORK IS BUILT FOR THEATRE
How do you define this work: Contemporary Dance
Length of performance: 40 minutes
Audience type: All (geared towards adults; includes suggestion of nudity)
General Technical Requirements:
Marley or good wood floor
Small movable props (provided by us): 3 chairs and 1 coat hanger
Lighting (at minimum, dimming to full black outs needed)
Required amount of time for tech set up: For original lighting we need a 4 hour hang and focus call and an 8 hour tech day.
Required amount of time for tech set up: If we are doing the original lighting: 8 hours (one full tech and run through day)
Alternative Venues: If needed, an indoor alternative venue would work for this piece. We could work in a low tech environment. We would need a safe floor to dance on, the possibility to dim lights and achieve blackouts, and a "backstage" space to enter and exit from. This work is not suited for outdoors, though we could do sections of it, and adapt what is needed.
Number of Performers on tour (including choreographer): 2
Number of Support Staff on Tour: 1
Availabilities: 2027/28 Season,2028/29 Season
Project Details
Community Engagement
-Collaborating with a local musician to create a short improvised performance inspired by the themes and movement vocabulary of the work.
-Inviting local visual artists or photographers into the rehearsal process to respond to the work through drawing, painting, photography, or other media, with the resulting works exhibited in the theatre lobby or gallery space.
-Bringing these collaborations together by presenting an improvised performance with a local musician within the lobby or gallery space, surrounded by the visual artwork created in response to the open rehearsal process, creating an immersive, multidisciplinary experience for the audience.
Outreach Activities
We are passionate about creating meaningful opportunities for engagement beyond the performance itself. Depending on the presenter and community, possible outreach activities include:
-Leading movement workshops for local dancers, students, or community members, using excerpts from the work and improvisational structures inspired by the themes and creative process behind the piece.
-Facilitating post-show discussions and artist talks that invite audiences into the choreographic process and the ideas explored in the work.
-Offering mentorship sessions for emerging choreographers and dance artists through creative process discussions, feedback sessions, or informal studio exchanges.
Each outreach activity can be tailored to the needs of the presenter, local artists, and the community, with the goal of fostering collaboration, dialogue, and creative exchange.
Age range: 16 and up