CDC Erin Kennedy in collaboration with the Okanagan Regional Library

Territory of the Okanagan Nation (Vernon)

Calling all babies, caregivers and friends and come out to the Baby Rave: a Dance Party for Wee People and their Grown Ups!

Put on your old track pants and join us for a “baby rave”. Make new friends with this morning dance party that gives families a space to let loose and jump to the beat. With free snacks, it's a fun-filled environment for the very young, and the young at heart. Come together with your friendly neighbourhood library and the Dance West Network. Ages 0-5 with their grown-ups!

Saturday, May 17. 11am

Note: You are responsible for the supervision of the children in your group. Babies rave at their own risk!

For more information: https://orl.libcal.com/event/3899652?hs=a

Anya Saugstad / Furious Grace Dance Theatre. SOLD OUT

https://thehearthartsonbowen.ca/furious-grace

Join us May 10th at 7.30pm at The Bowen Theatre ( we are located within the Bowen Island Community Center) for Paper Mountains by Anya Saugstad/ Furious Grace Dance Theatre.

“ The forest dies and dies and dies again, and so it lives”.

Paper mountains is a work that embodies times of emergence, evolution and growth. It premiered at The Scotiabank Dance Centre for Dance in Vancouver in November 2024 and will be touring throughout BC in 2025 and 2026. We are thrilled to be sharing this work with the bowen Community where Anya grew up.

Myriad Dance Projects

Wet’suwet’en Territory

(Smithers)

Join dance artists Natu Bearwolf, Robin Lough, Lindsay Delaronde, Katie Wertz and Miriam Colvin (Myriad Dance Projects) for an evening of conversation, food, and archived dance on film. We will be highlighting these artists independent and collaborative works (2021-2024) that incorporate land-based and multi-disciplinary dance practice(s). All works featured are based on Wet'suwet'en Territory. Can't make it in person? Join us online! After the watch party, participants are encouraged to stay for questions and dialogue with the artists. This event is supported by Dance West Network (Vancouver, BC) in collaboration with Myriad Dance Projects (Smithers, BC).

FREE 

Event Address: Online and In-person, children welcome

EdGE Learning Centre (Ranger Park Building)

3736 16 Ave Smithers BC V0J 2N0

Please register here: https://forms.gle/nkjQCntSNtz2YhVF6

For all inquiries please email: katiewertz@hotmail.com

Topography of Dance in Canada, an online conversation. April 19, 11 am.

Responding to reflections from rural/remote dance artists in BC, we are again offering this conversation specifically for dance artists working outside Vancouver.

In this workshop/conversation, dance artists will learn how to align their work with resources that are available to support them and will have an increased understanding of what steps to take to move forward and get their careers even more in motion.

Specifically, the conversation includes:

*Knowing your local areas/”Field Advantage”

*Places to pitch

*Planning a tour

Registration HERE

Registration is limited to 12 spots.*

*If there is no availability and all the spots are reserved, please reach out and send an email to jane@dancewest.net. We are open to speaking about alternative possibilities.

Crimson Coast Dance Society

Snuneymuxw Territory (Nanaimo)

SPEAK YOUR MIND
SHARE YOUR STORY
ALL TOGETHER

Body Talk HiP HoP PoW WoW, 2025  a FORUM THEATRE performance by Indigenous and allied youth  with renown director/dramature, Renae Morriseau.

For more info

Bulkley Valley Concert Association

Witsuwit’en Territory/Smithers BC.

Conversations in Three presents a mesmerizing series of contemporary dance performances, spotlighting the captivating theme of identity. Join us as we celebrate diverse perspectives on self-discovery and pay homage to the profound influence of Northern BC artists shaping the global dance landscape.

Katie Wertz will open for Method Dance Society with an excerpt of her Body Landscapes work, a diasporic love letter written on the banks of the Wedzinkwa. "Body Landscapes " is a solo dance performance that explores the layers of body: ancestral, present, collective and earth body.

Wet’suwet’en Territory (Smithers)

A workshop led by local Dance Artist Katie Wertz and visiting Artist Shayla Dyble (Method Dance) from territory of the Lheidli T’enneh (Prince George)

Katie will start us off with a warmup and movement ice-breakers. Then Shayla will lead a phrase building workshop. We will find movement phrases through playful guided improvisations using sound, drawing and objects.

More info and to register: www.bvca.me

Secwepemc homelands (Revelstoke)

Revelstoke Winter Carnival VARIETY SHOW - dance, performance art

For more info: https://revelstokecarnival.com/carnival-variety-show

Re-Centering/Margins Creative Residency 2024 alumni Tegvaran Sooch and Punit Singh .

Method Dance Society and the Prince George Playhouse

Territory of the Lheidli T’enneh (Prince George)

Both artists will teach workshops as part of Method Dance Society's Emerge Winter Intensive. Punit will offer two workshops focused on Freestyle movement: one on finding intersections between street dance and contemporary styles, and another on storytelling and character development through dance. Tegvaran will also conduct two workshops dedicated to Street Dance. In the evening, both Tegvaran and Punit will present their work during a public sharing and talk at the Prince George Playhouse.

Topography of Dance in Canada (online convo)

Responding to reflections from rural/remote dance artists in BC, we are offering this conversation with professional and touring dance artists: Sophie Dow and Audrey Gaussiran specifically for dance artists working outside Vancouver .

IMPORTANT:  Registration is limited to 12 spots.*. To register, click HERE

Conversation également disponible en français.

Hosted by Antler Ridge Dance Studio

Te’mexw Treaty Association, WSÁNEĆ, Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group,Tsawwassen Territory/Salt Spring Island

Participants are guided through an introductory lesson on Japanese calligraphy leading into an improvised movement practice

Please email Jane, jane@dancewest.net, to join via Zoom

A Studio Provoked: A Dancer’s Response 
Sunday, November 3, 2024, 1-2:30 pm

with dancers: Nick Miami Benz, Isaac Gasangwa, Vidya Kotamraju, and Ana Sosa.

Join us for a unique performance where dancers interact with works in the exhibition and the historic setting of the Burnaby Art Gallery. In this informal event, four individual choreographies will be presented, each responding to the artwork and the gallery's history. After the performance, guests are invited to a reception from 1:30-2:30 pm. This event is a collaboration between Dance West Network and the Burnaby Art Gallery.

Drop-in, free, no pre-registration required.

Click HERE for more information

Image credit: Gordon Smith, Untitled (detail), c.1965, serigraph on paper, 49.0 cm x 47.0 cm, City of Burnaby Permanent Art Collection, Gift of the Estate of Harry Locke

At Antler Ridge Dance Studio

Te’mexw Treaty Association, WSÁNEĆ, Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group,Tsawwassen Territory/Salt Spring Island

Workshop

Juolin Lee with Dramaturg: Natalit TY Gan

At Antler Ridge Dance Studio

Te’mexw Treaty Association, WSÁNEĆ, Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group,Tsawwassen Territory/Salt Spring Island

Performance

OCTOBER 12 MATINEE: 5 Residency Artists:  Ysadora Dias, Shahir Qrishnaswamy,  Punti Singh, Tegvaran Sooch and Perelandra Waddle

OCTOBER 12 EVENING : Vancouver Artists Ysadora Dias, Shahir Qrishnaswamy and Perelandra Waddle

TICKETS for BOTH OCT 12 Shows here

This residency is funded by Canadian Heritage and in part by the City of Surrey Cultural Grant and BC Arts Alliance and the City of Vancouver, and co-produced by MORROW and Surrey Civic Theatres/Arts Centre.  The project is also supported by The Black Arts Centre 

OCTOBER 10, Surrey Artists Isabella, Punti Singh and Tegvaran Sooch

TICKETS HERE!

This residency is funded by Canadian Heritage and in part by the City of Surrey Cultural Grant and BC Arts Alliance and the City of Vancouver, and co-produced by MORROW and Surrey Civic Theatres/Arts Centre.  The project is also supported by The Black Arts Centre 

Arts Revelstoke and Luna Arts Festival presents Simran Sachar "Act Twenty Five”

Secwepemc homelands (Revelstoke)

"Act Twenty Five blends Waacking and Contemporary dance to explore grief and connection with the ghost of a familiar presence in a South Asian household.

Act Twenty Five is a choreographic work incorporating Waacking and Contemporary dance forms, complemented by live music. The piece unfolds during the final act of love, named Grief, depicting an entity moving across the stage in search of reconnection with a familiar ghost. It examines the duality of relief and grief within a South Asian, intergenerational household. The work explores how acts of service and connection persist even after the passing of loved ones, offering a poignant reflection on the enduring ties between the living and the departed.

For more info

Dance Workshop - Wacking with Simran

At THE STUDIO DANCE AND WELLNESS

Secwepemc homelands (Revelstoke)

Join Simran Sachar in an open class for all ages and abilities! Simran's classes offer a heavy emphasis on one's' unique self expression in the dance.

The class will cover:

Waacking/Whacking foundation, musicality, posing, physical pathways, individuality, storytelling, and applying the foundation into the artists' unique expression.

Re-Centering/Margins 2024 Residency Artists at Dance Victoria

See short works by four of the selected residency dance artists Ysadora Dias, Punit Singh, Tegvaran Sooch, Perelandra Waddle plus two special guests, emerging artists: Sevrin Emnancen-Boyd, Jullianna Oke. Post performance talkback.

For more info on the artists: https://dancewest.net/2024-re-centering-margins

Total dance perf: 60min with 20-30 min talkback immediately following the performance.

To register at Dance Victoria, click HERE

Antler Ridge Studio, Salt Spring Island is hosting 7 emerging dance artists as part of the RE-CENTERING / MARGINS RESIDENCY 2024 and the 2nd annual Gulf Island tour.

Launched in 2019, Re-Centering/Margins Creative Residency is an annual project which offers professional development for emerging IBPOC dance artists to create contemporary works with mentoring support, performance opportunities and documentation. 

JULY 5TH,  4 PM-5:30pm (approx 60min dance with short pieces by seven individual artists & 30min for post-perf talkback)

Antler Ridge Dance studio

211 Horel Rd, Salt Spring Island

FREE admission

LIMITED SEATING

Please reserve your spot at: antlerridgedance@gmail.com or text: 250-537-6537

PARKING IS LIMITED. PLEASE Car-pool  or park on Horel Rd and walk up driveway (211 Horel Rd) to the studio

Performers :

Ysadora Dias
Shahir Qrishnaswamy
Punit Singh
Tegvaran Sooch
Perelandra Waddle

For info about the performers click HERE

PLUS emerging artists/special guest performers:  Sevrin Emnancen-Boyd and Jullianna Oke

There will be a post-performance conversation with the artists.

This residency is funded by Canadian Heritage and in part with the support of a City of Surrey Cultural Grant.

Led by Indigenous and non-Indigenous facilitators, participants will be guided through multidisciplinary entryways into dance making and movement based story telling. Using land based embodiment teachings and tools, participants will explore various creative processes that deepen awareness and connection to land, place and identity. This work centers reclaiming the body through an Indigenous lens and prompts participants to engage in the transformative process of rupture and repair in conflict. 

Our creative team is made up of multi-faceted individuals who uphold the importance of creating multi-age community spaces that center and affirm people of the global majority,  2SLGBTQIA+, womxn and femme participants.

Lindsey Delaronde - lead artist and facilitator

Natu Bearwolf - co-facilitator and consultant 

Robin Lough - co-facilitator 

Katie Wertz (BVCA) - co-facilitator and organizer 

Myriad Dance projects - organizer and project partner 

Kayla Mitchell - organizer and consultant 

This project is supported and presented by Dance West Network and Bulkley Valley Concert Association, and in partnership with Myriad Dance Projects.

Workshops are FREE and designed for participants to attend one or both.  No prior experience necessary. Please wear comfortable clothing that you can move in and bring a water bottle. Ages 12 - 99 encouraged to attend! How to Register: https://forms.gle/1RiuUwbnmTcWa5QQ9

Sunday June 23rd Workshop ‘Dancing the Land’

11:00am-3:30pm (lunch will be provided)

Witset campground/Centennial Hall 

This workshop will be led by artists Lindsay Delaronde and Katie Wertz.

Participants will be guided in embodiment practices that focus on land, movement, sound and transformation. Together, we will explore personal storytelling. Participants will be prompted to find gestures and build movement phrases inspired by the land. The stories of the participants will emerge through their own intrinsic wisdom, thereby creating new pathways of inner knowing. This workshop aims to guide participants to discover and establish a deeper sense of place and belonging within their own bodies and territories. Participants will have an opportunity to share their creations and reflections in a closing circle/smudge. 

Led by Indigenous and non-Indigenous facilitators, participants will be guided through multidisciplinary entryways into dance making and movement based story telling. Using land based embodiment teachings and tools, participants will explore various creative processes that deepen awareness and connection to land, place and identity. This work centers reclaiming the body through an Indigenous lens and prompts participants to engage in the transformative process of rupture and repair in conflict. 

Our creative team is made up of multi-faceted individuals who uphold the importance of creating multi-age community spaces that center and affirm people of the global majority,  2SLGBTQIA+, womxn and femme participants.

Lindsey Delaronde - lead artist and facilitator

Natu Bearwolf - co-facilitator and consultant 

Robin Lough - co-facilitator 

Katie Wertz (BVCA) - co-facilitator and organizer 

Myriad Dance projects - organizer and project partner 

Kayla Mitchell - organizer and consultant 

This project is supported and presented by Dance West Network and Bulkley Valley Concert Association, and in partnership with Myriad Dance Projects.

Workshops are FREE and designed for participants to attend one or both.  No prior experience necessary. Please wear comfortable clothing that you can move in and bring a water bottle. Ages 12 - 99 encouraged to attend! How to Register: https://forms.gle/1RiuUwbnmTcWa5QQ9

Saturday June 22nd Workshop ‘Dancing the Medicine’

11:00am-3:30pm (lunch will be provided)

Witset campground/Centennial Hall 

This workshop will be led by artists Natu Bearwolf, Robin Lough, and Lindsey Delaronde. Participants will be guided through a multidisciplinary creative process that culminates in the creation of masks and/or shields using spruce trees and various upcycled materials. This process involves learning teachings around the medicines of the spruce tree as well as the important practice of making an offering when harvesting. Through movement explorations, participants will be prompted to discover the embodied story behind their props, as well as their offering to the medicine. Participants will have an opportunity to share their creations and reflections in a closing circle/smudge.  

We may weave in masks and shields created into the Dancing the Land workshop (on Sunday).

Workshop Details:

• Date: Saturday, June 22nd

• Time: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

• Location: Antler Ridge Dance Studio and surrounding property, 211 Horel Rd W, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2A4

• Free admission

What to bring:

• comfortable outdoor-friendly clothes (bring layers for all-weather possibilities) 

• sit-a-pon for sitting in the forest

• blanket

• water-bottle

• snack

Tea and Juice will be provided

Workshop description: 

Join Stefanie Denz (visual artist), Rosalie Matchett (visual artist), and me, Robbyn Scott (movement artist) for an investigative, physically immersive journey in the outdoors. Through guided activities, we will explore self-embodiment and artistic expression, tapping into all five senses, connecting our inner nature with the outer natural world.

...Ultimately, we ARE nature

Deviani Andrea, Kaili Che & Carla Alcantara, Isaac Gasangwa, Fiana Kawane, Carol Mendes, Jhoely Triana, Sarah Hin Ching U

Saturday June 8, 1pm

Smem̓chús/Smamḵw'ch | David Lam Park 

DADAO artists will gather for a 2 day residency this coming month in so-called Vancouver. The focus: How to present work outdoors while honouring the land we are dancing on? An Informal Showing of work will take place at the end of the residency. You are invited to join us!