Community Engagement
Across eleven communities in British Columbia, Dance West Network works alongside a vibrant network of dance artists and community cultural leaders known as Community Dance Connectors (CDCs). Through locally rooted, community-engaged dance projects, CDCs bring people together, foster connection, and share the joy of dance across their communities. Through peer-to-peer networking, resource sharing, funding, training, and planning support,
DWN strengthens both the individual work of CDCs and their collective impact within communities, helping make dance more accessible and inclusive across the province. Working in rural and remote areas across the province, some CDCs are affiliated with local theatre venues, while most work independently as community-engaged artists, building relationships and nurturing dance in their communities.
CDC’s 2026/27
Holly Bright, Crimson Coast Dance Society, Snuneymuxw homelands, Nanaimo
Miriam Colvin, Myriad Dance Projects, Witsuwit'en Territory, Smithers
Hailey Christie-Hoyle, Secwepemc (Secwepemcul’ewc), Ktunaxa, Syilx Okanagan, Sinixt Territory, Revelstoke
Claudia Moore, Okanagan Nation Territory, Kelowna
Shelby Richardson, territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, Prince George
Anneke Rosch, sn ayckstx Sinixt Arrow Lakes and the Yaqan Nukiy Lower Kootenay Band peoples, Nelson
Fíor Saoirse Skye, Ts’msyen La̱xyuup homelands, Prince Rupert
Robbyn Scott, ArtSpring, xʷənen̕əč , Salt Spring Island
Katie Wertz, territory of the ək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungan) peoples, Victoria
Ana Sosa, Traditional Haida Title lands of the Haida Nation, Haida Gwaii
Galen Olstead, Ancillary CDC, traditional lands of the Ktunaxa, Cranbrook
Highlights from 2025/26
Stay tuned for 2026/27 CE projects here!
For the Trees led by CDC Claudia Moore at Community Moves Festival, territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, Prince George(Photo James Doyle)
Tempo Dance and Visual Art visited unceded Gidimt'en Clan Territory of the Wet'suwet'en Nation (Smithers) to lead a creative process workshop around the central themes of Migration and Hope behind their work Camino y Despedida. (Photo Pamela Haasen)
Participants playing the Big Drum facilitated by Rupert Richardson in Body Talk HiP HoP PoW WoW, 2026, presented by Crimson Coast Dance and CDC Holly Bright. (Photo Samantha Titian-Prince)
Gather Scatter: A Community engaged outdoor experiment for all ages, held on Wet'suwet'en Territory, Smithers, led by local Artist Robin Lough (Photo credit of Robin Lough)
Drag and Burlesque Artist Nick Miami Benz visited Secwepemc (Secwepemcul’ewc), Ktunaxa, Syilx Okanagan, and Sinixt Territory (Revelstoke) tp teach and perform with local artists (l to r) Jackie Daytona, Nick Miami Benz, Miss Ayla, Big Di. (Photo Vita Spinelli)
FakeKnot’s artistic director, Ralph Escamillan, offered a wonderful textile workshop on the lands of the sn ayckstx Sinixt Arrow Lakes and the Yaqan Nukiy Lower Kootenay Band peoples, Nelson, sharing his creative process for his work, Croquis. (Photo Anneke Rosch)