SOPHIE DOW
Sophie Dow
Treaty 1-born Sophie Dow is a multidisciplinary creative, inspired by dance, music, film, collaboration and Michif/Assiniboine + French/Ukrainian roots. An avid adventurer, Sophie exudes passions for busking and traveling on top of holding a degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from York University. Sophie presently fulfills roles as: artistic associate of O.Dela Arts, The Chimera Project & V’ni Dansi/Louis Riel Métis Dancers, residency coordinator at Dance West Network, creative director of PEC’s Flight Festival, a licensed practitioner of Traditional Thai Massage, a trained facilitator & student of BreathWave, a freelance dancer/choreographer/sound designer and a puddle jumping trickster.
Dance Piece / Performance: journals of adoption
Description:
journals of adoption is a sifting and movement through 2 journals of origin: one text from Sophie’s birth mother's pregnancy & process of offering her up; the other text from her own reflections, queries and ruminations as an adopted child.
Key Collaborators:
Performance & Choreography: Sophie Dow
Sound Design: Sophie Dow
Text: Sophie Dow & Caroline C.
Piano: Chris Zabriskie, Asher Fulero, Emmit Fenn
Costume & Set Design: Sophie Dow
Lighting Design: originally by Andie Lloyd - adapted for touring
Stage Manager: originally by Kayleigh Sandomirsky - adapted for touring
Mentors: Olivia C Davies
General Technical Requirements: Performance for proscenium theatre
Lighting - basic house plot + side lighting
Sound - standard playback - one cue
Set -
-raised bar or boom that is hidden in the upstage right corner, that a piece of 40 ft. light-weight elastin fabric can be tied to (the maximum weight of "pulling" is no more than 5 lbs)
-Presets: pair of shorts, pair of scissors, 23 pieces of paper
Theatre - marley flooring, black backdrop
Length of Performance: 18 minutes
Audience Type: General Audience, any age
Does the work require tech residency?: N/A
How many days/hours of on-site rehearsal do you require pre-performance?: 5
Number of Performers on Tour (including choreographer): 2
How do you define this work?: Contemporary Dance
Does your work include outreach / community engagement?:
Community Engagement:
Movement workshop open to all ages/backgrounds/experiences (90-120 minutes)
Workshop Description:
"Experiences windows into the reflective process and journey behind the scenes of creating: journals of adoption. This workshop gentle guides
participants through embodied prompts and visceral imagery that were used to craft this solo work, informed by Sophie's vast background in contemporary dance forms, traditional Métis jigging and bodywork."
Performance history of this project:
Premiere: Matriarchs Uprising Festival, The Dance Centre, February 2023, Vancouver
Other Presentations:
-Nozhem: First Peoples Theatre, November 2023, Peterborough
-W36 Festival, Native Earth Performing Arts, November 2023, Toronto
-The Evergreen Cultural Centre, May 2024, Coquitlam
-NextFest, The Roxy, June 2024, Edmonton
-Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, June 2024, Burnaby
Project Availability: Spring 2025, and Summer 2025
Email: Sophie.c.d@hotmail.com
Website: sophiedow.com
Facebook: Sophie Dow
Located: Originally from Treaty 1 Territory: Winnipeg, Manitoba Currently residing on xwmǝθkwǝy̓ǝy̓ m (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wx̱ ú7mesh (Squamish), and sǝlilwǝtaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) land - so-called Vancouver.
Photos: courtsey of the artist