Grupo Corpo / RubberBand—DanceHouse

®

PRESENTS

GRUPO CORPO ( BRAZIL )

DANÇA SINFÔNICA & GIRA FEBRUARY 28 & 29 8PM VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION SPRONSORS

RUBBERBAND

( MONTREAL )

EVER SO SLIGHTLY MARCH 20 & 21 8PM VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION SP ONSOR

Anndraya Luui

SE ASON PAR TNERS

The Artist’s Studio is Her Bedroom On view until April 5, 2020 Free admission

555 Nelson Street, Vancouver

www.contemporaryartgallery.ca

@CAGVancouver

DanceHouse // Welcome A NEW YEAR, A NEW DECADE, AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES, STARTING WITH OUR THIRD AND FOURTH PRESENTATIONS OF THE 2019/20 SEASON. We are delighted to welcome back Brazilian juggernaut Grupo Corpo for the third time to the DanceHouse stage. With an impressive troupe of dancers, choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras channels the metaphysical with Dança Sinfônica and new work Gira. We are proud to recognize the Brazilian Consulate as well as In the Trench Productions for their support of this high-energy presentation.

In March, we turn the stage over to Montreal troupe RUBBERBAND, with thanks to our production sponsor, Anndraya Luui. In their inaugural presentation with DanceHouse, the powerhouse Canadian company presents their work Ever So Slightly by choreographer Victor Quijada. With the presentation of this dynamic Canadian company, I invite you to join me in celebrating high energy and innovative dance made in Canada.

If you were moved by what you saw tonight, we hope you will consider committing further to DanceHouse as together we navigate the inspiring world of dance. We invite you to join our new 3-Year Pledge campaign, kicking off this Spring and carrying through to 2023. No amount is too small and your 3 year commitment will contribute to making DanceHouse’s exciting programming possible. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Sabine Rouques (sabine@dancehouse.ca), whom I am thrilled to welcome among the DanceHouse team as Director of Patron Relations.

We are thrilled to serve our enthusiastic and trusting Vancouver audiences and hope you enjoy tonight’s performance.

Sincerely,

Jim Smith Cofounder, Artistic & Executive Director

DanceHouse respectfully acknowledges that the land on which we gather is the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS F E B R UA RY 2 02 0

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Grupo Corpo

19 Donor Profile: Eric Fiss and Nan Legate

12 RUBBERBAND

20 DanceHouse in the Community

16 Community Outreach

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19 Meet Sabine Rouques

22 Personnel and Supporters

Donors

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Feb 28 & 29, 2020, 8pm

PRESENTS

Vancouver Playhouse, Vancouver BC

DANÇA SINFÔNICA & GIRA

DURATION: 102 MINUTES

(BRAZIL)

20 MINUTE INTERMISSION

CHOREOGRAPHY Rodrigo Pederneiras

SET DESIGN Paulo Pederneiras

MUSIC Dança Sinfônica: Marco Antônio Guimarães Gira: Metá Metá

COSTUME DESIGN Freusa Zechmeister LIGHTING Paulo Pederneiras Gabriel Pederneiras DANCERS

Ágatha Faro, Bianca Victal, Dayanne Amaral, Débora Roots, Edésio Nunes, Edmárcio Junior, Edson Hayzer, Elias Bouza, Filipe Bruschi, Helbert Pimenta, Janaina Castro, Jonathan de Paula, Karen Rangel, Luan Batista, Lucas Saraiva, Malu Figueiroa, Mariana do Rosário, Rafael Bittar, Rafaela Fernandes, Silvia Gaspar, Williene Sampaio, Yasmin Almeida ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Paulo Pederneiras

TECHNICAL COORDINATOR Gabriel Pederneiras

SECRETARY Flávia Labbate

CHOREOGRAPHER Rodrigo Pederneiras

TECHNICIANS Átilla Gomes, Murilo Oliveira, Stefan Böttcher

DOCUMENTATION Cândida Braz

REHEARSAL DIRECTOR Carmen Purri

WARDROBE ASSISTANTS Alexandre Vasconcelos, Maria Luiza Magalhães

CHOREOGRAPHY ASSISTANTS Ana Paula Cançado, Carmen Purri, Miriam Pederneiras

ADMINISTRATOR Marcello Cláudio Teixeira

BALLET MISTRESS Bettina Bellomo PIANIST Anna Maria Ferreira TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Pedro Pederneiras

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Kênia Marques ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Marcel Gordon Firing

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR Cristina Castilho COMMUNICATION ASSISTANT Mateus Castilho PROGRAM DIRECTOR Cláudia Ribeiro EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Michelle Deslandes PRODUCTION Instituto Cultural Corpo

Run Time: Dança Sinfônica 42 minutes, Intermission 20 minutes, Gira 40 minutes grupocorpo.com

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Grupo Corpo

// ABOUT

Grupo Corpo was created in Belo Horizonte, in 1975, by Paulo Pederneiras, who brought along with him his brothers and sisters and some friends. It is a contemporary dance company, which is typically Brazilian in its creations.

During Corpo’s history, it went through several metamorphoses but it has been guided by three main concerns: the definition of an identity linked to the idea of a national culture (with all the subtlety it implies); the continuity of the work, thinking in terms of future; the integrity in maintaining the self-imposed elaboration standards.

As of 1992, composers are invited to write soundtracks, especially for each ballet. So, music, stage sets, costumes, and choreography are created simultaneously. Each ballet is the result of this interaction.

Paulo Pederneiras is the artistic director, and later he became responsible for the scenography and lighting of the pieces, as well.

Rodrigo Pederneiras started as a dancer and, as of 1978, became the choreographer of the majority of Grupo Corpo’s work.

Photos: Jose Luiz Pederneiras

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// Dança Sinfônica

Created to celebrate Grupo Corpo’s 40th anniversary in 2015, Dança Sinfônica is built on the memorialist theme proposed

by Artistic Director, Paulo Pederneiras.

In this first symphony created specially for the dance company, Marco Antônio Guimarães, the author of anthological works such as 21 (1992) and Bach (1996), combines a sophisticated plot with original pieces and evocative musical passages from ballets recently produced by Grupo Corpo.

The set of themes, written masterfully for the 90-member Philharmonic Orchestra of Minas Gerais, and interconnected by ingenious musical bridges performed by the Uakti group, allows Rodrigo Pederneiras to revisit the best works from the group’s entire repertoire, and also to process, with the experience

accumulated through decades of working on detachment of form, a kind of synthesis of a choreographic scripture assembled over 34 years of residence at the company.

Taken from the private collections of professionals who have collaborated with or had an influence on the trajectory of Grupo Corpo over these 40 years – from dancers and maîtres de ballet to technicians and stewards – over a thousand informal photographic snapshots make up the 8m x 16m backdrop panel, establishing the mood for the show. In contrast to the everyday character of the situations represented in the photographs, winered velvet curtains cover the base of the theater while the legs of the dancers are covered in tights of the same color, giving the performance a discrete air of solemnity.

// Gira

The rites of ‘Umbanda’ – one of the most widely practiced Brazil-born religions, which resulted from a combination of ‘Candomblé’ with Catholicism and Kardecism – serve as the great source of inspiration for the aesthetic scene design of Gira. ‘Exu’, the most human of the ‘Orixás’ – without whom, in religions of African origin, the ritual simply won’t happen – is the main poetic imagery which evokes the eleven musical themes especially created by Metá Metá, for Gira.

First and foremost, the artistic creators of Grupo Corpo had to delve into the universe of Afro-Brazilian religions in preparation for the theme proposed by Metá Metá. However, the performance is far from being a mimetic representation of these syncretic rituals. Instead, the

choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras re(constructs) the powerful glossary of gestures and movement he accessed as he experienced rites of ‘Camdomblé’ as well as ‘Umbanda’, particularly ‘Exu’ ceremonies (Giras de Exu).

Paulo Pederneiras conceived the stage design as an installation or a non-setting, in which he covers the bodies of the dancers off stage with the same black tulle as the three walls of the black box, turning them into the ether and this way creating an eerie atmosphere of endlessness. As for the costumes, Freusa Zechmeister adopts the same language for the whole cast, both female and male dancers: naked torso and the other half of the body in white skirts of primitive cutting and raw linen.

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// ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES PAULO PEDERNEIRAS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, SET AND LIGHTING DESIGNER

“Grupo Corpo is under nobody’s name: we were able to get an identity as a group”. It’s a fact: dance, music, lighting, costumes, stage setting, everything is integrated as one in Grupo Corpo’s creations. But someone must direct the group – and this was always Paulo Pederneiras’s job. Paulo is the general and artistic director of the company, which was founded by him in 1975, in addition to doing lighting and stage design. Since its foundation in 1975, Grupo Corpo has been dealing with the dilemmas which involve not only the learning process but the control over a language and also the administrative maintenance of the company.

To look for funds and to support one’s own work, without compromising quality, has been a characteristic of Grupo Corpo in these last years.

Grupo Corpo is known throughout the world today. Besides his work with Grupo Corpo, Paulo has done lighting projects for several operas, such as: Don Giovanni, Suor Angelica, Lucia de Lammermoor, La Voix Humaine, Salomé and Orfeo, to mention a few. He has also done the set designing for exhibits such as the section for “Indigenous and Anthropologic Art” at the Brazil 500 years Exhibit, at the “Oca” (Hut)— at the Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, 2000). “A Brazilian company has great physical diversity.

Each dancer’s movement is different, and yet the idea of being a group is not lost. That’s where the dance draws its strength from.” The words describe what happens with the bodies, but equally, serve to describe the company. Under the direction of Paulo, Grupo Corpo made a virtue out of its diversities. And it continues making this virtue the principle of creation: a way of knowing and not knowing, a bet on the unknown, in order to always reach a new dance, which will always be its own dance.

RODRIGO PEDERNEIRAS CHOREOGRAPHER

“It was only in 1988 that I started thinking about what it would be like to make a dance which would be more inside our body”. Rodrigo’s words define a crucial moment not only for his career but also for Grupo Corpo as well. His work, since, can be seen in a variety of exploration of this “dance inside our body” – which is the dance of Corpo.

The language of Rodrigo is essentially a modern one. In his own way, he harbors the xaxado, the samba, the ballroom dance, the celebrations, the capoeira. Everything is translated into a private 10

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world, where, dynamics and balance, have even more meaning than movement. Everything with a certain amount of joy and humor, which, even though joyous and good-humored, does not hide the violence and the ambiguity of our condition.

Always guided by music, Rodrigo “breaks” the classical movements in an intensely Brazilian way, however, entirely free from the exotic, from boastful and from easy identities. Being Corpo’s choreographer since 1978, Rodrigo’s work is now known and recognized nationally and internationally. He has choreographed for Ballet do Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Ballet do Teatro Guaíra, Ballet da Cidade de São Paulo and Companhia de Dança de Minas Gerais.

Outside Brazil: Deutsche Oper Berlin Company (Germany), Gulbenkian (Portugal), Les Ballets Jazz Montréal (Canada), Stadttheater Saint Gallen (Switzerland), and Opéra du Rhin (France). Creating for Grupo Corpo, however, remains his main interest. “Grupo Corpo today has it’s own language, which is something hard to achieve.” This does not mean that things become easier. Much on the contrary; “I may make a mistake one thousand times while creating until I find that which I want. This is not possible with other dance companies.

There are pressures for time.” The support of the choreography assistants, Carmen Purri and Miriam Pederneiras, help the efforts to see the dance being slowly created on stage.

Grupo Corpo’s dancers learn from them the choreography, as imagined by Rodrigo during the creation phase.

ÁGATHA FARO joined Grupo Corpo in 2017 having previously danced with Cia Sesc de Dança.

DÉBORA ROOTS joined Grupo Corpo in 2019 having previously danced with Cia Cisne Negro and Cia Mário Nascimento.

EDÉSIO NUNES started his dance studies in 2004 and worked with Cia de Dança Sesiminas before joining Grupo Corpo in 2018.

EDMÁRCIO JUNIOR began his dance studies in 2002 and danced with Ballet Jovem do Palácio das Artes before joining Grupo Corpo in 2014.

EDSON HAYZER before joining Grupo Corpo in 2001 worked with Ballet do Teatro Guaira and began his dance studies in 1997.

ELIAS BOUZA

BIANCA VICTAL began her dance studies in September 2006. Before joining Grupo Corpo in June 2014, she danced with Companhia Jovem de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro and Companhia de Dança do Sesc.

DAYANNE AMARAL joined Grupo Corpo in 2012 having previously danced with Cia de Dança Sesiminas.

She began her dance studies in 2001.

started his dance studies in 1989. He danced with Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Companhia de Dança de Minas Gerais, Ballet do Teatro Castro Alves and Cia Deborah Colker before joining Grupo Corpo in 2009.

FILIPE BRUSCHI joined Grupo Corpo in 2005 having previously danced with Raça Companhia de Dança and Ballet do Teatro Castro Alves. He began his dance studies in 1993.

HELBERT PIMENTA joined Grupo Corpo in 2004 having previously danced with Companhia de Dança de Minas Gerais, Grupo Camaleão and Quik Companhia de Dança. He began his studies in 1996.

JANAINA CASTRO began her dance studies in 1981 and danced with Companhia de Dança de Minas Gerais before joining Grupo Corpo in 2000.

JONATHAN DE PAULA danced with Cia Sesi Minas and Compagnia Zapallà Danza before joining Grupo Corpo in 2019.

MALU FIGUEIROA began her dance studies in 1990. She danced with Grupo Camaleão, Ballet do Teatro Castro Alves and Ballet Jovem do Palácio das Artes before joining Grupo Corpo in 2011.

GLOBAL DANCE CONNECTIONS SERIES BILL COLEMAN (Canada)

MARIANA DO ROSÁRIO

DOLLHOUSE

before joining Grupo Corpo in 2005 danced with Ballet do Teatro Guaira and Balé da Cidade de São Paulo.

She began her dance studies in 1989.

March 12-14 | 8pm Presented with Vancouver New Music

RAFAEL BITTAR started his dance studies in 2002 and danced with Cia Mario Nascimento before joining Grupo Corpo in 2012.

RAFAELA FERNANDES

Photo: Paul-Antoine Taillefer

// ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

HILLEL KOGAN (Israel)

started her dance studies in 1998 and joined Grupo Corpo in 2011.

WE LOVE ARABS

April 23-25 | 8pm

KAREN RANGEL

LUAN BATISTA began his dance studies in 2007 and has danced with Cia de Ballet Jovem do Rio de Janeiro, Cia Nós da Dança and Cia Sesc de Dança, before joining Grupo Corpo in 2016.

LUCAS SARAIVA after beginning his dance studies in 2006, danced with Cia de Teatro e Dança Ivaldo Bertazzo, Bienal de Dança Contemporânea de Veneza and Cia de Dança Deborah Colker. He joined Grupo Corpo in December 2013.

Presented with Théâtre la Seizième

SILVIA GASPAR danced with Ballet da Cidade de São Paulo and Companhia de Dança de Minas Gerais before joining Grupo Corpo in 2001.

WILLIENE SAMPAIO before joining Grupo Corpo in 2012 worked with Washington Ballet and São Paulo Cia de Dança. She began her dance studies in 1990.

Photo: Maria Grazia Lenzini

after beggining her dance studies in 2008, danced with Cia Sesc de Dança. She joined Grupo Corpo in 2017.

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YASMIN ALMEIDA started her dance studies in 1999 and joined Grupo Corpo in 2012.

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March 20 & 21, 2020, 8pm

RUBBERBAND

Vancouver Playhouse, Vancouver BC

(MONTREAL)

DURATION: 75 MINUTES

EVER SO SLIGHTLY

PRESENTS

NO INTERMISSION

CHOREOGRAPHY Victor Quijada in collaboration with the dancers DRAMATURGY Mathieu Leroux MUSICIANS Jasper Gahunia William Lamoureux LIGHTING DESIGN Yan Lee Chan COSTUME DESIGN Cloé Alain-Gendreau

DANCERS

Amara Barner, Jean Bui, Daniela Jezerinac, Jontae McCrory, Sydney McManus, Jessica Muszynski, Brontë Poiré-Prest, Jerimy Rivera, Ryan Taylor and Paco Ziel MUSIC (LIVE PERFORMANCE)

Jasper Gahunia — bass, drum machine, keyboard, turntable William Lamoureux — violin, guitar, keyboard

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Yan Lee Chan

TOUR AND PRODUCTION MANAGER Véronique Perreault

SOUND TECHNICIAN Arnaud Vaillancourt

PRODUCTION SPONSOR Anndraya Luui

PRODUCING PARTNERS AND FUNDERS Ever So Slightly is coproduced by Danse Danse, Société de la Place des Arts, Théâtre Hector-Charland and Global Arts Live. RUBBERBAND benefits from the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Ontario Arts Council. RUBBERBAND also benefited from the support of Danse à la Carte and residencies at Place des Arts, Salle Pauline Julien, CCOV - Centre de création O Vertigo and Théâtre Hector-Charland for the creation of Ever So Slightly.

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RUBBERBAND

// ABOUT

In RUBBERBAND, Victor Quijada reconciles the two poles that inhabit him: the spontaneity, risk, and fearlessness of the Hip-Hop culture of the American West Coast where he grew up, and the choreographic refinement of contemporary dance, the milieu in which he developed as a professional dancer. The revolutionary character of the aesthetic Victor has created is illustrated in close to thirty works during seventeen years of artistic research. Imbued with the inherent independence of the street and a sharply perceptive sense of staging, his choreographies explore human relations, particularly focusing on the passion of obsession, the brutality of violence, and the delicacy needed for tragedy and comedy.

With his street-dancer sensibility intact, Victor Quijada seeks to integrate the spontaneity of Hip-Hop circles into stage performance and break down the barrier between performers and audience, as often as possible.

Besides his performance and film works, Victor has developed a training program, the RUBBERBAND Method, that prepares professional dancers for the choreographic requirements of the company. This program initiates dancers to the hybridity of a movement influenced by both urban and contemporary dance while emphasizing interpretation, decision-making, rhythmic variations, and partnering. Workshops and lecture presentations are offered regularly during company tours.

Show photos: © Marie-Noële Pilon Headshots: © Isabel Rancier

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// Ever So Slightly In a crisis, in the midst of extreme anxiety, where and how do we find the calm needed to confront the situation? Ever So Slightly explores behavioral mechanisms, reflexes we develop to face aggression and the constant flow of annoyances bombarding us every day. Mostly, it takes a look at change, the many elements that lead to it, and the breaking point that makes a change—positive and negative—possible.

Directing a group of athletes who have mastered his RUBBERBAND Method, the choreographer combines delicacy and finesse with brute, high-voltage movement to capture the energy of urgency, revolt, and flight from danger. For the first time in a work for his RBDG, he’s bringing together a wild and impressive cast of 10 dancers in order to delve deeply into human relationships and the impulses that drive/devour a group of individuals.

partners, is pushing RBDG’s musical signature by creating a bold and original soundscape to be performed live that mixes electronic music, breakbeats, and vintage sampling. With a team made up of fresh talents and some of the company’s frequent collaborators, inspired by dancers with a wide range of training and experience, RUBBERBAND has moved into a higher gear; Ever So Slightly represents a quest to find a realm of tranquility within chaos, but at what cost?

Quijada continues to surprise us—in ways we couldn’t imagine.

The dramaturgy of this work develops through a weeding-out of the ugly and the excessive and the striving for balance between the oppositions that inhabit us (or co-inhabit with us). Sound-wise, Jasper Gahunia, one of Quijada’s longtime

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// ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES VICTOR QUIJADA CHOREOGRAPHER

From the Hip-Hop clubs of his native Los Angeles to a performance career with acclaimed dance companies such as THARP!, Ballet Tech, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Victor Quijada created RUBBERBAND as a vehicle to fuse the form and rigour of post-modern, contemporary, and classical ballet with the ideology and movement vocabulary of the Hip-Hop culture he grew up with.

Since 2002, he has created fourteen touring works for RUBBERBAND, and choreographed for both contemporary ballet companies (Hubbard Street, Pacific Northwest Ballet), for contemporary circus (7 Fingers, Dynamo Theatre), and has also created award-winning film and music videos as a choreographer, director, or dramaturge.

Quijada developed the RUBBERBAND Method in order to train and prepare his company members for the demands of his choreography. Now RUBBERBAND Method classes and workshops are conducted internationally. Since 2015, Quijada is an artist-in-residence at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance University of Southern California (USC). Quijada won a 2017 Prix de la Danse de Montreal (Cultural Diversity Award), and his Ever So Slightly was nominated for the 2019 Grand Prix de Montreal. He is a two-time recipient of a Princess Grace Foundation Award (2010, 2016), a two-time recipient of a National Dance Project/NEFA—Production Grant (2008, 2019), and a CanDance Creation Fund awardee in 2012. From 2007 to 2011, he was an artist-in-residence at the Cinquième Salle of Place des Arts in Montreal.

AMARA BARNER Amara Barner began her dance training in childhood in Minneapolis. While still an adolescent, she traveled as an assistant to several choreographers and to train in the framework of The Pulse On Tour and Intrigue Dance Convention, among other opportunities for professional development. Contracts in Los Angeles and New York opened doors for her, allowing her to perform and conduct workshops in Australia, Mexico, England, and Italy.

Moving to New York City, she participated in the creation and performance of several works with Isodoc Dance Group. Barner joined RUBBERBAND in 2016.

JEAN BUI Jean Bui studied visual art and urbanism before deciding to explore the artistic and athletic potential of the human body through parkour and the circus arts. After general training for the circus in 2011, he completed the contemporary dance program at UQAM. He has worked with George Stamos, Manuel Roque, Katya Montaignac, and Maud Saint-Germain, and has appeared in music and promotional videos, television series, and feature films.

He joined RUBBERBAND in 2015.

DANIELA JEZERINAC Daniela Jezerinac grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, where she began dancing at a local studio. At the age of 15, she became a company member of Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, where she stayed for three years. Upon her training there, she performed works by José Limón, Colin Connor, Kevin Wynn, Robert Glumbek, and Ofillio Sindadhino. She just finished her studies at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase College in New York. Jezerinac joined RUBBERBAND in 2018.

JONTAE MCCRORY Jo n t a e Mc C r o r y, originally from Detroit, Michigan, started his training at Western Michigan University at the age of 19. In 2017, McCrory attended the year-long Dancers Course with BalletBoyz in London, England. Throughout his training, he has had the privilege of learning works by Kyle Abraham, James Gregg, Frank Chaves, and Azure Barton. As a choreographer, McCrory has had works featured in the 2017 American College Dance Association Gala Concert, Festival Chéries-Chéris - Paris Film Festival, and BBC Network London. McCrory joined RUBBERBAND in 2019.

SYDNEY MCMANUS Sydney McManus, originally from London Ontario, is a multidisciplinary artist working between Montreal and Toronto.

As a freelance artist, her experience includes performances with TOES for Dance, Fog in Hand, Alysa Pires Dance Projects, among others. Besides her work in performance, she is also a practicing visual artist with continued studies at OCAD University. She joined RUBBERBAND in 2016.

JESSICA MUSZYNSKI Jessica Joy Muszynski is a Canadian choreographer and dancer born in Burnaby, BC, where she began training in ballet at the Richmond Academy of Dance, before moving to Calgary, AB in 2012. A growing curiosity in dance led her to become self-taught in Hip Hop and Contemporary by mimicking YouTube videos. In May 2019 she graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in Dance. During her time at school, she had the opportunity to dance in excerpts of works by William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, and Victor Quijada.

Post-graduation you can find Jessica in a music video for a popular band called half•alive and in Germany performing with Aszure Barton & Artists. She joined RUBBERBAND in September 2019.

BRONTË POIRÉ-PREST Brontë Poiré-Prest hails from Montreal, Quebec. She fell in love with the art of movement at Ballet Divertimento, where she started her classical dance training in 2010.

She then continued her studies at L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, where she had the fortune to work and collaborate with renowned choreographers such as Angélique Willkie, Hélène Blackburn, and Alan Lake.

Upon leaving school, she was invited to work with several well-established companies from Montreal such as Van Grimde Corps Secrets, Le Carré des Lombes and as a freelancer for Compagnie Marie Chouinard. Poiré-Prest joined RUBBERBAND in 2018.

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// ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES JERIMY RIVERA Jerimy Rivera, a native of New York City, practiced gymnastics from an early age, but after several experiences with New York City Ballet, he decided to dedicate himself exclusively to dance. After training with Steps on Broadway, he broadened his stylistic reach to contemporary dance, Hip Hop, jazz ballet, and musical theatre dance.

While an adolescent, he studied for two years at the JKO School at American Ballet Theatre under Franco Devita and Raymond Lukens before joining Manhattan Youth Ballet. Rivera continued his training at The French Academie of Ballet under François Perron and Nadège Hottier; in 2012, he toured with West Side Story – The Musical.

In 2013, he moved to Montreal, where he danced with Les Grands Ballets canadiens for four years. Rivera joined RUBBERBAND in 2017.

RYAN TAYLOR Ryan Taylor, originally f r o m C o l c h e s t e r, England, was introduced to dance via Hip Hop and breakdancing, joining B a tt a l i o n s C r e w and participating frequently in European competitions. Training under Akram Kahn at the National Youth Dance Company inspired him to continue his dance studies at the London Contemporary Dance School where he was taught by Hofesh Shechter, Dane Hurst, and Sasha Roubicek, among other artists. In 2017, dancing in Rosalind by James Cousins Company at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he won the award for Best Moment of the Festival. Taylor joined RUBBERBAND in 2017.

// COMMUNITY OUTREACH

PACO ZIEL Paco Ziel began studying music and art at age 12 at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico, his country of origin. He won a scholarship to attend Estudio Profesional de Danza Ema Pulido, where he honed his technique and performance skills. He came to Montreal in 2011 to continue training in classical ballet at l’École supérieure de ballet du Québec. His choreography, Huapango, won first prize at the 2011Bravissimo competition, and another work, Mexica, garnered positive reviews from Mexican critics. Ziel is a co-founder of the Montrealbased dance collective, Quantum. He joined RUBBERBAND in 2015.

The presentation reaches beyond the theatre to engage the local community through masterclasses, roundtable conversations, artist talks, and social events.

MASTERCLASSES

POST-SHOW SOCIALS

DanceHouse engages each visiting company in a series of masterclasses, offering the dance community—from dance students to professional dancers—access to dance with international artists right here in Vancouver.

Following select performances, join us for the Post-Show Social. This is your chance to meet and chat with the artists and members of the company who performed and also get to know members of the DanceHouse team and board of directors. Everyone is welcome.

SPEAKING OF DANCE CONVERSATIONS Presented by noted writers, choreographers and creative thinkers, Speaking of Dance is a series of free public dialogues and roundtable conversations about the world of dance, contextualizing it within culture and society.

SPEAKING OF DANCE PRE-SHOW TALKS Listen in to a conversation with the visiting artists before select performances. This is an excellent opportunity to gain insight into the presentation you are about to experience.

DANCEHOUSE ONE DanceHouse One is a membership program for the next wave of tastemakers who want to deepen their connections to the arts and create a welcoming and vibrant community while doing so. Members will receive inspiring opportunities for enhanced arts experiences, behind-the-scenes access, and unique social events. Whether you’re arts curious or a young arts veteran, we welcome you to share your time, experience and excitement as together we explore the rewarding world of exceptional, international dance!

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE THEATRE AND BEYOND!

Sign up or learn more by visiting our website or speak to any staff members in the DanceHouse lobby.

Visit dancehouse.ca for more information about all upcoming events.

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DANCEHOUSE.CA

Fierce cabaret with a lashing of sass and a whole lot of empowerment MAY 1 & 2 8PM

masseytheatre.com

IMPULSO Roceio molina IMPULSO A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT ROCÍO MOLINA VIFF

SCREENING & SPEAKING OF DANCE CONVERSATION ???

• HOST: Francesca Piscopo (Artistic Associate & Community Engagement, DanceHouse)

• GUESTS: PoChu AuYeung (Program Manager & Senior Pro-

grammer, VIFF) and Dorothy Woodend (Culture Editor, The Tyee)

MARCH 11, 2020 | 7:30PM VANCITY THEATRE

TICKETS AND INFO VIFF.ORG

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STAY CONNECTED AT STRAIGHT.COM

Proud Partner DanceHouse 2019/2020 Season Vancouver's leading arts source.

Follow us @georgiastraightarts

SABINE ROUQUES WELCOMING THE NEW DANCEHOUSE DIRECTOR OF PATRON RELATIONS

By Penny Williams, DanceHouse Volunteer Writer

brand new organization called DanceHouse.

“I became a subscriber, that very first year,” she says. “When you come to a new country, you write a new story for yourself.

DanceHouse is part of my Canadian story.”

“My job is to ensure that patrons, be they subscribers, ticket buyers, or donors, have the best possible experience with DanceHouse,” says Sabine Rouques, who assumed the role of Director of Patron Relations in January 2020. By “patron,” she means everybody who connects with DanceHouse in any way. It’s a big sweep, inclusive in the best DanceHouse tradition, and Sabine has the attitude and background to match.

Start with dance. In her native Paris, France, Sabine studied dance until age 24, when she became a dance patron instead as she began building her career in finance.

Then Sabine moved to Canada and, in 2008, her well-established passion for dance met a

This story includes a period on the Board of Directors (2011-18), and a keen appreciation for what DanceHouse offers to those who connect with it. Sabine talks about artistic quality and range, and also about the sheer sense of community.

It is this feeling of community that Sabine wants to make part of the DanceHouse experience for every patron. “I want everybody to feel welcome, to feel they belong, to feel valued, to feel heard,” she says. “I want feedback, negative as well as positive. Our presentations can be thoughtprovoking. Through conversation, we build our understanding — about the dance and the way it can make us reconsider societal issues.”

Don’t be surprised if Sabine reaches out to you to continue the conversation. Or, you can reach Sabine by phone at 604.801.6225 or email sabine@dancehouse.ca.

OD LUMB ROWN.COM

“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference.” – Kathy Calvin Canadians are generous – in fact, we’re the fourth most generous out of 24 countries compared in 2014.1 Here are some simple tips to help you get the highest value from tax credits available when giving to charities, such as DanceHouse.

Five tips to optimize donation tax credits: 1. If possible, claim donation tax credits 4. Consider donating eligible securities ‘in-kind’, rather than donating cash. after accumulating more than $200 in donations.

5. Using tax return software can make donation carry-forwards easy to track.

2. Carry-forward donation receipts, up to five years.

3. Donations made by spouses can be claimed on either spouse’s tax return(s), unless made in a will.

Please contact me to learn more about how to incorporate charitable giving into your investment strategy.

Zdenka Gomes, CFA, CIM, B.Comm Portfolio Manager, Investment Advisor

Tel 604-844-5436

zgomes@odlumbrown.com odlumbrown.com/zgomes Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund 1 Source: https://www.cagpacpdp.org/sites/default/files/media/rideau_hall_foundation_30years_report_eng_fnl.pdf

// DONOR PROFILE: Eric Fiss and Nan Legate

By Sally Halliday, DanceHouse Volunteer Writer

Eric Fiss and Nan Legate enjoy all types of art, which made the decision to become DanceHouse donors a natural one.

“We are audience lovers of creative pursuits” says Nan, who shares a history of supporting local dance companies with Eric.

“We used to see lots of experimental work when we lived in New York and Halifax. I love the fact that it’s not digital, that we can see dance up close.” Eric is excited by the element of risk-taking in modern dance. “You never know what is going to happen in the moment; dance on point, acrobatic, so many gregarious things animating the dance.”

They also appreciate being part of a small yet vibrant arts community.

“We come to these performances and we see people we know and just spontaneously we make new friends. There is a community that develops around the event after the performance.”

While Eric and Nan also enjoy seeing plays, opera, and the symphony, it’s in contemporary dance that these retired architects see a connection to a common creative process.

“Both share similar abstract concepts and language about form, structure and rhythm. They also take a collaborative team of creative people to produce and are multidisciplinary, involving sound, lighting and space. “ And Eric doesn’t hesitate when asked about choosing to support DanceHouse over other dance organizations: “I love the international scope, both Canadian and dancers from all over the world and they’ve found a common language in dance. What I love about that is there is a relevance to the kind of performance they bring.

These dancers deal with contemporary issues, such as migration, violence, cultural tensions. There is a freshness in the stories of contemporary dance.”

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A CROSS-CULTURAL STORY

By Penny Williams, DanceHouse Volunteer Writer

DANCEHOUSE IN THE COMMUNITY

the Netherlands… Plus Toronto, Montreal and Nunavut, and of course Vancouver as well. We are no longer isolated.

Community means connection, and connection, says co-founder Jim Smith, is what Vancouver lacked when they created this organization 11 years ago. “There was a whole rich world of dance out there, but it wasn’t being seen in Vancouver.” Then, suddenly, as of 2008-09, it was.

As Jim points out, these connections are about a lot more than geography. “Cultural works exist in a social and political context, and they tell us something about that context.” They also tell us something about ourselves and the way we view other societies. Jim continues, “We see very harsh headlines about other countries, other cultures. I like to bring in a company from a country that may have a negative, caricature image, and show whole other dimensions of who they are.” This doesn’t apply only to other countries, he adds.

January’s presentation of Unikkaaqtuat, a contemporary retelling of Inuit founding myths by Inuit and southern artists, reminds us how much we have to learn about cultures right here at home.

That first season presented companies from Sénégal, Israel, the USA and Montreal — a pattern of national and international relationships that has deepened ever since. Brazil, the UK, Australia, Japan, Spain, Norway, Finland, China, France,

It’s the sheer humanity of dance, its power to include and express, that resonates for DanceHouse Board member Ivy Arcos Dahm—a perception, she says, that she owes to the organization itself. “I’d seen dance over the years, but just hadn’t paid

DanceHouse is about the house, as well as the dance — community, as well as artistic excellence. Community across the physical divides of space, and the cultural divides of misconception and exclusion.

A Personalized Culinary

Experience!

much attention. Then in 2013 a friend took me to a DanceHouse presentation, and it changed everything. I saw that dance was part of my human experience.” It wasn’t just the performance, she says, it was also the DanceHouse environment. “The work was really approachable, even though I have no dance training, and I was comfortable in the space. The audience was so diverse, everybody was welcome.” Now, as a member of the DanceHouse One committee, Ivy works to bring in a younger audience, and extend the welcome that much more.

Originally from Mexico and familiar with other countries and cultures, she adds, “I take multiculturalism as a given. I think DanceHouse is doing a good job of challenging misconceptions and helping us appreciate each other.” In a separate conversation, Jim Smith expands and completes the thought. “We’re presenting culture within the ecology of Vancouver itself, trying to bring to the community the larger context of other experiences. For me, the great hope is that, in the end, it also helps us understand our own context.”

CREATING A CUSTOM MENU THAT SUITS YOUR EVENT

DINNER PARTIES • RECEPTIONS LUNCHEONS • HIGH TEA

hello@atyourtable.ca www.atyourtable.ca (778) 990-4984

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DANCEHOUSE.CA

THANK YOU DONORS

NEW 3-YEAR PLEDGE CAMPAIGN We are pleased to launch a new 3-Year Pledge campaign, kicking off this Spring and carrying us through the next three years of inspiring international contemporary dance. To sign up or renew your existing 3-year pledge, contact Sabine Rouques at sabine@dancehouse.ca.

Donor List reflects donations received through January 2020.

IN THE HOUSE Diamond Room $10000+

Sue & David Roppel Brian Rowland & Steve Atkinson X Nardia Strydom

Anndraya T. Luui X Deux Mille Foundation Hawthorne Foundation Christopher Stott

Bronze Room $1000–$2499 Susan Adams Vish Anand & Ben Leavitt Mary & Herbert Auerbach X Peter Dickinson & Richard Cavell X ∙ Donna Welstein & Bill Ehrcke Kemo Schedlosky & Mark Gatha

Gold Room $5000–$9999 In The Trench Productions

Silver Room $2500–$4999 Catherine & Ian Aikenhead X Robert Laing & Ed Wilson X ∙

The McGrane—Pearson Endowment Fund, Held At Vancouver Foundation X Thomas Lightburn Linda Loo & Stephen Richards Jean Orr Sabine Rouques Betty Scheltgen Jim Smith X ∞ Dr. Larry Stonesifer & Mr. Ronald Angress Anonymous

NEIGHBORHOOD OF FRIENDS House $500–$999 Santa Aloi Ilze Bebris & Bruce Curry X Gary R. Bell Sara Getz ∙ Ronald Gibbs Liesl Jauk X ∙ Robert Lange Caroline Manders ∙ Anne Mauch ∙ Laura Moore ∙ Barra O’Briain Paula Palyga & David Demers ∙ In Memory of Lola MacLaughlin

Condo $250–$499

Ingrid Alderson Kathryn Cernauskas Deena Chochinov & Eric Posen Gisa Cole Laslo Jane Turner & Sheila Craigie Richard Dopson ∞ Janet Ericksen X ∙ Eric Fiss X ∙ Heather Fraser Leila Getz X Miriam Gil ∙ Conor Graham Cathy Grant Evelyn J. Harden

Lynn Kagan Joan and Michel Maurer Lorraine Portier Nancy Stern Heather McPherson & Arnoud Stryd Jean Warburton Fei Wong Straits Fishing Ltd

Apartment $100–$249

Aliyah Amarshi X Rosario Ancer Tiffany Antoniuk Alexandra Barker Alain Boisset Yves Bournival ∙ Fran Brafman X Ann Cameron Carol & Julia Carr Yok Leng Chang Fraser Norrie & David Clarke Judith Coffin Peter Dodek and Hella Lee ∙ Lynda Dubois Camrose Ducote Sharleen Dumont Dory Dynna Sally Felkai Jane Fernyhough X ∙ Carole A. Fitzgerald ∙ Karen Gelmon

Kate Gerson In Memory Of Nik Radosevic Heather Hyde Roger Kayo & Rachel Yang ∙ Barry Kootchin Jacquie Leggatt Linda Loo Gail Lotenberg Giorgio Magnanensi L. Mah Jocelyne Mange ∙ Jan Manson ∙ Laurel March Meaghan McLeod Martha Miller Kitty Nichols ∙ Fraser Norrie & David Clarke Emily O’Neill ∙ Cindy Reid & Rory Gylander ∙ Davi Rodrigues Kirsten Schrader ∙ Bernard Schulz Joanne Simpson Sharon Simpson Loretta Sramek ∙ Basil Sufrin ∙ Gina Sufrin ∙ Sheila Temple Pat Tipping Terence van der Woude ∙ Jonathan Waddington

Patricia Wall & Roman Czemerys Janet Waterman Penny Williams Peter Wood ∙ Claire Yargeau Anonymous x3

Guest Room up to $99 Alan Albert Wendy Amirault Barbra Arnold Laurie Guy-Sharp Erin Ingvaldson Jerome Irwin Jennifer Johnson Annamarie Koett ∙ Kent Martin Victoria Nowell Jennifer Pearson Terell Barbara Laurel Ward Andrew Wong Anonymous x3

Round Up

A special thank you to the more than 140 donors who rounded up their ticket orders! Together, these small contributions can make a big difference.

DanceHouse gratefully acknowledges the support from our generous donors. Did we miss you? Let us know!

Contact Sabine Rouques at sabine@dancehouse.ca or 604.801.6225 to join our community of supporters.

3-YEAR PLEDGE

3-YEAR PLEDGE x 2

∙ MONTHLY DONORS

∞ LEGACY DONORS

X 10+ YEARS

LEGACY GIVING AT DANCEHOUSE What will your legacy be? By making DanceHouse a beneficiary of a planned gift, you are ensuring a legacy in dance in Vancouver which benefits local, national, and international choreographers and performers, and audience members from all walks of life.

From more information about making a legacy gift, please contact Sabine Rouques, Director of Patron Relations at 604.801.6225 or sabine@dancehouse.ca.

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DanceHouse Personnel BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STAFF

Liesl Jauk, President Anndraya Luui, Vice-President Alexandra Barker, Treasurer Christopher Stott, Secretary Brian Rowland, Past-President Dr Vishal Anand, Director Ivy Arcos Dahm, Director Sara Getz, Director Dr Paula Meyler, Director Jada Tellier, Director

Jim Smith, Artistic and Executive Director Sabine Rouques, Director of Patron Relations Mark Eugster, Technical Director Sarah Ghosh, Media Contact, Murray Paterson Marketing Group Galia Goodwin, Events Coordinator Debora Gordon, Editor: Friday Round-Up Ann Hepper, Finance Coordinator

Administrative Offices & Ticket Centre

VOLUNTEERS DanceHouse wouldn’t be where it is today without the generous support of our passionate community of volunteers. Thank you for all that you do for DanceHouse!

PUBLISHING SPONSOR

DONOR LOUNGE PARTNER

COMMUNITY PARTNERS SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs The Cultch Dancers of Damelahamid Vancouver International Flamenco Festival Vancouver Tap Dance Society Arts Umbrella SFU School for the Contemporary Arts Lamondance Training and Performing Company Harbour Dance Centre PARTNERS

GOVERNMENT

104-336 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5T 4R6 604.801.6225 info@dancehouse.ca

// About DanceHouse

Support SEASON PARTNERS

Kevin Locsin, Patron Services Associate & Volunteer Coordinator Heather McDermid, Digital Communications Coordinator Lo McEwan, Patron Services Coordinator Francesca Piscopo, Artistic Associate & Community Engagement Coordinator Dora Prieto, Communications & Development Coordinator

Flower Factory Rare Design

MEDIA RELATIONS COMPANY

MISSION: to present exceptional international calibre dance of scale to engage, inform and challenge, and to offer transformative cultural experiences for Vancouver audiences.

DanceHouse was founded in 2008 by Jim Smith and Barb Clausen, and has since showcased vibrant and inspiring companies from Canada and around the world including works from Brazil, Finland, France, Greece, Israel, Japan, Sweden, UK, and USA among others.

In addition to the performances on stage, DanceHouse offers a suite of engagement opportunities including community round tables (Speaking of Dance Conversations), artist talks (Speaking of Dance Pre-Show Talk), pre-professional and professional masterclasses lead by visiting artists, and social events with the visiting company. These events present a chance for members of the general public and the local artistic community to engage directly with the presented artists and their work.

DanceHouse is a program of the Seismic Shift Arts Society which is a provincial non-profit society and a federally registered charitable organization. Charitable registration number 86128 4255 RR0001.

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your cultural concierge Photos (left to right): Davida Monk, photo by Tim Nguyen (Citrus Photography); Jonathan Roozeman, photo courtesy of Vancouver Recital Society; Desiree Bortolussi and Valentin Chou of Ballet Kelowna, photo by Emily Cooper; Jens Lindemann, photo courtesy of Kay Meek Arts Centre.