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ISSUE 66 • FALL 2020 • (Virtual) Home Season + In the Studios + more…
Dance Victoria’s (Virtual) Home Season Bringing the World’s Best Dance to your home
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI November 12–15, 2020 Running Time: 61 minutes
Ukrainian Shumka Dancers
( Edmonton)
Nutcracker December 10–13, 2020 Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes
In the Studios
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI. Photo: Nathalie Sternalski
Kirsten Wicklund and Peter Smida Sarah Hutton and Aiden Cass Kemi Craig Lindsay Delaronde & Visible Bodies Collective Andrew Barrett Véronique Emmett
iptions Subscr now! on sale (France/Algeria)
2 Footnotes • Issue 66 • Fall 2020
This year Dance Victoria brings the World’s Best Dance to your home and supports the development of new dance for the international stage from its studios in Quadra Village. Dance Victoria is a non-profit charitable society. DanceVictoria.com
Dance Seen The Crying Hour BY STEPHEN WHITE
President
Susan K.E. Howard
Treasurer
Emily Zeng
Directors
Colette Baty Frances Grunberg Stacey Horton Robert Millar Colin Nicol Kirsty Thomson
Staff: Executive Producer Stephen White General Manager Bernard Sauvé Operations Manager Shireen McNeilage Marketing Manager Tracy Smith Accounting Julie Collins Production Manager Holly Vivian Graphic Design Rayola Creative Advertising Sales Bonnie Light Advertising If you’d like to volunteer for Dance Victoria please visit DanceVictoria.com and complete the online volunteer form. Studios and Office: 111 – 2750 Quadra Street Victoria, BC V8T 4E8 250-595-1829 DanceVictoria.com for trailers, tickets and more information Footnotes is written by Tracy Smith and Stephen White (unless otherwise noted).
IT WAS ON THE DECK at our splendid Rocky Mountain vacation home (rented) just a few weeks ago that my friend Shirley asked, “So how did things go at Dance Victoria when you were hit with the COVID-19 regulations?” I said, “Geez. You got an hour?” and then launched into telling the story of how we were forced to cancel shows and ultimately suspend the upcoming season. How, as a team, we had to mobilize to ensure everyone, including audiences, sponsors and artists, were contacted and reassured. And of course, I mentioned that the closure of our studios and our office meant there were no more dance classes, and we were all suddenly working from home. I recalled how, in that first two months, when we were uncertain as to how the 2020/21 season was going to play out, our small team met over Zoom, four mornings a week. There was a lot to consider; it was a whole new frontier. General Manager Bernard Sauvé and I developed budgets for a dozen different scenarios. We met several times with the Board and the Finance Committee (in particular). We had frank conversations with the staff team until, eventually, one Zoom meeting that I remember vividly, I asked how each member of the team would be impacted if we had to work for reduced wages. Could they make their mortgage payments? Would they be able to continue working at Dance Victoria? It was at that moment, recalling that very specific conversation on that deck in the Rockies, that I burst into tears. Classic, when I reflect on it now. Of course, I was crying; it had been such an emotional rollercoaster and I was carrying a lot of responsibility through all of it. But still, I was surprised by how quickly the raw emotions had risen to the surface. They caught me off guard. It was supposed to be Happy Hour, not Stephen’s Crying Hour. Luckily, after some deep breaths, I managed to finish my story. As it turned out, the rest of the story was, and now is, much brighter. So many of you rushed in to support us right away, deferring ticket refunds, taking charitable tax receipts in lieu. After a work slow-down during the first two weeks in June, Bernard and I reconvened, and on a white board, we began to sketch out what we might be able to do in 2020/21. We returned to Dance Victoria’s mandate and mission statements. We thought about all the ways we interacted with the community pre-pandemic, and we asked ourselves what might interest you moving forward. We knew we needed to support independent dance artists because opportunities for them to make and present work had evaporated. The best way we could do this was by offering paid residencies at our studios. (We circled that item with a red marker.) To build resilience, we knew we needed to jump into strategic planning. Check that. We realized that our strongest interface with the public would likely be through our website. That went on the list. Then we thought long and hard about the thrill of seeing dance and the community that had coalesced around the love of dance performance. That’s when we began to devise what has evolved into our Virtual Home Season. Once we had the concept for the Home Season, we were able to flex our artistic muscles. The rest of the team joined us and together we began to build what we’re now offering our subscribers. And we’re actually very excited about it. In the midst of all the churn and fear, I came upon the expression “Never Waste a Crisis.” That became our mantra at Dance Victoria. When I told Shirley this, my eyes were dry, and together, we took a drink from our glasses and smiled. Happy Hour had returned. FN
Photos: Stephen White by Tracy Smith.
Dance Victoria Board:
DanceVictoria.com • 3
Welcome to Dance Victoria’s (Virtual) 2020/21 Home Season! What an emotional ride 2020 has been! After having to cancel our March and May presentations and then suspend our 2020/21 Dance at the Royal Theatre series, we are so excited to share our plans for our first Virtual Home Season that you can enjoy from the comfort and safety of your home. There are so many benefits to subscribing to this 4-show virtual series for the mere cost of $80. Perks include: • Free parking • Drinks on the house • No intermission line-up for the washroom • Keeping your phone on • Best seats in the house (if the cat’s ok with it) • Dousing yourself in perfume or cologne, guilt-free And best of all: • You can fast forward through Stephen and Bernard’s curtain warmer speech! Joking aside, when you subscribe to our Virtual Home Season, you will support Dance Victoria during this very challenging, transition year. With your subscription, you will discover dance makers and companies from France, Algeria, Morocco, Ukraine, Canada, Brazil, and South Korea for a diverse, dynamic and daring season! Additional TRUE benefits and extras include: • Secure, password-protected access to four top quality dance films that you can watch anytime within a 72-hour period (from 5 pm Thursday to 5 pm Sunday)
• Exclusive access to filmed artist conversations with University of Victoria’s Acting Dean of Fine Arts, Dr. Allana Lindgren (for Hervé KOUBI & Grupo Corpo) and Jacob’s Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Maura Keefe (for Bereishit Dance Company) • A personal, welcome message from Dance Victoria’s Producer Stephen White and General Manager Bernard Sauvé • Detailed program notes to print or download with company insights and complete casting • Optional Saturday evening watch parties with live post-show discussions (Sunday matinée for Ukrainian Shumka Dancers’ Nutcracker) • Nutcracker resources for young dance enthusiasts including colouring book pages, and Nutcracker Story Time video featuring Jim Leard • A virtual swag bag with exclusive offers from local businesses • Plus a lot more! All for the low price of $80! Subscribers save $20 over regular prices. It’s like seeing one virtual show for free. Buy your subscription now before single tickets go on sale. Subscriber Pricing: 4-show package $80 ($20/show)* Non-Subscriber/Single Ticket Pricing: $25/show* (available starting October 15) To buy a subscription, visit DanceVictoria.com. *Prices do not include GST, credit card fees and ticket surcharges.
FREE Pre-Recorded Artist Conversations
Photos: Compagnie Hervé Koubi in What the day owes to the night. Photo © Nathalie Sternalski.
Presented by
Before each video dance performance, ticket holders can access an artist conversation that has been pre-recorded with a member of the dance company. Enter your personal access code at DanceVictoria.com to listen to the chat before the show. Hervé Koubi in conversation with Dr. Allana Lindgren Acting Dean of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria, Dr. Allana Lindgren, will discuss Compagnie Hervé KOUBI and inspiration and insights into What the day owes to the night. Learn how Koubi’s discovery of his Algerian roots were the catalyst for this compelling work. Ukrainian Shumka Dancers in Nutcracker Professional storyteller Jim Leard will recount the tale of Clara’s magical evening for this pre-show Nutcracker Story Time available to all ticket holders at DanceVictoria.com.
Dance Studio Space Available + WiFi Dance Victoria has some great studio availability on Sundays this fall in all three studios: the Vernon, the Shaw (pictured here), and the Milne (smaller space, smaller rent). We adhere to COVID-19 protocols, and offer free parking, clean and contemporary spaces and we're newly hardwired for WiFi. Come in, connect and dance. Email studios@dancevictoria.com for more information.
4 Footnotes • Issue 66 • Fall 2020
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI
What the day owes to the night November 12–15, 2020 WHAT THE DAY OWES TO THE NIGHT comes from a very personal place for Choreographer/Artistic Director Hervé Koubi. Koubi, who grew up identifying only as French, discovered his Algerian heritage when he was 25. His parents immigrated to France from their North African homeland in the early 1960s, toward the end of the FrenchAlgerian war and “erased themselves”, never speaking about their family origins. Koubi became interested in his heritage and, eventually, his father reluctantly showed him a picture of his great grandfather wearing traditional Arabic clothes. This began a process of Hervé reconciling his “very French name” with his Arabic roots. In 2009, he went to Algeria in search of his origins and to find Algerian dancers to perform in a new work taking shape in his mind. Koubi and Guillaume Gabriel, cofounder/manager/costume designer of Compagnie Hervé KOUBI, posted messages on social media prior to their trip, explaining that they were looking for dancers. On the day of the casting, 250 showed up, 249 of them young men. Most had backgrounds in hip-hop, street dance, and capoeira (Brazilian martial arts) or were self-taught. He ended up bringing 12 men back to Cannes to be in his company, calling them his “found brothers.” They are Algerian, Moroccan, Burkinabé, Israeli, Palestinian and French, a reminder that “there have always been diverse communities able to exist together in harmony.” What the day owes to the night makes no political acclaim, but it does offer a vision of cross-cultural reconciliation. The costumes and
music blend contemporary and traditional, and eastern and western influences. Gabriel explains that the costumes are designed to emphasize the movement of the dancers and bring nuances of orientalism, Sufism, and a Samurai — or like a dervish when spinning upside down. “There’s an intensity and authenticity that arise directly from the North Africans who are performing it,” Gabriel says. “Hervé wants to put people together and try to unify people and never forget we have a belonging that is older than nations. Too often we are split between Catholics and Muslims and Jews and North Africans and Europeans and black and white. We are historically blind to see that we could and should live together.” The 12 male dancers in What the day owes to the night are gravitydefying, performing jaw-droppingly technical acrobatic feats, unexpectedly turning on their hands and heads, and combining explosive handsprings with liquid, fluid movement. Combined with the intensely physical movement are visual depictions of the Eastern world and Islamic architecture, with lighting that suggests the shimmering heat of a mirage. Hervé says that the way he creates choreography is to “to provoke a wave and then ask my dancers to surf on it,” so eventually they create movement phrases and make something as much for them as the audience. We think you will be captivated by the energy and movement of What the day owes to the night and find this company unlike anything you have experienced before. You can learn more about this stunning troupe and watch video trailers on DanceVictoria.com. FN Subscriptions are on sale now for $80 for all four virtual shows in our season. Single tickets ($25) available October 15, 2021. DanceVictoria.com
Compagnie Hervé Koubi in What the day owes to the night by Nathalie Sternalski. Hervé Koubi by Véronique Chochon.
Offers a Vision for Cross-Cultural Reconciliation
DanceVictoria.com • 5
Ukrainian Shumka Dancers Nutcracker Featuring principal dancers from Opera of Ukraine’s Kyiv Ballet and the Virsky National Dance Ensemble
Ukrainian Shumka Dancers Nutcracker
Nutcracker Kids
December 10–13, 2020
Each $65 contribution helps disadvantaged families experience Nutcracker! The Nutcracker performance will be offered free of charge to families and their caregivers at Victoria Women’s Transition House. This year, help us make a dream come true for as many local children as we can so they can experience Nutcracker safely while they are in transition. Call us at 250-595-1829 or visit DanceVictoria.com and click “Support Us.” The kids will love you for it! All donors are recognized online as Nutcracker Kids Supporters.
Photos: Ukrainian Shumka Dancers in Nutcracker by Marc J. Chalifoux.
AFTER THEIR HUGE SUCCESS LAST YEAR Dance Victoria welcomes back Ukrainian Shumka Dancers for their virtual Nutcracker from December 10 to 13, 2020. The delightful story of young Clara, her dream prince, brave soldiers, and the meddling mice, is reimagined and proudly presented as a Ukrainian version of Tchaikovsky’s famous work. This unique blend of the grace and lyricism of classical ballet with the strength and power of Ukrainian folk dance brings a special energy and excitement to this Christmas classic. Renowned artists of the Kyiv Ballet (National Opera of Ukraine), Virsky National Folk Dance Ensemble, singers in the Clara’s Dream Choir, and the Shumka dancers create true magic on stage together. FN
Lead Donor
6 Footnotes • Issue 66 • Fall 2020
Dance Victoria Studios a Hub of Creation Virtual Annual General Meeting Aiden Cass
Andrew Barrett
Kemi Craig
Kirsten Wicklund
Peter Smida
Sarah Hutton
Véronique Emmett
Visible Bodies Collective
Dance Victoria is thrilled to announce that our Board of Directors has approved more than $100,000 in support of paid artist residencies at Dance Victoria Studios, commissions of new works, and awards to support independent dance artists. Offering access to our studios and financial support to independent dance artists is an opportunity to contribute to the vitality of the sector at a time of great need. This season Dance Victoria will award $52,000 through its Chrystal Dance Prize – Projects and Training programs with October and April application deadlines. The Victoria-based artists in residence include Lindsay Katsitsakatste Delaronde with four other Indigenous performers of the Visible Bodies Collective; Kemi Craig, a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People Of Colour) artist, working remotely with Vancouver’s Justine A. Chambers; Andrew Barrett (Impulse Theatre) and Véronique Emmett. Vancouver-based artists in residence are Ballet BC dancer/emerging choreographer Kirsten Wicklund with Peter Smida; and Sarah Hutton and Aiden Cass. You can visit our Residences web page at DanceVictoria.com to learn more about these exciting emerging artists. FN
Sunday, November 1, 2020 • 7:00 pm
We hope that you can join us as we reflect on our past season and discuss our future direction in our virtual AGM on November 1, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. If you have donated $10 or more to Dance Victoria Society since our last AGM (November 3, 2019), you are a “member in good standing” and can attend and vote at the virtual AGM. If you are unsure of your status, contact us at 250-595-1829. To RSVP to the AGM and reserve your virtual spot, email RSVP@dancevictoria.com with the subject line "Attending AGM." We will send you a link to the Zoom meeting prior to the AGM. Please note that you will need to download the Zoom app on your personal device. Memberships are also available at DanceVictoria.com on our Donate page. Stay tuned for more details.
Business Cards Rack Cards & Post Cards Newsletters & Calendars Brochures & Flyers
609 Dunedin St., Victoria BC V8T 2L7 250-590-2998 www.fastracprinting.com
Photos (from top left clockwise): Aiden Cass by Sarah Hutton; Andrew Barrett; Kirsten Wicklund by Cindi Wicklund Fotografia; Sarah Hutton by Sarah Hutton; Visible Bodies Collective by Dean Kaylan, Kaylan Studios; Véronique Emmett by Kirk Schwartz; Peter Smida by Cindi Wicklund Fotografia; Kemi Craig by Aya Behr.
More than $100,000 in Support of Independent Artists in 2020/21
DanceVictoria.com • 7
Keep Victoria Dancing Help Us Connect Dancers with Audiences in New Ways Now, more than ever, Dance Victoria needs the support of the community to build organizational resilience in this remarkable time. In 2020/21, recognizing that the cancellation of contracts and performance opportunities severely impacted independent dance artists, Dance Victoria has committed to supporting them with paid residencies at our Quadra Street studios, new commissions and awards. At the same time, we wanted to continue to bring exhilarating international dance to our subscribers; thus, we formulated our very first, very exciting Virtual Home Season. The learning curve has been steep, but we are so pleased to be able to contract with local videographers, storytellers, web developers and other content providers to bring a truly remarkable package of experiences at a very affordable price to folks like you.
Of course, all of this comes at a cost. Today, we ask that you consider making a donation to Dance Victoria, a federally registered non-profit organization so that we can continue to connect dancers with audiences in new ways. Donations of all sizes are appreciated. All donations of $10 or more will receive a charitable tax receipt. You can use the form below or donate at DanceVictoria.com.
Sell your home. Support Dance Victoria. Choose a DFH realtor below and mention Dance Victoria when you buy or sell your property. Ten percent of the realtor’s commission helps bring The World’s Best Dance to our community. Dorothee Friese | dorothee@shaw.ca • 250-477-7291
Peter Crichton | crichton@islandnet.com • 250-477-7291
Terry Moore | tlmoore@shaw.ca • 250-477-7291
Maureen Vincent | maureenvincent68@gmail.com • 250-656-0131
John Melvin | john@johnmelvinproperties.ca • 250-477-7291
Kevin Sing | ksing@kevinsing.com • 250-477-7291
Please send my receipt to:
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How to donate: Thank Mail: Return this form with a cheque to: you! Dance Victoria Society 111 – 2750 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4E8 Phone: 250-595-1829 with your credit card in hand Online: Donate over our secure page at DanceVictoria.com In Person: at Dance Victoria Studios (we’ll give you a tour) or at the Royal and McPherson Box Offices Dance Victoria is a federally registered charity and will provide a tax-deductible receipt for all donations $10 and over. Charitable # 87377 5522 RR0001
8 Footnotes • Issue 66 • Fall 2020
Next
(Virtual) Dance Season 2021
DANCE DAYS It’ll Move You January 15 to 24, 2020 Dance Victoria is partnering with the InterCultural Association of Greater Victoria for Dance Days 2021. We are in “never waste a crisis” mode and re-inventing how we can celebrate Dance Days next year while still adhering to health protocols. Dance Victoria is reaching out to diverse communities in Greater Victoria to share their dances with the broader Victoria community. We will commission 10 different two-minute dance videos celebrating the diversity of dance in our community. A different film will be shared on each day of the Dance Days Festival. Visit DanceVictoria.com/Dance Days for more information. Please note that due to COVID-19, there will be no Rough Cuts showings for Dance Days 2021.
Bringing the World’s Best Dance to your home.
GRUPO CORPO BRAZIL
Raffle for Local Dancers Draw Date: November 17, 2020 The fabulous prizes include a Vision Travel package with no expiration date ($2500); Victoria Athletic Club one-year membership ($1100); shopping spree at Tulipe Noire Clothing, Outlooks for Men, Hughes Clothing + Beautycounter skincare products and styling/products package from Carreiro Studio Salon ($1150); and a gift certificate and interior design consultation by Luxe Home Interiors ($1000). Visit DanceVictoria.com for complete details and to enter! Tickets are $10 each or 5 for $40. Licence #122099
The most Brazilian of all Grupo Corpo's creations and a special work commemorating the company's 40th anniversary.
February 25–28, 2021 Parabelo – Rodrigo Pederneiras Dança Sinfônica – Rodrigo Pederneiras
BEREISHIT DANCE COMPANY KOREA Two contemporary works that explore evolving relationships by the Company's founder and artistic director.
April 8–11, 2021 Balance & Imbalance – Soon-ho Park BOW_Control – Soon-ho Park
Subscribers receive exclusive access to HD video, artist talks, program notes and more!