Mar. 18 – 31, 2014
International students working under the table P.8
Nicole Rudat would love to help you to do your taxes P.4
Julia Mackenzie discusses being a woman in an SA leadership role P.4
Nicole Hamilton: Bringing dancing and counselling together P.6 GBC Student Newspaper • Founded 1982
NEWS March 18 –31, 2014
Internal changes and renovations define SA board’s year MICK SWEETMAN MANAGING EDITOR
It’s election time for the Student Association of George Brown College (SA). As candidates vie to represent students for the next year and govern an organization with a total budget of over $7 million it’s time to review a couple of things the board has done in the previous year. The most controversial thing that’s happened in student politics at George Brown this year has been a revision of the SA’s bylaws. In particular, the change in hours and pay for education centre and constituency representatives. The reforms sneaked by in a close 101-104 vote at the SA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in November. This reform reduced the number of hours that SA representatives and campus directors have to work and put the job de-
scriptions and pay in the by-laws meaning the board cannot change them without approval from students at an AGM. The SA’s director of internal affairs, Julia Mackenzie, who spearheaded the changes said, “that was a huge win for students, now if you want to change your job description and your want to change your pay you have to justify it to students, we’re the ones paying the salaries, and that’s the way it should be.” This year also saw the consolidation of a new elections policy in the by-laws that more explicitly outlined rules around campaigning, allowed candidates to produce their own campaign materials and be reimbursed by the SA. The SA’s new practice of declaring unopposed candidates acclaimed instead of putting them to a yes-no vote is in contrast to an upset at the University of Windsor this week, which saw students vote “no” or
THE DIALOG IS... Managing Editor Mick Sweetman News Editor Preeteesh Peetabh Singh Art Director/Illustrator Samantha Bullis Multimedia Reporter Danilo Barba Staff Reporters Alena Khabibullina Tina Todaro Brittany Barber Rachel Levitt Contributors Jason Miller Thomas Chung Follow us on Social Media! Facebook.com/thedialogonline Twitter: @thedialogonline
in part defrayed by advertising revenue and largely subsidized by the Student Association. Occasionally, some advertisers, products and services do not reflect the policies of the Student Association. Opinions expressed in The Dialog are not necessarily those of The Dialog Collective, the Student Association of George Brown College, or its editorial staff. The Dialog will not publish any material that attempts to incite violence or hatred against individuals or groups, particularly based on race, national origin, ethnicity, colour, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability. Contributions to T he Dialog are always welcome. We request that articles be submitted as digital copies in plain-text (TXT) or richtext (RTF) format. Letters to the editor can be sent in an email message to dialog@georgebrown.ca. Images should be in EPS format as vector images or TIF format (Mac or PC).
Drop by or contact The Dialog at: Room E122 - Casa Loma 142 Kendal Avenue Toronto, ON M5R 1M3 www.dialog.studentassociation.ca Tel: 416-415-5000 ext. 2764 Fax: 416-415-2491 dialog@georgebrown.ca The Dialog newspaper is published by The Dialog Collective under the auspices of the Student Association of George Brown College. The collective is responsible for the overall vision and direction of The Dialog newspaper, as it coincides with the larger vision of mission of the Student Association. The cost of producing a monthly newspaper is
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The Dialog is published by the Student Association of George Brown College
The Dialog is a member of CUP, the Canadian University Press
“none of the above” for almost all positions on the University of Windsor Student Alliance board of directors. “The reason behind that is that with three or four campus, numerous buildings, the challenges of ESL as well as ASL students, we saw that, especially during our by-elections this year that everyone was acclaimed except for the Board of Governors Rep., it got really, really expensive to run an election that was a yes-no vote,” said Mackenzie. “There is still the option to run the yesno vote, it’s a CRO decision. What happened in poor old Windsor was interesting. Nothing like that has happened here -- our yes-no votes have been pretty yes-favoured. If there was a lot of controversy the CRO would still be able to run a yes-no vote. There’s nothing against it in the by-laws.” Probably the biggest project of the year by the board has been starting the process
to renovate the Student Centre at Casa Loma campus. Instrumental in this effort was the work of construction and engineering rep. Thomas Hadwen, Casa Loma campus director Nicolas Kiriakou, and director of public relations Ali Shahid. While the SA board approved almost $60,000 for the consultation and planning contracts without a Request for Proposals and competitive bids, the firms selected Architecture Counsel Inc. and Educational Consulting Services are experienced in renovating post-secondary campuses. Currently a dark food court in the basement with a couple of foosball tables, the plan to renovate the space including the unsightly and unused “concrete pit” into an spacious and bright atrium for students could be the biggest change that the SA has made in years.
DAILY CHECK UP March 18 –31, 2014
March 18 – April 4, 2014 MONDAY
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TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
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Rec Dodgeball Tournament Noon – 3 p.m. Casa Loma Gym. Free.
Rec Dodgeball Tournament Noon – 3 p.m. Alex Barbier Gym, St. James. Free.
Student Association Election Forum 12–2 p.m. Student Centre, Casa Loma Campus
Student Association Election Forum 12–2 p.m. Kings Lounge, St. James Campus
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Networking Event for School of Architecture & School of Computer Technology 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Student Centre, Casa Loma
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Voices Speech Competition 9:30 a.m. Berkeley Church, 315 Queen E info@voicescompetition.com
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Free Information Session with Academic Advocacy 2 p.m. RM 033, Waterfront Campus
April Fool’s Day
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Advocacy in Action: Speak Up! Noon–4:30 p.m. SJA-542E, St. James
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-Jello Biafra
Be Alternative Student & Independent Media Conference Mar. 21–23 Focused on alternative and independent media. Visit bit.ly/BeAlternative for more information and to register.
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Nowruz Celebration 6 p.m. Beit Zatoun, 612 Markham, beitzatoun.org
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GBC Finance & Property Committee/Audit 5:30 p.m. President’s Boardroom, Room 588C, 200 King St. E
Don't hate the media, become the media.
National Home Show Mar. 14–23. Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place $13–$29. Under 12 free.
MAWD 7 p.m.– Midnight Kings Lounge, St. James. Free before 8 p.m. $5 for students, $10 for guests. Limit 1 guest.
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Reelworld Film Festival Apr. 2 to 6 Various times and locations, see reelworld.ca for details
45th Annual GBC Athletics Banquet Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel
Make your voice heard and see your work published in print and online in The Dialog! We are looking for volunteers to fill the following roles: • • • •
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News Contributors Arts & Life Contributors Opinion & Humour Contributors Photo & Video Contributors Have another idea? Pitch it to us!
For more information on these opportunities and more about how you can get involved with The Dialog, check out dialog.studentassociation.ca.
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WORK AT GBC March 18 –31, 2014
Nicole Rudat would love to help you do your taxes BRITTANY BARBER STAFF REPORTER
George Brown College (GBC) is giving students the opportunity to get their taxes done for free as students in the accounting, finance and business degree programs are helping students through this often frightening process. From March 3 to 21, students can visit the Student Association (SA) tax clinic in St. James campus (room 147) and the Waterfront campus (room 033) to get their taxes done. A team of more than 20 student volunteers from GBC are willing to help you crunch numbers and stress a little less about the April 30 tax deadline, all while answering any question you may have about the procedure. “We work together to solve problems, nobody should do [taxes] alone,” said Nicole Rudat, senior volunteer at the tax clinic. Hospitality comes in all forms but for Nicole Rudat, hospitality comes in the form of calculating numbers and aiding others in the most stressful time of the year: tax season. For this cycling enthusiast, taxes bring her enjoyment rather than fear. Living in and around Toronto for all of her life, Rudat began her career at Trebas Institute in music business and excelled in event and show planning. After backpacking in Australia for two years, she worked as a dog walker and helped run a café. When her friends and colleagues began to share their fright about the tax season, Rudat took a stand and began helping people file their taxes properly. Once Rudat found excitement in helping others with taxes, she returned to school and studied accounting at GBC. Now in a bachelor degree program, she has future plans to open her own tax clinic. “I want people to feel comfortable where they do
Senior volunteer at the GBC tax clinic Nicole Rudat finds meaning in helping others with her tax skills.
PHOTO: BRITTANY BARBER/THE DIALOG
their taxes. I want to serve cappuccinos and have a big fish tank in my office with more of a boutique approach.” Rudat vividly paints a picture of a carefully thought out plan saying, “I love helping people and taxes are just an extension.” Rudat has spent three years volunteering at the GBC tax clinic and is now in her final
year, graduating in the spring. “I plan on strengthening my skills in tax and accounting as well as obtain my Certified General Accountants (CGA) designation.” She watched as the clinic became more known throughout the students and claims that they average about 20 to 30 students per day, often with a line-up at the doorway.
With the help of Shaun Shepherd, community services co-ordinator at the SA, the tax clinic runs Monday through Friday at St. James campus and Monday through Thursday at Waterfront campus. With the expertise of accounting students at GBC, you can rest easy knowing your taxes are in good hands (and your wallet will thank you too).
Julia Mackenzie discusses being a woman in an SA leadership role TINA TODARO STAFF REPORTER
Women have the power. Women’s rights have increased over the years and now we are seeing more women in leadership roles. “As a woman in a leadership role, as well as a woman in business, I’ve been so lucky,” said Julia Mackenzie, director of internal affairs at the Student Association of George Brown College. “I worked with great people who are really open to accepting and working with a woman leader.” Leadership roles demand time and energy and women are certainly capable of 4
taking on these roles and the experiences that come with them. “Although I have encountered some surprising attitudes towards women, those encounters have been few and far between. They have been isolated to specific people who I no longer work with,” said Mackenzie. “It really does go to show that the culture here is growing into one of equity and acceptance. Around the school, I’ve received great reception, especially during campaigning over the past two years.” Recently at the University of Ottawa, a Facebook chat by five men, four of whom were elected student union officials, was
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exposed showing them bantering about current student federation president AnneMarie Roy and violent sexual acts that someone should do to her. Although student unions are trying to end rape culture, it is still prevalent in postsecondary institutions across the country, and was also seen at St. Mary’s University and the University of British Columbia when students were caught chanting pro-rape chants during frosh week. There are some people who do not agree with the idea of a woman in a leadership role, and Mackenzie states that she did encounter one of them at GBC.
“I had a co-worker who didn’t like working with women. I could understand this from the way he dealt with me, but didn’t hear it firsthand,” said Mackenzie. “Other co-workers were shocked that he would openly express a problem working with me because I was a woman and couldn’t tell him what to do. I really didn’t think this attitude existed anymore.” Changing the attitudes of students may be difficult, but woman are not stopping. Mackenzie says, “our strength, understanding and ability to help people understand the implications of their words make us leaders.”
SPORTS March 18 –31, 2014
Women’s indoor soccer finishes with 5 –1 win STAFF REPORTER
The women’s indoor soccer team at George Brown College (GBC) had a busy month, competing in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) regionals. On March 5, the Huskies gathered to play three games at the Ontario Soccer Centre. GBC lost 1-0 to Conestoga beginning the tournament on a rough note. The women, “controlled the tempo and possession” according to GBC athletics’ official twitter account. In the second game was played against the Sheridan Bruins, the Huskies failed to deliver as they lost 1-0 in another close game. GBC came back with a big win over Sault College, with a final score of 5-1.
Men’s indoor soccer finish fourth On March 6 the Huskies were defeated by the Fanshawe Falcons during the opening game of the OCAA regional tournament, resulting in a final score of 2-0. Their spirits were anything but lifted as the men’s indoor soccer team lost to St. Clair 1-0, marking the end of the second to last game for the tournament. Ending the OCAA Regional tournament on a more positive note, GBC tied Redeemer 1-1 and finished fourth in the region. Olympians and politicians to attend GBC athletics banquet With only weeks left before the 45th annual varsity athletic banquet being held on April 4, there is plenty of buzz about who will
headline and attend this years’ ceremony. Perdita Feclicien, Canada’s hurdle-queen; Bal Gosal, Canada’s minister of state responsible for sport; Michael Chan, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and sport and minister responsible for the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games will be in attendance. GBC graduate Amy Williams back from Sochi Olympics will also be there to share her experiences. Being held at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre hotel, the banquet will hold 300 invited guests-including some students who are in their graduating year. Ten major awards will be given out along with recognition for most valuable player, special achievements, national and provincial medals; and female and male athletes of the year.
Men’s Indoor Soccer OCAA Regional Tournament George Brown 0 Fanshawe 2 George Brown 0 St. Clair 1 George Brown 1 Redeemer 1 ..................................................................... Women’s Indoor Soccer OCAA Regional Tournament George Brown 0 Sheridan 1 George Brown 5 Sault College 1 George Brown 0 Conestoga 1
The women’s indoor soccer team huddles up.
BRITTANY BARBER
Sports Score Updates
PHOTO: THOMAS CHUNG/GBC ATHLETICS
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WORK AT GBC March 18 –31, 2014
Nicole Hamilton’s students demonstrate their dance skills. Jorge Cantor split jumps while other students strike ballet poses at Inica Dance Industries.
NICOLE HAMILTON Bringing dancing and counselling together
PHOTO: PREETEESH PEETABH SINGH/THE DIALOG
PREETEESH PEETABH SINGH NEWS EDITOR
Nicole Hamilton completed the assaulted women’s and children’s counsellor/advocate (AWCCA) program from George Brown College (GBC) 16 years ago. She is now the managing director of Inica Dance Industries (I.D.I), Toronto. There is no mismatch here. Hamilton was always a dancer. At the age of nine, she started studying at the Sheryl Bodrug School of Dance, previously known as Burlington School of Dance. After few years, she moved on to train at Dancers Incorporated, also in Burlington. “It was then I decided that I need to take my dance career to a serious level,” said Hamilton. Hamilton got her teachers certificate from Dance Masters Canada and has been teaching for the past 20 years. While she was building up her carrier in dance she took on a lot of teaching and assisting jobs which came along the way at different dance schools. Hamilton moved to Ottawa where she was a faculty at the Ot6
tawa Dance Academy and Aylmer Dance Academy. These experiences helped her get an understanding of the business. Hamilton also wanted to do something within the area of counselling services. She studied social work and took several other courses at Ottawa and Carleton University. Moving back to Toronto, she completed her AWCCA program from GBC in 1998. “One would wonder, here you are dancing throughout your life and all of a sudden making a shift to take on AWCCA,” she says. “At that time it was actually the Nightingale Campus at GBC. I was trying to determine really and truly how I wanted my career to go. I wanted to be a mental health counsellor and at the same time I wanted a career in dance,” said Hamilton. “After I graduated, I made a conscious decision to pull the counselling and my dance experience together and open up a school where I can offer both. At our company we do indeed offer counselling sessions along with our regular dance programs. It allows us to get the best of both the worlds.” According to Hamilton, there are many issues that a dancer goes through such as
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transition to an alternate career after a physical injury, lifestyle issues, eating disorders, victim of violence, gender issues, and self-confidence issues. “These can be daunting for the dancers to deal with. It’s very scary,” said Hamilton. “The best part here (I.D.I) is that the counsellors are also dancers who understand what the students are dealing with.” Hamilton is a mental health counselor at I.D.I and teaches various forms of dance. She has been trained in tap, jazz, ballet, hiphop, contemporary, lyrical, Afro-Carribean, West African and liturgical (worship). Faculty member at I.D.I, Mallory Dunlop who studied commercial dance studies at GBC in 2011-2012 said “She (Nicole) is a very professional and well-spoken woman. Kids really love her and also the atmosphere.” Dunlop teaches acrobatics at the academy. Jorge Cantor, 18, a student at I.D.I said, “I want to take dance as a hobby/career in the future. Nicole teaches me in West African and contemporary. She is great. She is not only strict about things that are necessary for a dancer but also a cool person to be around. She is not a teacher but a friend.”
Hamilton has close connection to GBC, she has offered her services to mentor students at the college. She has also offered a 50 per cent discount for GBC students currently which enables students to take classes for $7.50 each. “As students when we are going through school, we are dealing with so much. Pressure of getting good grades, pressure of family, friend, relatives, relationships, boyfriends, girlfriends and all this different things that we have, sometimes it can be so heavy. But as a student if you stick to your vision, you can definitely achieve your goal,” said Hamilton. For dancers who want to make it their career, Hamilton emphasizes that dancers have many options available. Today one might be teaching at a dance school, tomorrow they can be in California judging a dance competition and next day they can be speaking at a dance conference. On her own future plans she said, “I look forward to building more dance, and health education programs for dance artists. It’s been an exciting journey at I.D.I. and I am eagerly looking forward to what the future holds for the company, and our faculty.”
Part and full time work is distributed differently for different types of work at George Brown College. Faculty
Administrative
Support
There are 2.5 part-time faculty members for each full-time faculty member.
There are 5.5 times as many part-time administrative staff members as full-time.
There are roughly the same number of part-time and full-time support staff.
62% of GBC’s budget goes to salaries & benefits
8%
of GBC staff earn more than $100K annually
66% of GBC staff work part-time.
FULL-TIME STAFF
GBC’S HIGHEST PAID STAFF Anne Sado .................... President $358,700 Eugene Harrigan ............................... VP Corporate Services $222,000
46% Support
PART-TIME STAFF
Karen Thomson .............................. VP, Marketing & Strategic Enrollment Management $201,060 Nancy Hood ........................ Executive Director, Human Resources $177,820
39% Faculty
24% Continuing Education
Lorie Shekter-Wolfson .......................................... Assistant VP, Waterfront Campus & Health & Community Partnerships $203,300
This amounts to a total of 294 employees above this income threshold.
15% Administrative
21% Support
1% Administrative
54% Faculty
INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN: SAMANTHA BULLIS/THE DIALOG Most figures above are rounded or are rough figures. All information gathered from publicallyavailable documents: Public Sector Salary Disclosure 2013, George Brown Annual Report 2012–13
WORK AT GBC March 18 –31, 2014
International students working
under the table PREETEESH PEETABH SINGH & BRITTANY BARBER NEWS EDITOR & STAFF REPORTER
Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world and with that comes students looking to further their education from outside countries. With students coming from over 100 different countries to study at George Brown College (GBC) and tuition fees rising, the pressure is on them to start finding work as soon as possible. Under the table jobs, commonly known as “cash jobs” have picked up momentum amongst international students looking for an alternative way to meet their expenses in the city. These jobs do not require a social insurance number or a work permit. It’s a deal between the employer and the employee to work for cash. The employers sometimes pay below the minimum wage and dodge taxes, whereas the employee often works for more than the specified hours they are allowed to work. But of course it’s illegal. “The reason why we have to take cash jobs because tuition and living expenses are very high in the city,” said a former business student at GBC who asked to remain anonymous as it could lead to legal complications. “There is lot of exploitation when we work for cash. There is insecurity. We don’t get paid on time and sometimes don’t get paid at all.” Under current rules, international students have to wait for the first six months before being eligible for an off-campus work permit. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the new rules for international students will take effect on
June 1. The six-month waiting period will be abolished and students with valid study permits pursuing academic, vocational or professional training of six months or more that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate at a designated institution, will be eligible to work off-campus for up to 20 hours per week during the academic session and fulltime during scheduled breaks. CIC claims that new regulations will improve services to genuine students, while protecting Canada’s international reputation for high-quality education and reducing the potential for fraud and misuse of the program. Tuition fees for international students at GBC have increased, effective May 5, from $5,700 to $6,440 per semester for both diploma and certificate programs. Degree programs are increasing by $950 this year for a total of $8,250 per semester. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the average rent for a two bedroom apartment in the city’s centre is roughly $1,213 per month. Working at minimum wage at 20 hours a week, can earn up to $888 a month. Rental, on top of tuition fees being on the rise and the limited amount of hours an international student is allowed to work, the numbers just don’t add up. A marketing student from GBC who also asked that we do not use their name because they feared deportation explains why they are willing to work for cash. “We go for cash jobs for two reasons, everything
is so expensive; and they have a lot of restrictions on work permits.” Citing their own personal story they said, “There is an employment agency in Cabbagetown, I went there looking for a job. After a few days they called me and said that they have some labour jobs available. They don’t need your SIN, or work permit; they just want you to work. They collaborate with employers. They said that they will take 1.5 per cent commission per hour.” Tutoring, editing classmates’ work, dog walking, working in repairs, being a handyman or participating in day labour are some of the jobs available under the table today. The International Centre at GBC is more than happy to work with international students. However, they can not help students relating to resident visas, study, or work permits. You will be directed to the official CIC website or call centre. International students currently have the option of working for the school without a work permit. However, if you can handle the workload, it is possible to work for the college while working elsewhere on a valid work permit and there is no law or policy keeping student from working 20 hours off campus and 20 hours on campus. Not declaring income is a federal offence and may result in deportation for international students. But with tuition fees on the rise, and without outside support from family members or loans, how can the average international student afford to live in Toronto?
Letter: Fight for social justice and human rights for all Re: The Women’s Issue. March 4. First I have to say I enjoy reading GBCs newspaper, it provides up to date information and interesting facts about the college and events in general. I wanted to give my opinion on the latest one which is focused on women. I found that some of the articles were superficial and lacked a good sense of encouragement and empowerment towards women. The article “Intelligence is Sexy” was written by a single woman’s point of view and her friends? What other message is trying to be conveyed but the fact that we still live in a stereotypical world, where women are only looking forward looking pretty and by that it means putting intelligence on board to keep looking pretty? Young girls and women need a message that empowers them to be better individuals, to help their brothers and sisters, not to focus on their looks and appearance. This article is only making men and women follow that never-ending cycle of stereotyping and prejudice that the media in general knows how to do so well. Us women do need to be confident in ourselves, but not from what others see, more with what we carry inside us: that powerful spirit that connect us to Mother Earth, that force and power from within that lead us to the road of success even though this sexist world that has tried so many times to shut us down. Also, International Women’s Day is not about telling your partners, friends and family to buy all women gifts. That’s the wrong idea about it. It’s a reminder of the many lives that have been lost (like the 1911 New York Triangle Fire which killed more than 120 female factory workers) and the many women that fought and keep strongly advocating for the rights that many of us can enjoy today. It’s also a reminder not just focused on women, but on the entirety of humanity that we need to keep fighting for social justice and our human rights! Thank you for taking the time to read this! And keep up the good work with The Dialog. In solidarity, Sarah Patino Aponte Got something to say? Write us a letter at dialog@georgebrown.ca We may edit letters or comments for length and clarity.
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ARTS & LIFE
March 18 –31, 2014
Artifacts related to works by Montreal dance artist George Stamos on display at the Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives.
PHOTO: RACHEL LEVITT/THE DIALOG
Gender and sexuality rock the boat at queer dance exhibit RACHEL LEVITT STAFF REPORTER
Rocking the Boat: Celebrating Queer Content in Canadian Concert Dance is an exhibit currently running through April 1 at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. The exhibit is run by Dance Collection Danse, spawned from the mind of Pamela Grundy, a former dancer with the Danny Grossman Dance Company. “Historically in dance there has been a lot of implied work. I decided to focus on the works and people who created them who were declared,” said Grundy. Grundy wanted to look at the themes they were trying to relate rather than a room full of gay choreographers. She wanted to talk
about the theme and try to give it some context through the video, costumes and designs. The display features artifacts such as costumes, advertisements, props, and pictures from dance pieces of the choreographers such as Jean Grand Maïtre, José Navas, Charles Flanders, William Douglas, Hari Krishan, George Stamos, Eryn Dace Trudel, Danny Grossman, Alvin Tolentino, ILL NANA/DiverseCity Dance Company and Conrad Alexandrowicz. With only one female name on the list Grundy said, “There appears to be a low numbers of lesbians in dance, or at least low visibility.” Some stills from the lone female Dace Trudel’s Fish Stew can be seen in the exhibit. According to the blurb above the photo, her
inspiration spawned from sex. She created a piece that captured the way two women are when engaging in intercourse and the way the movements differ from heterosexual sex. Themes in the exhibit were not only limited to homosexuality, but defying societal definitions of gender as well. Grundy described a piece she had done for Grossman called Nobody’s Business as “a bit of a gender swap.” She said he gave the men the typically feminine movements and women the typically masculine. Following with the statement of defying gender norms, a costume sketch from Alexandrowickz’s Hard Drive features a design for a section in the dance when a man becomes pregnant. Visually some of the items that stood out
were from Stamos’ work, which featured two lucha wrestling masks from his piece Lik-Lik Pik and a rather interesting mask that is made of two wigs from his piece Croque-Monsieur. Accessories from Tolentino’s piece Swan Diva, which is a takeoff of the famous Dying Swan, also stand out as pieces of note. A feather boa and gloves as well as a picture of the wings he wore for the dance were displayed. Overall, the exhibit was very unique and highly informative. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in gender, sexuality or just expression through dance. What is the point of the exhibit you may ask? “(To) seek out the ones who did make this kind of content and celebrate that,” answered Grundy.
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ARTS & LIFE
March 18 –31, 2014
RACHEL LEVITT STAFF REPORTER
Dance your way to a career
Dance student Mallory Hodgson does a back bend in the hallway.
Dancers from George Brown College’s (GBC) dance programs have gone on to performance dance careers on cruise ships like Carnival Cruise Lines, dancing with Ballet Jörgen Canada and more. Ever wonder about how to get started in a performance dance profession? Here are some tips and tricks from our dance department for making it in the professional world. Firstly, some job options dancers have but are not limited to are companies (ballet, contemporary, etc), cruise ship dancing, music videos, backup dancing, amusement park dancing and musical theatre. As a dancer, a tip I want to pass on is to stay open and be diverse. There are so many people who want to be in this profession so auditioning everywhere and taking chances maximizes the jobs you can get. How do you find out about auditions though? The most common answers gathered from people interviewed were internet, Facebook and word of mouth. Dance performance preparation student Irma Villafuerte says “Dance Umbrella of Ontario [website] is a very good one that you can go into and look at the latest postings of auditions that they are looking for dancers, and their very specific, like what kind of dancers, what kind of look or styles.” Commercial dance studies student Bridget Chase says she hears about auditions from e-mails from a website called Star Now. “You sign up and you just put what you’re interested in and then they’ll send you an e-mail for auditions.”
Dance performance preparation student Jordan Downer says. “Having people on Facebook like your teachers. Those are excellent resources as well, because they’ll post stuff on their walls about auditions and classes.” In terms of ways to find out about auditions outside of cyberspace, Villafuerte says, “Just staying involved in the dance community in general; going to class, going to events, going to performances where you can talk to other people and they let you know what’s happening in the city.” Auditioning is not the only way to get work in the performance industry though. Acting teacher Suzanne Bennett who teaches acting for George Brown Dance, says “Don’t wait for somebody else to give you the job. Create your own work.” Options in creating your own work can include small things like choreographing a piece and then entering it in shows, or big things like opening up dance companies. This is an industry where you have to be pushy and you have to be creative in order to get noticed. As a tip for aspiring dancers, commercial dance studies graduate and current graduating dance performance studies student Jerry Burchill says “really value the time [training] you have and really make the effort to constantly work on yourself and make yourself better, because you’re never going to get to a perfect stage as a dancer. There’s always room to grow.” Downer says, “You honestly have to eat, sleep, breathe dance. That’s what my teachers have told me, that’s what I’m trying to do and it’s working.”
PHOTO: RACHEL LEVITT/THE DIALOG
DiCaprio vs. McConaughey: GBC students debate the Oscars RACHEL LEVITT STAFF REPORTER
The Academy has voted and Peter Sanders’ Tuesday afternoon film studies class at George Brown College have spoken about the Oscar winners. In reaction to 12 Years a Slave winning best picture, Alberto Tazorra Valdez agreed by simply describing the film as “Good acting, good picture.” Sanders said “[the film is a] beautiful portrait of slavery and of the day to day life, and beautifully shot. So yes, I think it was by far the most worthy of the films to win a best picture.” Another big moment of the Oscars was when Lupita Nyong’o won best supporting actress over last year’s best actress in a leading role winner Jennifer Lawrence. Jocelynn Roy said “I think Jennifer was the easy prediction, she’s kind of a fan fa-
vourite. maybe Lupita won just ‘cause its acter, where as Leonardo we know that he maybe a more powerful message.” can play that character. He’s done it, he can On Lupita’s performance Sanders said, do it, we know that. But if you think about “There was certainly a huge gamut for her. Matthew McConuaghey’s past movies, he’s She was in dire straits, she was very happy. been known for being a hunk.” Her performance was very broad Jordan Hagler rebutted her point ranging. I think she’s a great acby stating “Matthew McCotress, but she was doing stuff naughey’s role was a much I’d already seen her do.” easier role to play and I The question of whether think you could have gotfirst-time nominee Matthew ten many more actors McConaughey deserved play that role, rather than his best actor in a leading Leo where he had some role over four time nominee parts like absolutely crazy Leonardo DiCaprio proved and enticing and other to be a slightly more controparts where he had to be versial topic. like serious and show like “I don’t think Leonardo “Matthew McConaughey’s role was he’s absolutely desperate. deserved it at all,” Andrea a much easier role to play and I think I think Matthew McCoVelez said, “I think Mat- you could have gotten many more ac- naughey’s part was just dethew McConaughey com- tors play that role,” said film studies pressing most of the time.” pletely embodied his char- student Jordan Hagler. Gravity snagged a whop-
ping six awards including best director, original score, film editing, sound mixing, sound editing and visual effects. Darnell Reddick, who has seen the film four times, said “The audio in that movie is so immersive; it’s like my favourite part of the movie.” On the film’s visual awards Sanders said “The cinematography was absolutely fabulous.” In terms of movies/people that deserved nominations or more of, Hagler said Man of Steel should have been nominated for best score. “The score was phenomenal in. The music I felt was so powerful.” Velez said “I’m surprised Oprah [Winfrey] wasn’t nominated for best supporting actress [for The Butler],” she adds “I am surprised [The Butler] wasn’t nominated for more. I bawled my eyes out at that movie.” According to this class, for the most part the awards were given deservingly this year. Will it be the same next year? Only time will tell. PHOTO: RACHEL LEVITT/THE DIALOG
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PUZZLES & FUN March 18 –31, 2014
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