Dance Victoria Footnotes 49 – Fall 2015

Alexis Fletch

er and

Gilbert Small in

Twen

ty E

ight

Tho

usan

d W

aves. P

hoto ©

Chris Ran

dle

ISSUE 49 • FALL 2015 • Ballet BC + The Nutcracker + Studio News + more Footnotes Sponsor

Season Sponsor

Outreach andCommunicationsSponsor

Videos,

photos +

more info

on the web

Alberta Ballet+ Victoria SymphonyThe Nutcracker

December 4 + 5 • Fri + Sat • 7:30 pmDecember 5 + 6 • Sat + Sun • 2:00 pmRoyal TheatreRunning Time: 2 hours (incl. intermission)

Ballet BC | 30Special 30th Anniversary Presentation

November 13 + 14 • Fri + Sat • 7:30 pmRoyal TheatreRunning Time: 1 hour 45 minutes (incl. two intermissions)

Dance at the Royal

FootnotesDanc e Vic toria’s subs criber newsletter

2 Footnotes • Issue 49 • Fall 2015

IF I HAD CLOSED MY EYES, I would have sworn I was at a BlueJays game, or maybe a professional boxing match. Nothingabout the experience would have made me think I was at adance performance.

I’m talking about the inaugural Fall for Dance North event atToronto’s 3,200-seat Sony Centre that took place at the end ofSeptember. Spanning three evenings, FFDN borrowed its pro-gramming template from the very successful New York CityCenter event that recently celebrated its twelfth season. Shortworks by a variety of dance companies were presented each

evening — companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The National Ballet of Canada,Ballet BC, Dance Brazil and many more. The kicker is that tickets to the events were only $10.

All three nights sold out and the theatre was jammed to the rafters with patrons young andold — many who had never been inside the Sony Centre, let alone at a dance performance. I gar-nered this from the snippets of conversation I heard around me.

After each short performance, the curtain would fall and the audience would erupt into cheersand applause — like you might expect at a sporting event. In the three to five minute pausebetween the pieces, the auditorium was abuzz with excited conversation. As the house lightsfaded and the curtain rose on a new act, a hush fell across the room and for the next ten minutesyou could hear a pin drop. Next curtain, next crazyburst of hooting and hollering.

Hats off to the Toronto organizers. While there area few rumbles in Toronto’s dance community thatFFDN presents a new challenge because it is “givingdance away,” my feeling is different. Having experi-enced the excitement first hand, I’d say FFDNreached a whole new audience and it got them veryexcited about what’s happening in the dance world.

Dance SeenThe Sport of DanceBY STEPHEN WHITE

Dance Victoria brings the world’s bestdance to the Royal Theatre and fostersthe development of new dance at itsstudios in Quadra Village.

Dance Victoria is a non-profit charitablesociety.

Dance Victoria Board:President Paul McNair

Vice Presidents Mariann BurkaDr. Allana Lindgren

Treasurer Regan McGrath

Secretary Kari McLay

Directors Mary DesprezRené PeloquinLynda RainoJohn B. Shields

Staff:Executive Stephen WhiteProducer

General Bernard SauvéManager

Operations Shireen McNeilageManager

Marketing & Tracy SmithDevelopment

Technical Holly VivianDirector

Graphic Rayola CreativeDesign

Advertising Bonnie LightSales

Trips Bill HamarCoordinator

If you’d like to volunteer for DanceVictoria please call 250-595-1829

Studios and Office:111 – 2750 Quadra StreetVictoria, BC V8T 4E8250-595-1829DanceVictoria.com for trailers, ticketsand more information

Footnotes is written by Stephen Whiteand Tracy Smith (unless otherwise noted)and proofed by Anne Moon.

Ballet BC turned in a flawlessperformance of Cayetano Soto’sTwenty Eight Thousand Waves atFall For Dance North and receivedover-the-top hoots, hollers andfist pumps in response.

Rache

al Prin

ce & Scott Fow

ler in

Twen

ty E

ight

Tho

usan

d W

aves. P

hoto ©

Micha

el Slobo

dian

Dance Victoria is brought to you by…Marketing and Development – Tracy Smith

Tracy earned her Honours BA in Dance andMA in Language and Professional Writingfrom the University of Waterloo. She hasseveral years of experience in marketingand is a freelance business and creativewriter for clients of all sizes from largecorporations to not-for-profits. Tracy isexcited to bring her experience andpassion for dance to Dance Victoria thisseason and we’re very excited to welcomeher to our team.

DanceVictoria.com • 3

Pre-Show ChatsPresented by

Join us in the lobby at 6:50 pm for a chat about the evening’sperformance throughout the season.

Ballet BC | 30Join us in the lobby from 6:50-7:15 pm for a chat with Ballet BCArtistic Director, Emily Molnar. Emily will discuss the evening’sprogram and take any questions you may have.

Alberta Ballet’s The NutcrackerJoin us 45 minutes (1:15 pm for the matinees and 6:45 for theevenings) before the show for Nutcracker Story Time. Professionalstoryteller Jim Leard will recount the tale of Klara’s magicalevening.

Klara’s ClosetIn the Royal Theatre East Lobby, we’ll be opening Klara’s closet fullof Nutcracker costumes and props so your children can playdress-up prior to the performance.

Welcome (Back) to Dance Victoria!

We truly appreciate your patronage and support, and lookforward to having you with us this year. Here are a few tips tohelp maximize your experience with Dance Victoria:

1. Please don’t wear scented products at the theatre. Severalof our patrons are sensitive to perfumes or even allergic tothe chemicals that are combined to make scents.

2. Help us get your name right. If it is spelled incorrectly orsomething’s wrong with your address, call us or send an emailto [email protected] and we’ll correct it right away.

3. At any time during the year you can buy extra tickets to anyshow and get the subscriber price (20% off). Just tell thebox office you want the “Friend of Subscriber” price.

4.No babes in arms in the theatre. Just like you, we love them,but they are unpredictable little bundles.

Throughout the year we will notify our subscribers aboutspecial Dance at the Studio events, such as Rough Cuts,dance cabarets, intimate performances of new works orupdates about casting and pre-show chats for our main stageseries. To minimize marketing costs and maximize the fees wepay artists, we’d like to tell you about them by email.

Take a moment to email us at [email protected] andtell us that you’d like to be included in updates. We will nottrade or sell your contact information and you canunsubscribe at any time.

Our Branding Refresh

You may have noticed our fresh new look. We figured it wastime (after nearly ten years) to freshen up and pull together allof things we do at Dance Victoria. Over the course of the yearyou’ll notice programs like Dance Days, Rough Cuts, TheChrystal Dance Prize and more, are all part of the same family.The only thing that changes with each iteration is the colour ofthe bolt. Thank you to Rayola Creative for their smart andefficient work helping us come to this new look.

If you haven’t been to DanceVictoria.com for a while, pleasepay us a visit. We worked to make our site more user-friendly.

Pay Your Age

Sponsored by

Our popular Pay Your Age programis open to anyone aged 12 to 29.We’re grateful for support fromToes ‘n’ Taps Dance Shoppe forthis initiative. Do you have a youngfriend who would like to attend aDance Victoria performance butcan’t afford to? Tell them you canPay Your Age.

Pay Your Age tickets are limited, so act quickly. “Like” us onFacebook or follow our Twitter feed @dance_victoria.


When I first met Emily Molnar, the year was 2001. She stepped off aHelijet flight in Victoria to spend the day with me, being whisked fromone media outlet to another. Ballet BC was bringing The FaerieQueen to town and Emily was dancing the role of “Puck.” She wasBallet BC’s principal dancer at the time: Artistic Director JohnAlleyne’s muse.

I was immediately struck by how tall she was — unusual for a balletdancer. That was the talk about Emily in those days. It seemed thateveryone who met her remarked on her height (5 feet, 11 inches). Butwhen they saw her dance, all anyone could talk about was herstrength, prowess and presence. She was a gorgeous dancer.

It has been remarkable, watching her growth from a celebratedinterpreter to a leading force in the Canadian dance scene today.She’s been noted by Maclean’s magazine as one of Canada's "newgeneration of ballet sensations.” Since she took the reins as BalletBC’s Artistic Director in 2009, she has been steering the companyinto a new era of innovation and collaboration. Emily was recentlyappointed Sessional Artistic Director of Dance at The Banff Centre,where she guides the centre’s dance initiatives in collaboration withthe dance community. She received the 2015 YWCA Women of Dis-

tinction Award in Vancouver, and was named Artist of the Year inDance by The Globe & Mail in 2013.

A graduate of The National Ballet School of Canada, Emily is a for-mer member of the National Ballet of Canada and the Frankfurt Ballet,where she created and performed an extensive ballet repertoireunder Director William Forsythe. She was also a principal dancer withBallet BC.

She is an internationally critically acclaimed artist who has workedand toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Mexico, Canada andthe U.S. She has created and performed several works as a choreog-rapher and solo artist, including commissions for Alberta Ballet, BalletMannheim, Ballet Augsburg, Ballet BC, Cedar Lake Dance, Pro ArteDanza, and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company.

Emily is passionate about nurturing artists and choreographers,educating and supporting the research and development of danceand artistic leadership, and exploring the role of the artist and dance insociety. You can watch our conversations with Emily through a seriesof videos on our website and Facebook page. Unfortunately she’s sit-ting down in the videos, so you won’t see how tall she is. FN

Ballet BC Celebrates 30 YearsNovember 13 + 14 • 7:30pm

Com

pany

artists. P

hoto ©

Micha

el Slobo

dian


Dance is in a constant state of renewal. Because it’s performed live,it’s never the same twice. That’s what is so special about a work astraditional as The Nutcracker. We may be familiar with the music, thestory and even the choreography, but there is always somethingnew to discover.

Alberta Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker is a popular sell-outfor a reason. This dazzling production, choreographed by EdmundStripe and designed by Emmy Award-winning designer Zack Brown,sets The Nutcracker in turn-of-the-century Imperial Russia, an eranoted for its opulent grandeur, extravagant fur-lined fashions andstunning architecture. Audience members are transported back to amagical land of dancing white wolves, rats dressed as Cossack sol-diers, and snowflakes adorned like Russian princesses.

Over 150 artists and technicians come together for the production:36 Victoria Symphony musicians; 30 professional dancers; 60 chil-dren from local dance schools and 35 backstage crew. Thisproduction also tours to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Everysecond year, it plays Ottawa’s National Arts Centre.

Alberta Ballet’s The NutcrackerDecember 4 + 5 • 7:30pm // December 5 + 6 • 2:00pm

Nutcracker EnsembleSponsored by

KerryLynn Turner is teachingthis year’s large ensemble oflocal children from manydifferent dance schools in theregion. KerryLynn is a formerdancer with Ballet BC. Hercreative teaching style hasbeen instrumental to thesuccess of Victoria Academy ofBallet’s Post Secondary BridgeProgram. KerryLynn has beenputting the party boys, partygirls, pages, rats, soldiers andmice through their paces sothey are ready for the big show!

Nutcracker KidsSponsored by Supported in part by

$60 from you buys two ticketsfor disadvantaged kids toattend The Nutcracker.

Every year, we ask thecommunity to help us send kidsto the opening night of TheNutcracker. The tickets areoffered to families at BigBrothers Big Sisters andWomen’s Transition House.

For many kids, TheNutcracker is their firstexperience of a professionaldance performanceaccompanied by live musicians.

To help make a dream cometrue for local children, call us at250-595-1829 or visitDanceVictoria.com and click“Support Us.” The kids will loveyou for it!

6 Footnotes • Issue 46 • Winter 2014

An Argentine Tango16 Nights in Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Santiago, ChileApril 9 – 27, 2016Culture, wine and tango in three captivating South American citiesbeginning with eight nights in bustling Buenos Aires: walking tours ofhistoric neighbourhoods, opera and dance performances, an eveningat the milongas (tango clubs), and a day in historic Colonia, Uruguay. Flyto Mendoza for winery tours, tastings, and exquisite culinary experi-ences. Cross the Andes in a private motor coach to stunning Santiago,Chile, where you’ll enjoy more performances at historic venues and bea part of the vibrant nightlife in the charming barrio, Lastarria.

TOUR PRICE: $5,245 pp (double occupancy) Includes flights, internal travel and transfers, 16 nights’ accommodation, full dailybreakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners, tours and events as listed. Land only and singlesupplement pricing available on request.

Broadway, Big Ben & BrieNew York, London and ParisMay 12 – 28, 2016Sixteen nights in three exciting world capitals rich in culture, historyand architecture. Highlights include performances at Lincoln Centerby New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater, a tasting tourof Greenwich Village restaurants, and a picnic on the Highline. Fly toLondon where you’ll be treated to a scotch tasting, performances ofthe Royal Ballet and walking tours of Old London. Then it’s the Chun-nel to Paris to your charming hotel on the Left Bank at the foot ofPont Neuf. A cooking class, wine tasting, tour of the fashion districtand a visit to Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny are topped by aperformance of the Paris Opera Ballet. Options to travel to New Yorkonly or London and Paris only are available.

TOUR PRICE: $7,395 pp (double occupancy) Includes airline flights, transfers and Chunnel. 16 nights’ accommodation. Dailybreakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 receptions, wine and whisky tastings. Tours and eventsas listed. Land only and single supplement pricing available on request.

®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. ™Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. Scotia Wealth Management™ consists of a range of financial services provided by The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank®); The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company (Scotiatrust®); Private Investment Counsel, a service of 1832 Asset Management L.P.; 1832 Asset Management U.S. Inc.; Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc.; and ScotiaMcLeod,® a division of Scotia Capital Inc.

Scotia Wealth Management is proud to sponsor Dance Victoria.We are delighted to support the Arts and wish Dance Victoria an inspiring season.

www.ScotiaWealthManagement.com

1321 Blanshard Street, Suite # 402 Victoria, B.C. V8W 0B6 Tel. 250-953-2600

Business Cards

Rack Cards & Post Cards

Newsletters & Calendars

Brochures & Flyers

609 Dunedin St., Victoria BC V8T 2L7250-590-2998 www.fastracprinting.com

Dance Victoria Hosted ToursDance Victoria’s Trips Coordinator Bill Hamar crafts amazing itiner-aries that are very popular with our subscribers and their friends. Ourtours are filling up fast so act quickly to avoid being disappointed. Formore information or to book your tour contact Bill at 250-595-1803or [email protected].

Visit Dance Victoria.com for the full itineraries.

Dance Victoria is grateful for its partnership with Vision Travel. Thesetours are fundraising events for Dance Victoria Society. A charitabletax receipt for a portion of the tour price is provided to each traveller.


Canada’s ChrystalDance Prize

Canada’s Richest Prize for InternationalCollaborationDance Victoria offers two Chrystal Danceprizes annually to advance the careers ofdance artists living in western Canada (MB,SK, AB, BC, YK). A committee of danceprofessionals considers:

• Proposals from independent danceartists working with an internationalpartner on a new work (deadline: Nov 16)

• Applications from dancers completingtheir training at a recognizedinternational dance institution (deadline:mid-March).

The prize can include a two-weekresidency at Dance Victoria Studios and apotential presentation in an upcomingDance Victoria season. To learn more, visitour website DanceVictoria.com

List Your Property with Dance Victoria is very happy about aprogram launched by DFH Real Estate in2013. Ten per cent of the agent’scommission on any listing and/or sale thatresults from a Dance Victoria patronreferral is paid to Dance Victoria. Thus far,three sales have brought significant newrevenue to us. If you’re in the market tobuy or sell, we would love you to call DFHat 250-477-7291 and mention DanceVictoria. Visit the DFH table at all Dance atthe Royal events for more information.

Annual General Meeting

Sunday, November 22 • 7:00 pmDance Victoria Studios (Milne Studio) • 2750 Quadra StreetJoin us as we celebrate a successful year and join us in a discussion about our plans forthe future. If you have donated $100 or more to the Society since July 1, 2014, you are amember in good standing. If you’re unsure of your status, call the office at 250-595-1829or email [email protected]. Memberships will be available at the meeting.Followed by a reception in the studio’s newly re-furbished [email protected]

Night MovesCulture. Conversations. Cocktails.

Sponsored by

Night Moves is back for another fantastic season! Designed for 30 to 45 year olds, NightMoves is an exclusive after-party of culture, conversations and cocktails at a uniquelocation, following Dance Victoria’s presentations.

Meet the dancers from each of the Companies. Sample inventive cocktails andappetizers. Experience exhilarating dance!

Our reduced price, four-show subscription package is an incredible deal that includesyour invitation to after-parties and other social events. Go to DanceVictoria.com or “Like”our Night Moves Facebook page to learn more.

New SponsorsDance Victoria has always relied onsupport from the private sector tobring the best dance to Victoria aswell as foster the best dance createdin Victoria. Thank you to both ourreturning and new sponsors. Wewelcome the following new sponsorsthis year:

• Bespoke Design - Receptions Co-Sponsor (BJM)

• BLINK Victoria - Receptions Co-Sponsor (Ballet BC)

• Breathe Athletic - Dance Days Dancewear Sponsor

• Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites -Accommodation Sponsor (Fall)

• D’Ambrosio Architecture +Urbanism - Creative DevelopmentSponsor

• Fort Properties Ltd. - Receptions Co-Sponsor (Kidd Pivot + Electric CompanyTheatre)

• hughes clothing - Receptions Co-Sponsor (RWB)

• Jones Emery Hargreaves Swan LLP– Nutcracker Ensemble Sponsor

• Luxe Home Interiors – Presenting Sponsor: Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet

• Oak Bay Business ImprovementAssociation - Find the Nutcracker Sponsor

• Rayola Creative - Presenting Sponsor: Kidd Pivot + Electric CompanyTheatre

• Scotia Private Client Group -Communications & Outreach


OUT INNERSPACE DANCE THEATRE // VancouverWORLD PREMIERE! Group Work

January 29 + 30, 2016 • 7:30 pmMetro Studio Theatre (Quadra at Johnson)Tickets: $25 + $3.50 Service ChargeBox Office: 250-386-6121

You may recall David Raymond andTiffany Tregarthen of Out InnerspaceDance Theatre from their duet entitledMe So You So Me, an audience favouriteat the 2014 Dance Days Festival. When itplayed in Toronto a few months later,Globe & Mail critic Martha Schabas said“Both Raymond and Tregarthen are cap-tivating… It’s a treat to see this talentedand boldly imaginative company touringCanada. Lucky for us, they’re planninganother national tour in 2016 to debut anew ensemble piece.” Dance Days isthrilled to have the premiere of this newensemble piece, right here in Victoria.

About the New Work

At the time of the printing of this newsletter, the work remains untitled. The group workhas seven dancers including Dave and Tiff. Dance Victoria is proud to have supported thisproject with two residencies and commissioning support. At a recent Dance VictoriaRough Cuts, Tiff and Dave shared some insights about their evolving work.

“We’re interested in exploring conflicts between the self and the crowd. We’re asking,‘how do we want to be seen, heard, and understood in the world as a group, a generation, apeople? What do we protest, what do we promote, and what are we up against?’”

Alongside their exploration with how groups thrive or suffer inside social taboos, thecreation process also focuses on technical experimentation with microphones, videoprojection and camera flashes. Out Innerspace is working alongside project mentorCrystal Pite.

This new work is commissioned by the CanDance Network and a group of presentingpartners that include Live Art Dance Productions (Halifax), Dance Victoria, Firehall ArtsCentre (Vancouver), L’Agora de la Danse (Montréal), and the Brian Webb Dance Com-pany (Edmonton).

NextDANCE VICTORIADANCE DAYSJanuary 22 –31, 2016It’ll Move YouTen days of free dance classes. Hardto dance away from! The completeguide to free classes, workshops,studio showings and performanceswill be available online atDanceVictoria.com, January 11.

OUT INNERSPACEJanuary 29 + 30 • 7:30 pmMetro Studio TheatreWorld Premiere – New Group Work

Dance at the RoyalSubscribers can buy additional ticketsto Dance Victoria any time of the yearand save 20%

LES BALLETS JAZZ DE MONTRÉALFebruary 26 + 27 • 7:30 pmRoyal TheatreTriple bill

KIDD PIVOT + ELECTRIC COMPANYTHEATREMarch 11 + 12 • 7:30 pm Royal TheatreBetroffenheit

ROYAL WINNIPEGBALLETApril 1 + 2 • 7:30 pmRoyal TheatreGoing Home Star – Truth andReconciliation

David Ray

mon

d an

d Tiffan

y Treg

arthen

. Pho

to ©

Wen

dy D Pho

tography

Now on sale!

Dance Victoria Footnotes 49 – Fall 2015

Documents

Transcript of Dance Victoria Footnotes 49 – Fall 2015