Give the Gift of Dance

--> Give the Gift of Dance Campaign


I am the newly appointed communications coordinator with Made in BC - Dance on Tour Society. Since I started work here I have been amazed and inspired by the work done across the province. My goal is to foster a much greater understanding and appreciation for dance artists across British Columbia. 

I've had the opportunity to witness a community engagement dance program at one of our community centres in Vancouver, British Columbia. This dance program invited people of all ages and abilities to come together united. It was such an inspiration to see the community joined as one. It is important to note that Made in BC funds these kind of activities across the province but does not receive any earned revenues from the community programs. 


Photo credit: Jennifer Ko

You'll find that there are many small towns across British Columbia don't get very much opportunities to see live performances. Made in BC exists to provide the BC touring program and artistic residencies in order to share the art of contemporary dances.

Recently, Made in BC partnered with The Dance Centre's Dance in Vancouver Festival to hold a national conference for dance artstis, managers, and community presenters. During our conference, we hosted an event called the "Democratization of Dance Party!" with Wii dance, a curate-your-own dance Youtube projection screen, and a community dance group performing site-specific work and getting non-dancers moving. There was a donation box set out for people to contribute to community dance programming in Stewart, BC a small community in the north. We raised about $30 but we need a lot more!

What We Need & What You Get:

Usually, it costs us well over $3,000 to send dance artists to small towns for our artistic residencies program. That includes the transportation, artistic fees, hospitality, studio rentals and management.

Made in BC receives limited funding towards these artistic residencies opportunities and it is very challenging to create quality work with limited resources. Your contribution will allow this program to happen in Stewart. 


In Stewart, a town of 500, we are working with the Bear Valley School, who are letting their students out early every day to participate in a community dance program. They are lending us the best room in town, which is the large community room over top of the hockey rink. They’re really hoping to engage the local boys in dance, as this project is scheduled for a slow moment in their hockey season. Last year, we got ½ the town (250 people) to participate in some way in a workshops project held there with Mascall Dance.

This year's project brings 2 dance artists up to Stewart for a week, as part of Joe Ink's Move It! Program.

We've also been working with the Stewart Art Council, which is a newly formed volunteer-run organization, founded 2 years ago.

Other Ways You Can Help:
Spread the word on social media, tell you friends, and "like" our Facebook page!


To submit your donation, please select the "Northern Remote Communities" tab:
https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/9657

Sincerely,

Landon Krentz
Communications Coordinator