Happy International Dance Day!

We hope you have enjoyed celebrating National Dance Week. For International Dance Day, we got cell phone cameras activated across the province, in order to bring you these flashy dance-move results- enjoy!

OIS stop 4: Smithers

Our last stop of the tour was the railway town of Smithers, where we were welcomed by the warmest and friendliest of locals. 

After a long travel day from Saltspring, arriving slightly famished, we were lucky enough to enjoy some of the tastiest Mexican cuisine at the famous Trackside Cantinas restaurant. 

Because this was the last stop on our tour, we had become seasoned in finding exciting adventures for ourselves.  Smithers offered us a beautiful nature walk along the Buckley Valley river and through fairytale like birch forests. We spent about 20 minutes examining and admiring the brilliant array of colours among the river bed rocks.

The Della Herman Theatre where we performed is housed in the town's sole secondary school. I sensed that we all became slightly frightened as our traverse across the cafeteria transported us back to our teen years. Rehearsal, however, plopped us right back to real life as the tech team worked to fit the show into the space, while we continued to temper and polish a couple movement sections. Part way through the day a power outage ceased any productivity in the theatre, so an extra long dinner was warranted while we waited for the lights to come back on!

The Hudson Bay Mountain: the scenery on our walk home!

We ended up performing to a very full house, thanks to an eager community including a large group of exchange students from Quebec. Also thanks to Miriam, David and Tiffany for their work in outreach (Dave's radio interview and Tiffany's workshop). The show was followed by yet another very engaging talk-back, and dinner at the Aspen where we also celebrated Craig's birthday!

Miriam (Smithers' outreach coordinator) baked this scrumptious
chocolate cake for Craig's birthday. Secret ingredient: sour cream.

Community Engagement with Tiffany and David: Smithers

Out Innerspace has arrived in Smithers! We spent Thursday introducing the stories of touring artists to the stories of our community.

David and me at the CICK studio, a refurbished train car.

David and I began the day with a live radio interview hosted by community partner: CICK 93.9FM Smithers Community Radio. Thank you to Glen Ingram for handling tech so David and I could just talk about art, dance making and the evolution of Vessel. The interview was recorded and will have a life on Northwest at Noon programming over the next few months.

We ended the day with a workshop that wandered between the Smithers Art Gallery and a dance studio in the Central Park Building.

Tiffany and I welcomed 16 community members of all ages, interests and walks of life.  We introduced ourselves and why we are interested in movement. Answers ranged from "dance is my life" to "I'm at a point where I am signing up for anything that feels like a RISK."

Tiffany led us through aspects of the engaging process which Out Innerspace uses to source movement from visual imagery.

Playing with perspective, opening the imagination to fitting the body into landscape or visualizing landscape in the body.

Then, we traveled upstairs to the dance studio to play with movement from the elements: wood, fire, clay, water, air.

Making group sculptures, playing with a sculpting movement process the Vessel dancers use in the performance.

We ended the workshop back in the Art Gallery. Tiffany led us through some collaborative creation and decision making.  FUN!

We played with individual artistic choices effecting a group creation.

Overall, I feel these activities gave our community a glimpse into the creative minds of Out Innerspace. I am appreciative that David and Tiffany candidly shared their artistic processes. It is great to have the six dancers and tech crew here - meeting new people and welcoming back friendly faces (Josh Martin!).

I have the feeling that that the community members who heard the interview and/or attended the workshop will have insights into Vessel, seeing it through their own experiences of investigation and imagination. I know I will.

OIS stop 3: Saltspring

Saltspring you are beautiful!  An amazing audience, fresh mussels and seafood galore, baby lambs, Barb's Buns ginger twists, and sunshine!!  We loved performing in this intimate theatre space, and really enjoyed hearing all of the thoughtful responses and feedback post-show.  

Treating ourselves to lunch on our day off after the show at a waterfront restaurant, Aunty Pesto's. 

Lexi at lunch!

The gang hiking along the rocky shoreline

Yes, you may think this is a picture from a calendar, but no, this is the view from our hotel.  Such friendly people making us feel at home at the Harbour House Hotel (and organic farm).

-Lex, Née, La

OIS stop 2: Vernon

We arrived in Vernon on Dave's birthday.  We celebrated with dinner at an Indian restaurant and the unveiling of the surprise birthday dance flashmob in our hotel parking lot.  The next day was set-up in the theatre, while the dancers enjoyed a day off horseback riding.  On our way back we decided to take the scenic route home on the other side of the lake and spotted these beautiful creatures.

Renee with Mr. Dunbar, Josh Martin with Amigo, Lexi with Stardust, and Laura with Monkey. 

This delicious pre-show fruit basket was given to us in the
 green room by our hosts at the theatre!   

The premiere performance of Vessel went very well, and we had another great engaging post-show chat with the audience.  Thank you to Vernon for such a warm welcome and a fantastic residency at the beautiful theatre!

- Renee, Lexi & Laura

OIS stop 1: BANFF

After a busy last week of rehearsals, Out Innerspace hit the road with Vessel to our first stop: the beautiful Banff Centre.  We comprise a motley crew of nine, including artistic directors Tiffany and David, dancers Laura, Josh, Renee, and Lexi as well as the 'lighting wizard' James, 'projection king' Craig and 'manager extraordinaire' Heidi. 

Banff welcomed us warmly with this extraordinary view of the mountains.

The crew loaded in, Tiffany and David nestled into the theatre, and us dancers had some time to experience this charming town nestled amongst the spectacular Rocky Mountains. Naturally, we were drawn into the multiple confectionaries and candy shops, but also managed to find a pool table and a rooftop patio where we played and relaxed after our day of travel. Here we decided that our time off would be spent on something special: Project David's Birthday Dance.  

Renee and Laura. We are plotting master-plan: "David's Birthday Dance"

The week residency allowed Tiffany and David to continue working on the dance and projection components of Vessel; we rehearsed in the studios and the theatre, both of which were just steps from our residence hall. Also just a few skips away was the Sally Borden Centre, where we ate our delicious buffet meals and had access to the rec centre's pool, gym and steam room. 

While the technical team, Tiffany and David usually worked late into the evening, ending their day with some munchies at the Maclab Bistro, us dancers were holding secret rehearsals at the residence hall. Two nights allotted to composing the sound score (thanks to Josh's garageband and disc-jockey skills) and one fully devoted to choreography: 3.5 minutes of 80's inspired dance steps. Our plan was well underway. 

Looking for an adventure, this hike brought us to the icy shore of the Bow River. So refreshing!

The Banff Centre's theatre complex 

Show day arrived, along with a fresh blanket of snow, to cushion our performance jitters. Without spoiling the show for anyone hoping to see it in Burnaby, this run (coined a 'showing', not a 'show') went relatively well, however, was accompanied by a few technical glitches, all to be expected considering the projection component and it's complexity.  A group of spoken word artists and high-school music students from Saskatchewan, among many others in our full-house of an audience, all contributed to a constructive, insightful post show talk back.

-Lexi, Laura and Renee

Week One: Journeying to Vancouver Island

Before catching the ferry to Vancouver Island

We spent 4 days mounting the production in Vancouver, which included running the narrative cues, the acting segments, each of the dances, lighting cues and more…

Soon we found ourselves on a large white ferry heading across the water to Vancouver Island. Miguel, the guitarist and I braved the winds on the upper deck and took photos. I was ecstatically happy, watching the rushing water, the diminishing landmass, the view of mountains meeting sea, combined with the sharp contrast of sun and crisp cold wind. 

Upon arriving in Nanaimo, we got settled and then went to the “Dancentre” where we had an inspired run-through, filled with the bubbling excitement for our first performance.

Dinner was at a Japanese restaurant, where Angelita charmed the staff by singing in Japanese (something she picked up in her extensive travels to Asia). Angelita is radiant, loves social gatherings and her humour “tells it as it is”. We join her as well in singing some of the silliest verses or melodramatic traditional songs “Me voy a hacer un rosario, con tus dientes de marfíl” (I am going to make a Rosary, made of your ivory white teeth). Something we now sing in harmony, followed by laughter. The raucous clapping from the group also spontaneously arises wherever we go and announces: the Flamenco performers are in town!

We are infectiously noisy!

The Cast

Victor Kolstee & Rosario

So, I should introduce you to the rather gigantic performance cast! 7 sisters and Rosario, another dancer who plays the younger version of Rosario and 4 musicians who are on stage from the moment it starts until the absolute end.

At rehearsal - Nanaimo, BC

Victor Kolstee, Rosario’s husband and artistic partner, is a driving musical element in the show and plays guitar alongside with Miguel Ramos, from Cádiz, Spain. Miguel is extraordinarily musical, solid and inexhaustible. The sound of the 2 guitarists interweaving and conjuring up waves of

Alvaro & Angelita

rhythm and sound is the basis for all of the dance features. Angelita “la del Lito” is the singer. Her voice is dynamic, full of rough textures and piercing passion. Alvaro Rubio is our percussionist, multi-talented as he alternates cajón (box drum) with Tablas; moving from dry rhythms, to punctuated melody.

Instantly, the kinship in the group of sisters was evident. Our personalities blend, we laugh, joke and annoy each other in friendly ways (Marien is always pinching me and

Me & Marien

stealing bits of my food). We are sharing rooms, our meals, exploring cities and building bonds that have started with the family of Mis Hermanas, but will undoubtedly extend far beyond this tour.

Lupita/Katherine getting ready

As I mentioned, I am the eldest sister, followed by Marien Luevano from Mexico (playing the mambo-loving Rosalba), Melanie Meyers from Vancouver (playing the ethereal beauty Rebecca), Katherine Oliveri from Montreál (playing the sword-fish killing Lupita), Christina Trembley from Chicoutimi,

Angelita "La del Lito" - Flamenco Singer

Québec (playing the rebellious Marisela), Juliana Pulford from Ottawa (playing the delightfully spoiled and cheeky Titi) and Deborah Dawson from Vancouver (playing the sensitive painter, Alejandra). 

Together we form a boisterous and passionate representation of the Ancer sisters.

“MIS HERMANAS” & Flamenco Rosario – Meeting again on Alma street

Mid-March.

First week of rehearsals

I boarded the plane very early in the morning for Vancouver, suitcase weighted with shoes and rehearsal clothes, crossed the Rockies and soon found myself again at Centro Flamenco. There in the studio on the aptly named “Alma” street (soul), I re-united with musician friends and was overjoyed to see Rosario and Victor (the creative team behind this very personal work) and very soon Centro Flamenco filled with all the new artists for the 2013 tour!!!!

I play the eldest sister in Mis Hermanas, Anadelia: the elegant, imaginative and talented sister who wanted to be an Opera singer. It is a role I am reprising, having been a part of the production since it’s inception in 2008. Since then we have performed several times in Vancouver and toured to Mexico, an experience which has made Mis Hermanas even more tangible, bringing forth nostalgia and a rooted connection, since it all begins in a small town in Mexico.

Mis Hermanas is the personal story of Flamenco dancer Rosario Ancer, a beautiful dancer and a matriarch in the Vancouver flamenco community. I see Mis Hermanas as her life’s work – a culmination of her

Rosario Ancer (photo Adampwsmith)

artistic experience, integrating her personal story with theatrical vision, voice-over and multimedia. She has collected photos from her childhood, and from her experiences in Spain where she met her husband/flamenco guitarist Victor, as well as a touching collection of photos from the family and each of her 7 sisters. The photos form a backdrop to the narrative and help shape the character of each dancer.

This production is poignant, rich with artistic talent and heart-warming. It brings together Canadian dancers from across the country along with artists from Spain and Mexico in a large, cohesive and brilliantly accessible production that has filled the audience with tears and brought them to their feet, every single time.

Some of the cast backstage - Port Theatre, Nanaimo

Flamenco Rosario and Out Innerspace have hit the road

Both Flamenco Rosario and Out Innerspace have begun their BC tours.  Keep your eyes on the blog:  dancers Lexi Vajda, Renee Sigouin and Laura Avery of Out Innerspace, and Fiona Malena of Flamenco Rosario, will all be filling us in on their tour highlights. Take it away, dancers!