Meredith's Tour Blog #10 - Kitimat

After Smithers we were off to Kitimat. It had started snowing the night before our departure and continued to do so as we packed into the vans the next morning. The drive through snow covered mountains and trees was stunning!

In Kitimat we stayed at the Minnet Lodge run by Ruth and Howard who are the loveliest people I have ever meet. I can’t even begin to explain how special this place was. Hidden in the trees, view of the lake, cozy beds and a beautiful breakfast each morning. We were in heaven. Amber kept saying that it felt like we were at a retreat. We didn’t want to leave.

On the flip side of things, Kitimat was hit with some rough news this past week. An announcement was made that a mill is going to close in the next few months. This means at least 500 people are losing their jobs, if not more. This devastating news came in a few days before our arrival but you would never have known it by the beautiful spirits of the people that welcomed us in Kitimat. Michael the presenter, Anna-Marie and the many other people that had a part in bringing us to Kitimat were so warmhearted and welcoming. Their kindness and grace at such a time is a true testament to the kind of quality people that live in Kitimat.

This performance was a particularly special one in my books. We truly danced from the bottom of our hearts hoping to offer the audience a little relief from the harsh news they had received. We were reminded that this is why we do what we do; to offer people a moment of relief, maybe a laugh and a chance to leave all of the other things in life behind, even just for an hour or two.

After the show we were invited to a party! Again the warmth and care that was shown to us was remarkable. We had the opportunity to chat with people who had seen the show and were also fed some amazing dishes they had brought. It felt like we really had the chance to be a part of their community and it was a nice experience to build connections with people instead of just popping in, performing and leaving. Thank you Kitimat for your hospitality and warm hearts!

The next morning we had a mega early wake up to eat breakfast and drive back to Terrace to catch our flight to Vancouver. I have to say I still haven’t become used to the early wake ups after a show day but that might be because it takes so long energetically to come down after a show that my sleeping schedule becomes incredibly wacky and out of sorts. But regardless of the lack of sleep all of our bodies have been holding up and managing the touring/traveling/performing schedule quite well. Thank you dancing gods for taking care of us!

Meredith's Tour Blog #9 - Smithers

We had ten phenomenal and exhausting days in Northern BC. Everyone on tour remarked on how it seemed like we had been on the road for three weeks, not just a week and a half. This might be due to the fact that at some points the schedule is so tightly packed that 5 events in one day seem like they happened over 3 days. Day and Tara didn't have a single day off the whole time but you never would have known it, they are all-stars!

In Smithers we were welcomed by beautiful food baskets at our hotel! Thank you Miriam! Day and Tara did a huge amount of community outreach. They taught workshops at the high school and in the evenings to community dancers and were also part of a lecture. While Tara and Day were teaching the rest of us ate at a great Mexican restaurant (The Cantina) and had a chance to enjoy Smithers. The mountains are so incredibly stunning it is unlike anything I have ever seen.

Fast forward to show day in Smithers. Some students at the high school had the opportunity to hang lights and help with the set up of the show. They seemed so excited to be a part of everything. We could tell that they have some pretty spectacular teachers who have exposed them to many different opportunities and created an incredibly open minded environment. Hans, the technical director of the theater/teacher, watched our dress run and basically went and bought tickets for his students and told them that the show was not to be missed. How awesome is that!

After a great day of teching it was finally show time. The Smithers audience was absolutely amazing! You could hear the excitement in the crowd even before the show started! As performers we can't tell you what a difference it makes to have an audience that is so ready to go! Tara was absolutely phenomenal and had an immediate impact on the crowd and Surge was a huge hit as well! Almost all of the audience stayed for the talk back. It was clear that Smithers has a great community of people who support the arts! Thank you Smithers!

Stay tuned for my blog about Kitimat...its on the way...but I have to get up for a Surge rehearsal tomorrow am and better be in tip top shape. Nite!

Meredith's Tour Blog #8 - Surge Shots etc.

Here is the whole cast/crew of Light & Metal at dinner and below are some shots of Surge taken by Maria and Jeff (they really can do anything and everything.) We loved our time in Northern BC!

Tara in Terrace...

This photo was sent to us by Terrace Concert Society's dance outreach coordinator, Lisa McLeod. Tara is sitting in the very front.

Are you one of the students in the photo? We'd love to know who you are and what you thought of the workshop. Please drop us a line by email, or in the comments section below!

Meredith's Tour Blog #7: More of Prince Rupert to Terrace

Its funny how on tour the focus of your day becomes food and sleep. I honestly have never thought so much about my meals throughout the day except when I am on tour. Safeway has been a big staple for us so far that we have now made it our goal to see if we can hit up a Safeway in each town on tour.

Prince Rupert welcomed us on show day with a power outage from a storm the night before. I apparently slept right through it but Maria and Jeff (the tech crew) had to get ready at 7am in the pitch black, showers and all. They were a little concerned that there would be no power at the theater and were already dreaming up alternate plans but the power outage had been solved by the time they got to the theater. Phew!

Us dancers found time to ravish ourselves in the Aveda bath products that the Crest Hotel supplied and we also enjoyed magnificent fish and chips that literally seemed fresh out of the water. We all highly recommend the fish and chips if you ever find yourself in Rupert.

The show in Rupert went well for us but we noted that the audience was a quiet one. So we just want to remind people that its okay to laugh and clap if you feel inspired, in fact we love it when you do.

The next morning we were back in the vans en route to our next destination, Terrace. We were welcomed by a beautiful gift basket in the hotel room and our poster and postcards around the city, which was super exciting! Jeff and I escaped for a walk through Ferry Island that has gorgeous carvings in the trees by a man named Rick Goyette. It was a great feeling indulging in nature for a bit. While we nature walked Day and Tara taught workshops, then we all met up and had a great dinner at Don Diego’s (an excellent restaurant) before crashing early.

The next morning Maria and Jeff had a 5:30am wake up to get started at the theater so when we (the dancers + Marc) showed up we gave them extra love and thanks for all their great work and early wake up.

After warming up, spacing, stretching, tech running and eating it was finally show time. Tara immediately got some laughs from the incredibly receptive audience and they seemed excited and ready for more by the time the three of us got out there to perform Surge.

We had our best talkback of the tour so far in Terrace. There was a brilliant moderator who had obviously done her research and the audience was keen with great questions. The definite highlight of the talkback was one lady who said “what four excellent examples of powerful woman we have sitting up on the stage, “ (referencing that power is a theme in both pieces). Our hearts swelled…Terrace was a hit.

"Put a face to the arts campaign"

A new initiative launched by Kicking Horse Culture in Golden, BC has caught our attention and we thought you should see it!

Check out the slideshow here.

Their press release can be found here (via The Alliance for Arts & Culture).

Meredith's Tour Blog #6: Ferry Island Side-trip

Here are some shots from Jeff's and my excursion to Ferry Island in Terrace. We went in search of the stunning carvings in the trees.