Ladies and gentlemen, may we present, Groundwork 2012: Tour-ready BC contemporary dance works for your perusal- online this year!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Groundwork 2012 is online!
Ladies and gentlemen, may we present, Groundwork 2012: Tour-ready BC contemporary dance works for your perusal- online this year!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
WWD dancer Jessie Kwan
... thanks, Jessie! Jessie Kwan, ladies and gentleman, cast member of Wen Wei Wang's Unbound, and our latest dancer-on-tour blogger (just scroll down).
Congratulations to Wen Wei Dance for your success on the Island(s)...
Friday, February 24, 2012
Success at Salt Spring!
Sitting on the bed in the Nanaimo's Best Western, typing my first blog entry after a brilliant performance of "Unbound"at the ArtSpring Theater in Salt Spring Island last night. It was a treat to have the community out packing the theater and supporting us! Everything in Salt Spring is so heart warming, the community has such a strong passion about the arts, and of course the food is delicious. The halibut is so fresh and Barbs Bakery's cheese stick twist is really something.
We're now resting up for our closing night tomorrow at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo. This has definitely been a short and delightful tour!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Through the Ages….
Well, we have reached a new demographic with this tour…..the theatre going crowds ! Our audiences were packed with the people who go to see theatre on a regular bases, mostly retirees. In fact there were often many 60, 70 and 80 year olds in the front rows of these tour shows, which is to me a kind of honour, especially considering the 1930s setting. And I'm glad to say that there was as much sparkle in their eyes coming out of the show as I've seen on the younger crowds that regularly come out to our home shows. One such lady yesterday said "I enjoyed every minute of it"
In North America, there isn't a tradition of going to theatre like there is in Europe and elsewhere. Hollywood developed here, so we have a film going tradition. There is a divide between audiences of theatre and other types of entertainment. (Whenever I make these grand sweeping statements I feel like I'm in grade 5 writing an essay to prove a somewhat arbitrary point.) A simple observation: the Dusty Flowerpot community has naturally, unthinkingly integrated theatre with celebration. People can mingle and drink throughout, become part of the atmosphere, are spoken to directly from the stage, and there is a dance party after every show. This tour has been very successful in engaging audiences in ways that they are not accustomed to, and in future tours I can see how we could bring more of that to the table. In Golden, I taught a workshops the night before and 12 of the participants entered the marathon, and were on stage in character for almost the entire first act. Through directly involving community members in the show, longer workshops, longer runs, and integrated all age after-parties, I believe that presenters in these smaller towns would be able to reach younger audiences that may start to enjoy theatre throughout the year.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Golden Girls
Excuse all the extremely witty titles for these posts. It's so tempting to make them sound like headlines in a fashion magazine.
Well, the town of Golden was really into the adult humour, including that of Gloria, the aforementioned "Golden Girl" pictured here:
….And also Aaron's character Chuckles, the horrible and hilarious birthday party magician.
In Golden, we worked with a group of fantastic folks called the A-Muse troupe to incorporate them into the show as dance contestants. Each developed a distinct character with a number on their back and a story, and dance with us through most of the first act. Amazing. This show is built for integrating audience to that degree. In fact, I was unsure about putting the show onto a traditional stage, because in my mind the 'stage' for Hard Times Hit Parade should be the entire room. After a couple of chances at experimenting with the black box stage version: the Dance Allsorts show at the Roundhouse and the Choreographic Research Project showing at the Dance Center, I received the feedback that the atmosphere of inclusion and the world of the 1930s is still created. A town hall or a ballroom is a vastly more appropriate fit for the show, however, and that's what we had in Golden.
Well, the town of Golden was really into the adult humour, including that of Gloria, the aforementioned "Golden Girl" pictured here:
….And also Aaron's character Chuckles, the horrible and hilarious birthday party magician.
In Golden, we worked with a group of fantastic folks called the A-Muse troupe to incorporate them into the show as dance contestants. Each developed a distinct character with a number on their back and a story, and dance with us through most of the first act. Amazing. This show is built for integrating audience to that degree. In fact, I was unsure about putting the show onto a traditional stage, because in my mind the 'stage' for Hard Times Hit Parade should be the entire room. After a couple of chances at experimenting with the black box stage version: the Dance Allsorts show at the Roundhouse and the Choreographic Research Project showing at the Dance Center, I received the feedback that the atmosphere of inclusion and the world of the 1930s is still created. A town hall or a ballroom is a vastly more appropriate fit for the show, however, and that's what we had in Golden.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
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