Dancing on the Edge Festival 2021
Welcome to the 33rd annual Dancing on the Edge Festival!
A Note From our Festival Producer
Welcome to the 33rd annual Dancing on the Edge Festival. It is so exciting to be able to bring live performances to dance audiences both on indoor stages and in outdoor spaces this year. This year’s festival is a hybrid model with live dance performances accompanied by films; film screenings; films online and one live stream event where performances are influenced by the tides.
We have carried forward all the lessons learned since last year’s event with regard to COVID safety measures and have worked with the artists to provide a manner in which their works can be shared safely. It has been probably one of the more difficult festivals to bring together as it was only after May 25th that It was confirmed that we could move forward with live outdoor performances and just recently indoor works. But we went for it and I will be always grateful for the understanding and support of the artists and the Dancing on the Edge and Firehall staff who have worked diligently to pull this together.
While we are unable to have guest artists at the festival this year from outside BC, we have selected works from some of Vancouver’s most exciting choreographers to share with you. The festival opens with Radical System Art’s M.O.I. – the partitions, a work that was shown during its development at last year’s festival, and is followed through the ten day event by a new choreography and film from Wen Wei Dance, Inverso Dance’s 1:1:1 on program with the premiere of Kirsten Wicklund and Peter Smida’s Prominence and Glory. And the list goes on.
Throughout the festival, we will be sharing the works of those choreographers and companies commissioned to create work for the festival. Seven different projects were commissioned and while not all will be completed this year, because of the pandemic, all will have a presence at this year’s event. Some of these works will be shared through films such as Rob Kitsos’ The threshing Floor will be on a shared performance with Vanessa Goodman and Alexis Fletcher’s TUNING. And Raven Spirit Dance’s commission for the continued development of Confluence will be shown live with a film showing excerpts from Meredith Kalaman commissioned work that will premiere live at the 2022 festival. OURO Collective’s Fire06 commissioned work will be part of live performances in the courtyard on a shared program with Generous Mess’ commissioned work and the final commissioned work from Immigrant Lessons will share the courtyard stage with the collective minds of CAMP. And not to forget, Billy Marchenski’s light-bearer, which will be live-streamed from the Iona tidal flats located by the Vancouver Airport.
Film screenings in the theatre will include the premiere of Company Ci’s Limb(e)s, Immigrant Lessons’ ORIGINS/How Do We Co-Exist? and from Portland, Oregon, push/Fold’s compilation of three different works as their introduction to our community.
In partnership with the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Gardens, we will present Dumb Instrument Dance’s Dreaming of Koi and at the Russian Hall, Rachel Meyer’s Mama, do we die when we sleep?
And the film pack will include a wide range of new dance works from O’Dela Arts, Julianne Chapple, Kelly McInnes, Shion Sky Carter, Tara Cheyenne Performance and more.
Yes, there is a lot to see so get ready to experience an explosion of contemporary dance. I am so delighted that dance is back on stage, outside and online after being limited to online for what seems like a very long time. I hope you enjoy this hybrid version of Dancing on the Edge and I hope to see some of you at the limited capacity live performances that we have on offer.
Keep on Dancing,
Donna Spencer,
Festival Producer.
Dancing on the Edge Festival operates on the unceded, ancestral territories of the Coast Salish peoples – the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
Click HERE for a printable schedule of events!
Show Programs and Biographies
LIVE WORKS
Sarah Hutton & Aiden Cass by Evan Morash
light-bearer | Billy Marchenski
Dreaming of Koi | Dumb Instrument Dance
Proof | Kirsten Wicklund
Initial Response and Reconfiguration | Peter Smida
“1:1:1” (phase one) | Inverso Productions/Lesley Telford
Prominence & Glory | Kirsten Wicklund & Peter Smida
Confluence | Raven Spirit Dance
the sea of my tomorrows | Meredith Kalaman
Mama, do we die when we sleep? | Rachel Meyer
TUNING | Vanessa Goodman
The Threshing Floor | Rob Kitsos
ORIGINS/ How Do We Co-Exist? | Immigrant Lessons
PAM | CAMP
by means of each other | Generous Mess
Fire06 | OURO Collective
M.O.I. – the partitions | Radical System Art/Shay Kuebler
ONLINE WORKS
Ted Littlemore by Wendy D.
SCREENED DANCE FILMS
Origins: How do we exist? | Immigrant Lessons
DOTE Festival Staff
Donna Spencer Festival Producer
Amber Barton Associate Curator
Jessica Gerlach Administration
James Proudfoot Lighting Director
Alistair Wallace Technical Director
Jillian Perry Production Manager
Evan Ren Production Assistant
Linzi Voth Stage Manager
Chris Randle Videographer
Jodi Smith/JLS Entertainment Publicity/Marketing Coordinator
James Glen Graphic Design
Board of Directors
Shion Carter by Lula-Belle Jedynak
Reshaad Ali President
Jack Vickery Vice President
Anna Dueck Secretary
Faiza Hakim Treasurer
Directors:
Curtis Ellis
Dave Jackson
Ilona Guenther
Donna Spencer (ex-officio)
Firehall Staff
Donna Spencer Artistic Producer
Susan Shank General Manager
Alistair Wallace Technical Director
Jessica Gerlach Box Office and Marketing Coordinator
Jillian Perry Production Manager
Festival Venues
Firehall Arts Centre – Theatre & Courtyard
Kelly McInnes by Eddy Van Wyk
280 E Cordova St
Vancouver
V6A 1L3
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Garden
578 Carrall Street
Vancouver
V6B 5K2
Russian Hall
600 Campbell Avenue
BC V6A 3K1
Funding Bodies & Sponsors
BC Gaming Commission, Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, British Columbia Arts Council, City of Vancouver, The Georgia Straight, East Van Graphics, City Television, Stir, & Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.
Special Thanks to
Bard on the Beach for providing the risers for our Courtyard Works, the Arts Club Theatre for producing our face masks, and our donors.