The Dance Current

Marketing and development manager Emily Pettet speaks with Spring 2023 cover star Nova Bhattacharya, artistic director of Nova Dance and choreographer of Svāhā! which premiered in 2022 and will tour to Vancouver in July. What were your inspiration(s) for your piece Svāhā!?What was your process like? The original inspiration was acts of gathering and how women create community through acts of gathering and rituals of birth and death and life and marriage and all those things.

Navy Blue played at Place des Arts’ Théâtre Maisonneuve as part of Festival TransAmériques in Montreal from May 30 to June 1. Twelve souls emerge onto the vast, murky, blue-lit stage at Place des Arts’ Théâtre Maisonneuve, dotting Oona Doherty’s undefined world in her work Navy Blue. The dancers move in unison, cloaked in indigo outfits reminiscent of proles in George Orwell’s 1984, heads trembling and fists raised: a band of outsiders, devoid of identity in some isolated future. So far, so good.

As a dance physiotherapist, I usually work with injured dancers with the goal of returning them to competition or work. I also work with young athletes and weekend warriors who aim to live their best lives and stay healthy and active as they get older. Dance in a health-care context then becomes more than rehabilitation, but rather a tool to improve your overall health and wellness, better express yourself, bring joy into your life and find community.

Enemy Lines played in Toronto from May 12 to 14 at The Theatre Centre and runs in Hamilton from May 26 to 28 at McMaster University’s L.R. Wilson Hall. Choreographer and performer Mayumi Lashbrook unpacks the impact of Japanese internment camps in Canada from her great-grandmother’s perspective in Enemy Lines. Tackling a tragic event in Canadian history, Enemy Lines focuses less on historical events and more on how trauma can impact multiple generations.

Les limites infinies de la peau runs from May 10-13 at Agora de la danse in Montréal Choreographer Caroline Laurin-Beaucage returns to Montreal with her new work, Les limites infinies de la peau, presented at Agora de la danse from May 10 to 13. This 60-minute piece explores movement in a confined space using individual water tanks, described in the show program as human-size vivariums, to discuss themes of intimacy and relationships.

We All Fall Down Interdisciplinary Creations’ Because You Never Asked ran from April 19 to 22 at MAI |Montréal, arts interculturels in Montreal. Because You Never Asked documents a prescient moment of intergenerational connection. The interdisciplinary work is based on relatively recent conversations between director and composer Roger White and his recently deceased grandmother, Dr. Marianna (Goldmann) Clark.

Decidedly Jazz Danceworks Email address: djd@decidedlyjazz.com Description: The DJD Spring Intensive, taught by DJD artistic leaders along with current and past company members, will introduce advanced dancers to the DJD aesthetic and philosophy and will work to build a jazz community that spreads far and wide.

This article is published through our Regional Reporter Program. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts through the Digital Now initiative. Tiffany Leung, or b-girl Deepfriedtiff, is a breaker from Toronto. She was one of the first four athletes to join Team Canada’s national breaking team, which now includes eight members. Tiffany hopes to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where breaking will have its debut as an Olympic sport.

A mixed program of Compagnie Kunal Ranchod’s three most recent ballets will take place at the studio theatre of Les Grands Ballets in Montreal on April 7 and 8. An Ode to Kiran & Pradeep features work by artistic director and choreographer Kunal Ranchod and explores personal narratives of displacement and subsequent renewal that are rarely told in classical ballet.

This article is published through our Regional Reporter Program. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts through the Digital Now initiative. Ten years ago, John Manzo moved from the Greater Toronto Area to Nunavut’s capital city, bringing his passion for dance with him. As a dance instructor and choreographer, Manzo offers private lessons and monthly group classes in Iqaluit. He also DJs and organizes social dances and other entertainment events.