Vancouver’s emerging BIPOC dance artists – Made in BC Showcase. Nov 15,18 and 19

Made in BC – Dance on Tour presents 

 CREATIVE RESIDENCY 2019 SHOWCASE:  BIPOC* DANCE ARTISTS

(* Black, Indigenous, People of Colour)

November 15, 18 & 19, 8:00pm

KW Studios (Production Studio),  #10 – 111 Hastings St W, Vancouver

Join Made in BC – Dance on Tour (MiBC) for an evening of contemporary works by Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) emerging dance artists. Three artists:  Eric Cheung, Kristy Janvier, and Zahra Shahab will showcase recent work developed over their seven-month Made in BC – Dance on Tour (MiBC) 2019 Creative Residency. 

MiBC’s Creative Residency project provides opportunities and professional development for emerging dance artists of colour to create contemporary performance works. 

These artists were chosen in a competitive process by a Selection Committee of established artists:  Justine Chambers, Rohit Chokhani, Lee Su-Feh, and Starr Muranko.  Each emerging artist invited established artists to mentor them with creative feedback to help realize their artistic vision, and the project also offers a network of supportive organizations, professional development workshops and other informal showing opportunities. BIPOC writers accompany each artist to document their processes and craft original essays which build context around their work. Details are listed in the accompanying artist bios. 

The MiBC Creative Residency project received a tremendous response from emerging artists, and as a result MiBC was thrilled to receive funding to add a smaller ancillary project that provides support and showcase opportunities to nine other BIPOC and emerging dance artists. Participating artists in both residency projects will perform their latest works in  shared evenings on Nov 15, 18 and 19 (see schedule below).  

From Zahra Shahab, one of the selected Residency Artists:  “The MiBC BIPOC Residency offered me the resources to develop my artistic voice as a qpoc artist. I had the freedom and support to take creative risks and ask questions that will inform my practice for many years to come.”

Made in BC- Dance on Tour is dedicated to building a culture for dance throughout British Columbia. MiBC connects BC communities with dance artists, and fosters an appreciation of contemporary dance through its collaborations with multiple presenters and other community partners across the province. This Creative Residency project supports Made in BC’s mission by strengthening emerging and contemporary dance artists in Vancouver for future engagements both locally and provincially.

Friday Nov 15

Residency Artist: Kristy Janvier

Ancillary Artists (4):  Luciana Fortes, Leah “McFly” McKesey,  Immigrant Lessons, Be Heintzman Hope

Post performance talk back, moderated by Olivia C. Davies 

Monday Nov 18

Residency Artist: Zahra Shahab

Ancillary Artists (3): Shion Carter, Erika Mitsuhashi, Angela Cooper 

Post performance talk back moderated by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg

Tuesday Nov 19

Residency Artist: Eric Cheung

Ancillary Artists (2): Marissa Wong, Kevin Li 

Post performance Artist conversation

Doors open, 7:30pm. KW Studio is completely accessible (entry, washrooms). 

Tickets: $10 (cash only), under 16 FREE and may be reserved online at admin@nullmadeinbc.org,  bought at the door, or reserved via: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mibc-creative-residency-program/x/22382466#/

In addition to this event, artists from the MiBC’s Des arts dehors/Arts Outside 5th edition program, will showcase/pitch excerpts of their work on November 15 and 18  from 5.30pm-6.30pm (free) in the Atrium space at KW Studios.

CREATIVE RESIDENCY ARTIST BIOS

ERIC CHEUNG (mentors:  Maiko Miyauchi and Cristina Bucci, writer: Simran Sachar)

Born and raised in Calgary Alberta, Eric Cheung is a dance artist who specializes in the street style of Popping. Eric is currently working with Ouro Collective, in which last season performed in the new creation HAKO. As an artist, Eric strives to always show the most authentic version of himself whenever he performs, exposing his truths in his movement and intention in every performance. He is passionate about pushing the boundaries of street dance and its possibilities by exploring into different domains. Such as performing in Virtual Reality (VR), creating dance short films such as E_GO and wave. Eric is currently developing a solo piece, entitled iye to be premiered in November in the Made in BC residency. iye will also be presented at Awe Festival Calgary in Calgary, May 26. 

KRISTY JANVIER (mentors: Starr Muranko with a group of Indigenous women artists, writer:  Emily Dundas Oke)

Kristy was born and raised in Flin Flon and is of Dene (English River First Nation), English/Irish, and Ukrainian descent. At the age of 18 she began working overseas as a professional actress/dancer. After 15 years of working in the entertainment industry with Disney, Kristy sought out other forms of movement and dance making work based on improvisation and interaction with bodies and space. Upon returning to Canada, she has connected to her roots through contemporary- Indigenous dance. She had an opportunity to explore her research on water, the rivers, bloodlines and healing with the support of Young Lungs Dance Exchange in Winnipeg (winter 2016-17). She has attended 8 Days in Toronto (June ’17) and performed at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre in New Brunswick (August ’17), a solo work-in-progress with Free Flow in Saskatoon (September ’17) and Weesageechak begins to Dance in Toronto (November ’17), toured as an invited guest with Dancers of Damelahamid (October-November ’17). The video work from the E|MERGE artist residency at Earthdance, Massachusetts (February ’18) has screened at 5 film festivals in Canada.

ZAHRA SHAHAB (mentors: Tara Cheyenne and Elizabeth Milton, writer: Natalie Gan)

Zahra Shahab is an independent dance artist and choreographer living on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish people. She is a graduate of the University of Calgary School of Creative and Performing Arts as well as the Modus Operandi Contemporary Dance Training Program directed by Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond. She has had the pleasure of working with several Vancouver based choreographers and companies such as Emmalena Fredrikkson, Justine Chambers, Mardon + Mitsuhashi, The Biting School, Out Innerspace Dance Theatre, Company 605, and Hong Kong Exile. She has presented choreographic work and experimental films in Calgary at the Fluid Festival, Calgary Underground Film Festival, University of Calgary and Alberta Dance Festival, in Vancouver at Dance in Vancouver, The Dance Centre’s 12 minute max, Shooting Gallery Performance, Festival of Recorded Movement, and New Works Performance, as well as in Toronto at the Toronto Dance Theatre’s Emerging Voices Program. She was recently commissioned to create her first full length work by New Works Performance premiering in January 2020. Coming to dance from a visual arts background, her work often integrates costume design or installation elements with choreography, looking to the fantastical to imagine alternative queer futures and ways of being that exist beyond white supremacy.

Made in BC gratefully acknowledges our privilege to be able to work and create on the traditional and unceded Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Thank you. Made in BC – Dance on Tour aimerait reconnaître que cet événement aura lieu sur les terres ancestrales et non cédés des peuples Musqueam, Squamish et Tsleil-Waututh. Merci. 

This residency project is supported by a 2018 Creative City Strategic Grant and by a 2019 Community Arts Grant funded by the City of  Vancouver’s Art, Culture and Community Services Department.

This 2019 Creative Residency is an initiative of ED, Dr. Jane Gabriels, and is a partnership project between Made in BC – Dance on Tour and participating studios: Gold Saucer, KW Studios, Left of Main, MascallDance Society, and WhatLab.

 

Media release and images provided by Debora Gordon, Made in BC Dance On Tour.