Elle Sofe Sara centres on land and reclamation in Sámi dance

Inspired by Sámi culture and history, spiritual dance performance Vástádus eana – The answer is land centres themes of community, reclamation and the importance of land. The Sámi people are Indigenous to Sápmi, also known as northern Scandinavia, and, similar to Indigenous peoples in Canada, have suffered cultural assimilation and violence from colonialism. “I think our performance…

Aerosia, a feat of vertical dance performance

Artistic director Julia Taffe’s Vancouver-based Aeriosa Dance Society merges elements of vertical dance and rock climbing in the theatrical work New Artists and Approaches in Vertical Dance, part of Scotiabank Dance Society’s Discover Dance! Series. This noon-hour show on May 18 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre features Landon Krentz, Deaf ASL Theatre performer, and dance group…

Dancers of Damelahamid – Family, connection, artistry and tradition

Coming full circle from 2003 to 2023, the Dancers of Damelahamid are back at The Dance Centre on March 30th. Their performance of Spirit and Tradition, a sizeable production for family audiences, is described as “conveying important cultural teachings on balance, interconnectedness and community through dramatic dance and intricate masks and regalia.” “This work speaks to…

Broken Chord – Dance as history, identity, trauma and healing across borders

From Soweto and Johannesburg and through Belgium, France, Spain, London, Germany, Austria and Hungary, choreographer Gregory Maqoma is bringing Broken Chord to the Vancouver public. Presented by DanceHouse and Vancouver New Music, the Canadian premiere of choreographer and performer Maqoma and musical director Thuthuka Sibisi’s Broken Chord will take the stage from Feb. 23 to 25 at the Vancouver…

Matriarchs Uprising Festival

The 5th edition of Matriarchs Uprising Festival features new contemporary Indigenous dance works from Atamira Dance Company, O.Dela Arts + Pepper’s Ghost Media Collective, Kaha:Wi Dance Theatre, Samantha Sutherland, Sophie Dow, Vancouver DTES Grandmother’s Collective and more! The week of Feb. 13–18 will include masterclasses, community workshops and Talking Truths circle conversations both at the…

Arabic and Persian sounds blend in jazz setting

A deep connection to the past requires the unique group sound and the raw emotion of the solo performance. The Marrow, a quartet that melds the styles of Persian and Arabic music with Western Jazz, brings an exciting, multicultural style to Hermann’s Jazz Club in Victoria on Jan 29, and Capilano University Theatre on Jan.…

Source Amnesia – A look at faulty memory, fake news, and truth vs. fiction

Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY presents the world premiere of Source Amnesia, an exploration of false memory and the fragility of truth, in which five Vancouver-based contemporary dance artists navigate a reality in constant flux in an age of misinformation and information manipulation. “I am thrilled to bring together such a talented group of dance artists from Vancouver to…

Kathak: a mix of story-telling and dance

Search for the beauty within an unshaped space, says Usha Upta when she brings Khoj – A Contemporary Kathak Dance Extravaganza to The Firehall from Wednesday, Sept. 21 to Saturday, Sept. 24. “Just like how the ocean is always moving with the currents and the flow of the waves, we also move endlessly, from our beating heart…

On stage: modern Bharatanatyam

Indian Canadian dancer and choreographer Sujit Vaidya explores queerness, sensuality, and movement in his performance of Off Centre at Performance Works on July 12, as part of the Indian Summer Festival. The performer has challenged himself to express his queer identity within a very traditional dance form. Bharatanatyam is said to be the oldest classical dance form…