ARTS UMBRELLA DANCE TOUR SIMPLY DIVINE

Fancy Dressing Night Out at Queen E

Wide open arms, that is the only way to express our Vancouver welcome by the irrepressible ‘Arty’ Gordon, her brilliant teachers and the sizzling dancers of AU’s first-year post-secondary program. Their warm spring welcome extended throughout the many beauties of Granville Island, home to the impressive AU and Ballet BC studios, endless shops, restaurants and galleries and, so conveniently, to the idyllic water-fronted Granville Island Hotel. To crown it all, we were greeted, most graciously, by former CCDT member, Kaiya Lee. Kaiya had just graduated from AU and – no surprise – immediately been invited to join one of the world’s finer ensembles, Scapino Ballet.

The first two days were intense, stretching the company between Livona Ellis’ and Arty’s x-ray eyed ballet work and some truly artful improvisation led by Gioconda Barbuto. This was a happy reunion with Gioconda, following her 2020-21 Contours commission for us. The company was honoured to experience these classes alongside an elite group of dancers working at a more senior training level and then, even more so, to be invited to rehearse a section of their Jae Man Joo commission for the Sunday performance.

Saturday’s highlight was Ballet BC’s Zenith, which demonstrated once more why this company is setting the bar for Canadian contemporary dance. No little frisson to see Crystal Pite nearby, visiting with Arty and choreographer, Fernando Hernando Magadan, whose world premiere anchored a spectacular program.

Sunday it was CCDT’s turn to shine, first alongside the Arts Umbrella Dance Grad Company’s Joo commission and then, thanks to our meticulous Rehearsal Director, Dana MacDonald, in an excerpt from Justin Rapaport’s Scintilla (fittingly, Justin is a former Ballet BC member and has rejoined Kid Pivot for a new Pite commission). Enjoying the Scotia Bank Dance Centre stage, our six dancers performed the mature work with confidence and nuance, received warmly by the audience, and brought our far too brief western idyll to a most satisfying close.

We write this with special gratitude to all those who donated to our Canada Helps tour campaign. You have gifted unforgettable memories to these young artists.

Michael deConinck Smith, Managing Director