18 days left until DanceWeekend! Our countdown to DanceWeekend’22 continues with Vazari Arts!
Vazari Arts will be sharing a film Friday July 15th at 7pm. Register for the DanceWeekend film screening HERE!
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Can you tell us a little bit about yourself/your company?
I grew up on a farm in western Canada as the only artist, and the only queer member of my family. Drawn to dance at an early age I went on to attend the Edmonton School of Ballet and the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Since then I’ve worked as a dancer, choreographer across the country. I also teach movement to figure skaters and recently choreographed numbers for World Champions Kaetlyn Osmond and Kurt Browning for ‘Stars on Ice’.
In my work I am drawn to themes of resilience, ambition and our need for connection. My creations consistently centre athletic partnership, heightened togetherness, and care. They hinge on physical rigor and real-time decision making by the performer.
I believe humour and vulnerability encourage compassion and ignite curiosity, that the audience is an intelligent ally, that cows make the best listeners and that art can start the small ripples that change the world.
What will you be sharing at DanceWeekend’22?
I will be sharing my film Decoherence. This film is an adaptation of our theatrical work by the same name. This repurposes the movement from the live work but places it within an abstract narrative world created by director Adrijan Assoufi.
How has the pandemic shifted your work as a professional dance artist?
It shifted my work in many ways, but overall I took a lot of time to watch more dance online then I had time to see in person pre-pandemic. I learned a lot by watching, honed my craft and got back to really enjoying what others were creating. In a way I got to know my dance community better. There is so much talent here.
What interests you about film as a medium and how does if differ from a live performance?
I am particularly interested in creating films that are inspired by, or adapted from theatrical work I am creating. I love the idea of the dance piece we worked so hard to create getting a new life. I enjoy seeing how the same idea can blossom into a new form or like in the case of Decoherence, the film can show another individual’s completely different interpretation of the work.
Do you have any up-coming performances/workshops/events you would like to share?
We are excited to show Decoherence with an all female cast this summer for the first time in Moncton, New Brunswick. We are also creating and producing an interactive dance film to premiere this fall – keep an eye on our website and social media for more information on that!
In 1 or 2 sentences, what does dance mean to you?
This is a really difficult question so I’ll just say this, dance is the throughline of my life. My ever evolving love for this form is a constant in a sea of change.