Made in BC - Dance on Tour announces name change to "Dance West Network: connecting artists and communities in motion"
Indigenous artists welcome the new name, which was decided on after lengthy community consultations
Cree artist Jessica McMann, who was a part of Dance West Network’s Re-centering/Margins Creative Residency 2020-21, was among the people whom the organizations consulted about its name change. Photo by Chris Randle
“DANCE WEST NETWORK: connecting artists and communities in motion” is the new name for Made in BC - Dance on Tour.
The organization is a non-profit industry association dedicated to building a culture for dance throughout the province of British Columbia.
When it got its start 15 years ago, contemporary dance was seldom seen outside Vancouver or Victoria. Its co-founders—Barb Clausen, Jim Smith, and Stephen White—wanted to broaden the ability for dance artists to travel and reach new audiences while at the same time they sought to boost the presence of the art form in more remote communities.
Fast-forward to recent years, and the name didn’t seem right. For one, it didn’t emphasize the word dance, leading to ambiguity about its role, explains Jane Gabriels, Dance West Network executive director.
Then there was the name’s use of “B.C.”
At a time when awareness of the ongoing, devastating impacts of colonization is growing, the reference to the present-day province’s white-settler reality made it feel unsuitable.
The province was named after the Columbia River, derived from Christopher Columbus. The explorer is widely considered a colonizer who contributed to the genocide of Indigenous people and culture throughout North America.
The new moniker is part of the group’s aim to strengthen relationships with Indigenous artists and organizations as well as others who have been historically marginalized or excluded, Gabriels says.
“It’s an important gesture but also a modest one, that we’re aiming for inclusivity and solidarity with Indigenous people,” Gabriels said in a phone interview with Stir. “We want to support the work that is ongoing and that is happening in supporting Indigenous artists and Indigenous communities we’re working with.”
The move could be a sign of things to come.
A recent survey by Research Co. found that 26 percent of adults support a name change for the province so that it reflects the region’s Indigenous heritage. (Of the 800 people surveyed, 60 percent said they do not want to change the name of the province and 14 percent said they were undecided.)
Jane Gabriels is executive director of Dance West Network. Photo by JaneJane Productions
Conversations about changing the name started several years ago, Gabriels says, prior to her joining the organization in 2018.
The new title was chosen after consultations with Indigenous artists, dance presenters, dance artists, organizations across the country, the three original MiBC co-founders, among others. Three consultants participated from Anishinaabe (Olivia C Davies); Cree (Jessica McMann); and Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) and (Opetchesaht) Nuu-chah-nulth Nations (Tsatassaya White).
“Throughout the five years I have been involved with Made in BC, the name (which is based on Columbus) has made it really awkward to invite Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to collaborate,” Joanne Cuffe, a Dance West Network Community Dance Connector in Lekwungen homelands/Victoria, said in a release. “Attending to colonialism and centering Indigenous sovereignty has been a core value for me for the past 15 years, and associating with the “Made in BC” name has been where I have most been out of integrity in my work. I think it is a fantastic idea to no longer have ‘Made in BC’ in the name.”
Margaret Grenier, executive and artistic director of Dancers of Damelahamid, was among the individuals the organization consulted with respect to its naming.
“The community of the Dance West Network has over the past several years made remarkable efforts to recognize our company’s distinct artistic practices,” Grenier said in the release. “This name change is timely and a reflection of these core values. T’ooyaxs’ii ‘niin.”
Beyond the name change, Dance West Network has other initiatives in place to make diversity and inclusion more than a catchphrase, Gabriels says. These include continuing its collaborations with Indigenous dance artists and consultants such as Olivia C. Davies and Jessica McMann and others across B.C.
The network offers residency projects for historically marginalized artists. Its third annual Re-Centering/Margins creative residency for emerging dance artists includes written documentation by BIPOC writers of the dancers’ choosing on the unceded Coast Salish territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl ̓ ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) Nations, while its Creative Residency on the territories of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ nations supports the work of Lindsay Delaronde/Visible Bodies Collective/The Culture Den Society.
New is the Northern BC Re-Centering/Margins Creative Residency, produced in collaboration with Bulkley Valley Concert Association (Witsuwit’en Territory/Smithers) and ChangeMakers/ Karen Buchanan (Ts’msyen La̱xyuup)/Prince Rupert) with teaching opportunities at Hiit’aGan.iina Kuuyas Naay – Skidegate Youth Centre (Haida Nation Territory/Haida Gwaii).
Then there are the Digital Project: Dance/Media Collaborations 2021 produced in collaboration with Arts Revelstoke (Secwepemc [Secwepemcul’ewc], Ktunaxa, Sinixt Territory/Revelstoke); LEÑA Artist Research and Residency Centre & Active / Passive Performance Society (traditional territories of Lamalcha, Penelakut, and Huitson First Nations/Galiano Island); and Hiit’aGan.iina Kuuyas Naay – Skidegate Youth Centre (Haida Nation Territory/Haida Gwaii).
“Bravo! Dance West Network! Hy'ceep qa (TY) Sii'em for taking a giant leap and leading the way in decolonizing not only your name but also with genuine engagement with Indigenous artists from the grassroots to professional levels. Your leadership in this important work must be applauded,” Tsatassaya White, curator, and community mobilizer of the Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) & (Opetchesaht) Nuu-chah-nulth Nations, said in a release.
Gabriels notes that, in addition to emphasizing the word dance, the new name also indicates that the network is open to collaborations with other artists and organizations in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.
“There were over 30 people we consulted with,” Gabriels says. “The input was coming from people who are engaging with us on a daily basis.
“This is about community building through dance” she says. “We’re really following the artists’ lead.”
For more information, see Dance West Network.
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