Tickets go on sale today for Dancing on the Edge festival, live and online from July 8 to 17
Schedule includes specially commissioned new works by artists/choreographers including Meredith Kalaman, Raven Spirit Dance, Ouro Collective, Immigrant Lessons, and many more
Stéphanie Cyr and Calder White in Rachel Meyer’s Mama, do we die when we sleep?, showing at Russian Hall. Photo by David Cooper
The 33rd annual Dancing on the Edge festival has unveiled an exciting program of streamed and limited-audience live shows for its fest, July 8 to 17.
Tickets go on sale June 14 with prices ranging from $15 to $30, via www.dancingontheedge.org, where you can also watch for the full schedule.
One of the most eagerly anticipated events in British Columbia’s contemporary dance scene, the fest kicks off with a live performance by Shay Kuebler’s internationally acclaimed Radical System Art on July 8.
Festival producer Donna Spencer is delighted that Canada’s oldest and longest running contemporary dance festival will host live performances for limited- sized, eagerly awaiting audiences. “The pandemic has had a devastating effect on the performing arts community and we are thrilled to be able to provide dance artists and companies both online and live performance opportunities to support and profile their work,” she says.
This year’s DOTE will once again deliver high calibre, challenging and cutting-edge dance featuring innovative and spellbinding works. In celebration of its 33rd event, the festival will present more than 30 online and live stage performances, featuring artists from across Canada. On offer will be specially curated digital programming with recorded online performances, premieres of dance films, dance discussions, outdoor live performances in the Firehall’s Courtyard (for very limited audiences with safety precautions in place) and theatre performances with limited capacity, if permitted (in the Firehall Arts Centre theatre).
Spencer also announced seven commission projects—The COVID Commissions—premiering at this year’s Dancing on the Edge Festival. Companies and choreographers presenting those commissioned works include Ouro Collective, Raven Spirit Dance, Billy Marchenski, Immigrant Lessons, Generous Mess, Rob Kitsos, and Meredith Kalaman. “We were thrilled to have offered this incentive, knowing that these commissions have enabled artists to keep creating new work, during this challenging time for all,” says Spencer. “Now more than ever we need our artists and we need to keep moving so the Edge is working to support and encourage both.”
The festival will also present works from acclaimed Canadian artists including Wen Wei Dance, Radical System Art/Shay Kuebler, Rachel Meyer, Inverso Productions/Lesley Telford, Dumb Instrument Dance/Ziyian Kwan with Rianne Svelnis, Alexis Fletcher/Vanessa Goodman, Future Leisure/Julianne Chapple, Company Ci/Gabrielle Martin, CAMP, Kirsten Wicklund, Shion Skye Carter & Kaiyuu, Peter Smida, and many more.
This post was sponsored by Dancing on the Edge.