The Art of Dance
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| Lisa Phinney Langley's Grand Hotel Photo by Scott Munn |
Live Art Dance kicked-off its
31st season this past weekend in Halifax. Recently we spoke with the
organization’s Executive Producer, Paul Caskey, about how the group has evolved
over time and what audiences can expect this coming weekend (Thursday to
Saturday) and in the months to come.
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| Live Art Dance's Executive Director, Paul Caskey |
When and why did you first become interested in dance?
I got into dance in University
(Simon Fraser): I was aiming for a BA in Psychology and was taking some theatre
electives. One term we had a month long contact improvisation workshop that
really turned me on to the physical and emotional aspects of dance.
Are they the same reasons that you continue to be involved today?
Yes, absolutely! I love how a
single audience can interpret dance in so many ways: some people see a
narrative or connect to the architectural beauty while others may have a
visceral response. We need to bring our imagination to the experience and be
willing to go on a journey. When it works well it is magical!
How and when did you get involved with Live Art Dance?
Live Art Dance has just
launched its 31st season, which is pretty amazing. Not every arts
organization survives so long or can transition into a post-founder era. Diane
Moore founded the organization as an offshoot performance series that was born
out of Eye Level Gallery. She was a community builder for dance in Atlantic
Canada. Sadly, she died in 2003. She was a mentor to me so it was very special
to join the organization in the wake of her passing.
What is the organization's mandate?
Our mission is to be
recognized in Canada and internationally as the leading provider of and
advocate for contemporary dance and movement related art in Atlantic Canada;
Live Art is an increasingly important catalyst for creative exchange,
innovation and expression.
“I love how a single audience can interpret dance in so many ways: some
people see a narrative or connect to the architectural beauty while others may
have a visceral response. We need to bring our imagination to the experience
and be willing to go on a journey.”
What are the challenges of the gig?
The biggest challenge is
coordinating productions with access to performance venues. Most of our shows
are touring and often have fairly inflexible schedules. Halifax does not have
an abundance of performance venues well-suited to dance thus it can be quite a
puzzle to book each season.
What are the rewards?
The best reward is putting on
an amazing show and then seeing the public get turned on by it. A lot of our
productions are at the leading edge of the contemporary performing arts spectrum
so we provide a fairly unique outlet to access this kind of work.
How has the organization evolved over the years?
Steadily! Diane Moore was
always motivated to represent the here and now of contemporary dance so Live
Art earned a reputation for bringing risky, challenging, provocative work to
the table. Since I joined the organization in 2005 we have continued to honour
that mandate, but it has been tempered with balance. Diane never would have
programmed Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, but I see such programming as a
response to another appetite in our community. Contemporary dance is
wonderfully diverse and I want to represent a broad swath of what’s out there.
What have been some highlights?
Oh my, the highlights are
many: This year’s season opener, Running Sushi, Kidd Pivot’s The
Tempest Replica in October ‘12, the World Premiere of Cayetano Soto’s work
on BJM Danse in Nov ’11, every show Compagnie Marie Chouinard brings… Beyond
these audience favourites there are the premieres that are paving the way for
something special. I’m thinking George Stamos on Montréal Danse in
2011: the work we premiered was rough and raw and not hugely successful. But it
gave the artist a huge amount of information to transform the work into
something that became quite extraordinary. Live Art supports this research and
our audience is willing to go on the journey with us.
What can audiences expect to experience this weekend?
A world premiere! It’s been a while
since I was in the studio with choreographer Lisa Phinney Langley and her Phin
collaborators so the work will be as surprising to me as it will be to the
audience. What I know is it involves three incredible dancers (Sarah Rozee,
Miriah Brennan, and Nicolas Labelle), a pair of cellists (Colin Matthews and
Catherine Little), poet Ardath Whynacht, composer Sandy Moore, and a rather
striking set by Peter Dykhuis. It’s a dance work with strong multi-disciplinary
roots inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Mask of the Red Death.
“I would love to see a new generation of artists begin to step up and lay a claim to a share of the limelight.”
What's on tap for the remainder of this season?
Following Grand Hotel
we have a dance/music ode to the amazing Lhasa de Sela, the highly anticipated
return of the 605 Collective, a drop dead gorgeous work by Toronto Dance
Theatre, deliriously good dancing by BJM Danse, and a powerhouse shared program
featuring Mocean Dance, The Woods, and Rhonda Baker.
What are your thoughts on the current state of dance in the region?
Dance in Atlantic Canada is on
a roll right now. Our community has just gone through some significant changes
and there are new voices taking responsibility for the health of our community.
I would love to see a new generation of artists begin to step up and lay a claim
to a share of the limelight.
What can we be doing better?
We need a professional
training program pure and simple. Training only goes so far here and those who
are serious leave. If we want to retain our local talent they need quality
education and resources to make stuff happen. Dalhousie recently announced the
creation of a School for the Performing Arts but dance is not part of the
program. Music, check; Theatre, check; Dance…? Until there is a professional
program in the region our dance community will remain small.
What does the future look like for the organization?
My motto has been slow and
steady wins the day. If we can hook a few more people each year I’m confident
we can keep them interested; if we can help our local artists develop new
projects then we contribute to sustainability within the sector. This is our
focus and we’ll keep building at it, one show at a time!
Grand
Hotel (world premiere)
by Phin/ Lisa Phinney
Langley
October 3-5, 8pm at Sir James Dunn Theatre, Halifax
www.liveartdance.ca
