Open Stage #4

Featuring works by:

CollabArt Creations
Francesca Vergara
Jennifer McLeish-Lewis & James-Amzin Nahirnick
Kenzie Skoglund & Sam Meadahl
Linda Hayes

CollabArt Creations presents Threadcount, an ensemble work which examines the tension between our love for fashion and clothing, and its cost to the planet. Choreographed by Artistic Director Kylah Powell, the work features eight dancers, and music by Michael Wall. Powell founded CollabArt Creations in 2005 and has presented many works, focussing most recently on the environment.

Francesca Vergara’s Thank you for choosing to stay looks at the impact of infidelity in a relationship, reflecting on heartache, healing and forgiveness. This duet is choreographed by Francesca Vergara and performed by Olivia Cesarano and Daryk Richards. Vergara trained at Victoria School of the Arts and Stacey Tookey's The Bridge program in New Jersey, and is currently in her second year with Lamondance.

Jennifer McLeish-Lewis & James-Amzin Nahirnick present To Fetch a Pail of Water. Inspired by the children’s nursery rhyme Jack and Jill, the work is performed with music improvised live by Stefan Smulovitz. McLeish-Lewis is a dance artist who performs, choreographs and teaches. Nahirnick is a contemporary dancer, tap dancer and improviser from Vancouver Island, and a 2020 graduate of Modus Operandi Contemporary Dance Training Program.

Kenzie Skoglund and Sam Meadahl’s A Conversation is a collaboration between disciplines. Through dance with live and pre-recorded electroacoustic music, it questions the support and control necessary to drive relationships, opening a dialogue amongst performers and audience. Both artists are Simon Fraser University BFA graduates, and first collaborated on The Invitation at Nuit Blanche Winnipeg.

Linda Hayes presents a pair of flamenco fusion duets: Rejection traces a man’s rejection of his sweetheart; and Embrace is a vibrant work for two women. A dance and music educator, performer and choreographer for over 25 years, Hayes visits Spain yearly to train and perform.

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Open Stage is a program initiated by The Dance Centre, offering the opportunity for dance artists to present short works in an uncurated, shared performance.

• Duration: approx 90 minutes including a short intermission.
• Please note that latecomers may only be admitted at a suitable break in the performance.

• Accessibility: This performance takes place in the Faris Family Studio, our intimate black box theatre space, which is wheelchair-accessible. When booking tickets, patrons who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids should select the ‘accessible’ seat type to ensure seating in the front row which is stair-free: limited spaces available. There are wheelchair-accessible washrooms in the theatre lobby. Please contact us if you require any assistance.

Photos L to R: CollabArt Creations/Kylah Powell; Kenzie Skoglund and Sam Meadahl/Mikela Vuorensivu; Jennifer McLeish-Lewis & James-Amzin Nahirnick/Erik Zennstrom; Francesca Vergara/photo courtesy of the artist; Linda Hayes/Liz Rosa.