For some years now, my mother-in-law, Judy, has asked that instead of celebrating her birthday, an acknowledgement of passing time, we honour an “appreciation day,” an opportunity to consider the resilience and perseverance of those we love.
Anniversaries, with their frequent presumption of progress, can easily become awkward and unwieldy considerations of definitions and limits. This summer marks 150 years since the British North America Act of 1867 by which Canada became a confederation that included the provinces of the East Coast (but not Newfoundland) and what became Ontario and Québec.
In 1967, celebrations of the centennial anniversary of the event were organized and funded by the federal government, just as those this year have been. Then as now, they often served to highlight the limits to the idea they sought to celebrate. Upon entering the Indians of Canada Pavilion at Expo 67, for example, visitors were greeted with the phrase, “You have stolen our native land, our culture, our soul …” The pavilion became a space for First Nations artists and the community members with whom they had consulted to express their anger and frustration over racist government policies on a wide variety of important issues, including education and self-government.
The sesquicentennial celebrations of Canada 150 have also provided as many opportunities to question the current political situation in Canada as to celebrate it. With that in mind, this issue of The Dance Current seeks to acknowledge this moment as a time for stock-taking, without celebrating any singular identity or form. The three-part special feature looks at the current moment in dance in Canada through three different historical and thematic lenses. Carol Anderson looks at some of the important institutional and organizational events since 1967 that have influenced how dance artists create work and are funded. Kate Stashko spoke with artists about the issues that seem more relevant to the current creative climate. Helen Simard spoke with street dancers about the future of the form: how growth and tradition might be negotiated moving forward.
The photo essay, collated by Semiah Smith, presents some Indigenous artists from across the country who are using dance as part of their artistic practice and their expressions of self and community. Colleen Snell profiles Hanna Kiel, originally from Korea, an immigrant who has found a home in the Canadian dance community. Finally, Kate Cornell of the Canadian Dance Assembly and the Canadian Arts Coalition reports on the federal political climate for the arts.
As of this issue, I will be taking a leave from the magazine. In my stead, Emma Doran will be stepping in as interim editor – she can be reached at dc.editor@thedancecurrent.com. Among many other accomplishments, Doran recently completed a PhD in communications from Ryerson University in Toronto for a dissertation that examined dance criticism in the early twentieth century. Learn a bit more about her in our Dancer’s Kitchen section.
Until the next time, then, may the summer warmth extend into all our interactions and bodies.