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As co-founders of Tentacle Tribe, the pair have had long creative partnership that began in 2005, when they were both cast in Cirque du Soleil’s Love. After finishing their contract with Cirque in 2009, the duo made Montréal their home base while they toured the world performing with companies such as Cirque Éloize, RUBBERBANDance and Bboyizm. Helen Simard connected with Lê Phan and Höglund as they wrapped up a technical residency at the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels). Between three new creations in the works, a busy touring schedule, teaching workshops and training several apprentice dancers, the pair have a lot on the go. 

For many performers and movers, labelling and describing what they do is a personal decision. In this special feature, The Dance Current asked artists from across the country to share whether or not they call themselves dancers. And, if they do, why and when they did so. The answers we received revealed that the decision can be discipline-specific, financial and emotional.

Both dancers felt apprehensive informing their employers and were relieved when accommodations were offered. However, they also expressed disappointment in having to say no to other jobs. After pregnancy, Gladue, who is a fancy shawl dancer, hoop dancer, jingle dress dancer and bgirl describes the mental battle of postpartum depression and contemporary dancer Peever reflects on feeling a self-imposed pressure to get “back in shape.” But both dancers also described feeling a confidence boost that came along with dancing while pregnant.

What follows are excerpts from the journal entries we wrote during the trip – a trip dense with information, emotion and a willingness to learn. There was also discomfort. As one participant wrote, “The line between education and consumption is unclear.” What was clear was that we digested the information in ways that were personal and specific to the work we do in the arts sector.

When Abrenica first began dancing, it was not as a bgirl, and she was not entirely sold on her ability to excel at it. Growing up as a Filipina-Canadian between Toronto and Vaughan, Abrenica was shy and quiet, and she suffered from debilitating social anxiety. She gravitated towards drawing because she could silently create while expressing herself. 

Jenkins’ first modern class was with Meredith Thompson and, in her words, she “couldn’t have asked for a better first teacher.” That class sparked something for her, and since then, with inspiration coming from her teachers and friends, she has worked her way through the ranks at Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT) and has now been a company member for four years.

Check out Between Worlds 4: What Friends Do by Lori Wolf-Heffner, Curating Live Arts edited by Dena Davida, Jane Gabriels, Véronique Hudon and Marc Pronovost, Dancing Spirit, Love, and War by Evadne Kelly, and Navigating Home: Artists of the NL Dance Project by Amy Bowring.

Karolina Kuras is a Toronto-based ballet photographer. She has worked with dancers, companies and publications around the world, including The National Ballet of Canada. Often pairing ballet with fashion, Kuras loves using a variety of locations and backdrops to complement her subjects and uses a mix of digital and traditional film cameras. Her love of and background in ballet gives her a strong understanding of the dancer’s technique and allows her to represent their art form accurately on film.

The Dance Current asked Kuras to share what influences her work. 

There are a lot of resources available to help dancers prepare for auditions but very few outlining the best practices for those holding the audition. This imbalance can reflect an unhealthy side of auditioning for commercial gigs – one that can compromise dancers’ health and safety if procedures are not put in place. 

There’s no shortage of videos, articles, classes and devices that aim (and claim) to help dancers improve their flexibility. Advertising typically features dancers in extreme positions – dancers who probably didn’t need the featured protocols or devices to get into these positions. While being “born flexible” would seem a blessing, certain challenges face dancers who are naturally bendy.

The company is working with the Screen Industries Research and Training Centre to develop projections, with the goal of expanding the world created onstage. “There are so many new capabilities and technologies [available] to create an immersive, wonderful world that can be projected in a live performance,” says David Dexter, the director of the centre. 

Campanella confirmed that the projections will include a reproduction of the moment the Berlin Wall fell. As part of the process, Campanella hopped into a motion capture suit on what Dexter describes as a ‘basic virtual virtual stage’ at the centre. Dexter’s team was able to record a digital version of Campanella dancing, with the idea to digitally produce the look of crowds at the historical moment. “Sure, you could get tons of extras to do this,” says Campanella, “but wouldn’t it be great if there was no limit?”