Dance in Vancouver (DIV) is the leading opportunity for presenters and curators from across North America and around the world to view one of the most vibrant dance scenes in Canada.
Anthea Lewis. Photo: Miguel Altunaga
Running since 1997, it showcases the eclectic contemporary dance that can be found on the West Coast. DIV offers a carefully structured and intensive programme with performances, informal studio presentations, events and dialogues. It provides a forum in which to explore the potential for collaborations with artists and organisations, and to learn about an upcoming new generation of choreographers, as well as to see established artists in British Colombia.
This year, Dance Umbrella is supporting multifaceted artist Anthea Lewis to be the platform’s guest international curator, alongside FABRIC International who are supporting UK-based curators to attend the platform.
Under the Artistic Directorship of Freddie Opoku-Addaie, Dance Umbrella has sought to continue diversifying the voices driving curatorial leadership. Freddie comments “Anthea Lewis is exceptional at carving and holding spaces for equity in differences. She has done so previously by curating programmes for venues internationally and in London of all scales including at Young Vic, and through her production company Blulilli Projects UK at Tripspace. I cannot think of a better person to bring together artists based in Vancouver and wider British Columbia led by The Dance Centre. I look forward to seeing and being a part of this local and global exchange in November, that has been put together with such care by Anthea, from showcases to sharings and time to sit and converse over food. See you there!”
Curator Anthea Lewis said “As a child, I used to enjoy the challenge of a dot-to-dot puzzle, an image emerging as you draw a pencil line between each dot. The numbers gradually guiding you to reveal the picture hidden within the series of scattered dots that could look random at a glance.
The opportunity to curate The Dance Centre’s Dance In Vancouver (DIV) platform this year has been a similar experience full of intrigue, questioning, moments of hesitation or breakthrough and doubling back to discover alternative pathways. It has been an enriching experience to meet with the artists I connected with in this city, discovering more about the creative community that inhabits this part of the world.”
Read Anthea’s full artistic statement on the Dance in Vancouver website.
Dance in Vancouver runs from 20 – 24 November 2024. To find out more, visit The Dance Centre website.