Laying Bricks

So it's been a fair bit since last I've posted... truth is, information overload has been the word of the day. As far as dance/art goes, there is so much inspiration on this side of the Atlantic! The truth of the matter is, comparisons between European dance communities and Canadian ones are difficult to make. The differences apply as equally to aesthetic concerns and work practices as they do to funding/presenting structures and geopolitical relationships.

When I tell people that little ol' Halifax is 1500km from Montreal and that in between there's li'l 'ol Quebec, and the even littler Moncton, Saint John, and Fredericton (the last three of which one would be hard-pressed to identify as having thriving dance communities) the information is greeted with an almost awe. Canada is big (that's not news to Canadians), and all this space impacts on our ability to rub shoulders with our brothers and sisters in neighbouring communities. Art tends to happen more in places where people bump into each other more frequently, where ideas/convictions/beliefs collide. Of course art also happens in smaller places (O Espaco do Tempo in Montemor-o-Novo is living proof of that), but here it more often than not requires more cultivation.

One thing is clear: Any leading arts centre in Halifax will need to cultivate it's local scene while connecting it with the broader community.

A final thought before leaving Portugal: walking most anywhere in this country means walking on stones laid by someone's bare hands. Beautiful little black and white stone cubes, millions of them, laid in intricate patterns on the plazas, sidewalks, roads... Usually held in place by friction and sand (not cement), these stones undulate beneath your feet and are incredibly smooth. Now here's the rub - together they form a strong, cohesive whole, but pry a few loose and it'll not be long before their firmament of sand and friction collapses and they heave apart.

I'm sure there's a moral in there somewhere...

Anti-Gravity

(a short entry here - mostly off topic - about seeing Louise Lecavalier dance at Tanzhaus NRW last night... : this woman must have a built-in anti gravity device (or something like it) as she can dance like no other: deft muscular control that is at once fluid and super-charged, light as a feather yet solid as a friggin' mountain - I realised watching her that there are two types of dancers in this world: those named Louise Lecavalier and the others. Sonia Biernath (what a sweet surprise bumping into her in the Düsseldorf audience) later raised a toast to Louise "for redefining women in dance"... very appropriate!)

As far as Tanzhaus goes, wow! But more on that later as I must rush off to catch a ride to Tournai with the nice people from Théâtre de L'L...

Tell me what

Another train journey... this time from Brussels to Cologne then Dusseldorf.

Yesterday was a most interesting day... Two visits: WPZimmer in Antwerp and the Vooruit in Ghent. In a sense, there couldn't be a greater contrast between the two. Zimmer is in a funky old building (that they just bought after years of renting it!) with a single studio/theatre/workspace (15m X 17m) and a staff of four. The Vooruit is an impressive old building (the socialist meeting hall from a bygone era) with a number of rooms that can accommodate anywhere from 1000 people down to small studio spaces dedicated to visual art exhibits. Their staff of 80 (yes, that's eight - zero!) includes a core artistic staff of 5 whose various programs are fulfilled by a "marketing team", "production team", etc.

Two things stand out for me with both organisations: first, they are each resolutely committed to "l'accompagnement d'artiste" (the idea that working with artists - especially emerging ones - demands a heightened level of commitment; that organisations with experience need share it); second, they each organise communal meals in which their staff and artists in residence eat together. I experienced this latter detail in person when, arriving 15 minutes early to my meeting at Zimmer, I was invited to join them for lunch. Arriving at Zimmer you walk through a gated court yard before entering their primary building; this entrance hall is at the same time a reception room, dining room, and kitchen. Their artists-in-residence receive lodging onsite and this means access to the kitchen. Patrick and Ilsa, my hosts, tell me it is not unusual for the Zimmer team to trickle in in the morning to find the artists sitting down to their morning coffee. The informality of these encounters - small talk may begin with the weather or last night's football score (Congratulations Alouettes, 2009 Grey Cup Champions!!!) before evolving into some challenge the artist is facing - reinforces something Suzanne Miller said when in Halifax last May: "Work gets done hanging out". It's so true. Both WPZimmer and the Vooruit are flexing their muscles in this direction by creating "hanging out" time around food.

Not surprising to learn that, even though their scales of operation are at different points on the spectrum, they are currently working together (with other like-minded organisations) to develop a new network dedicated to l'accompagnement des artistes.

A final thought (before sitting back to enjoy the delightful scenery)... The following comment was repeated to me following the incredible performances offered by BJM Danse when they were in Halifax: "We need to work harder!" I'll leave it up to you to interpret the meaning behind this comment, but ask: What can we do (collectively in the performing arts in Nova Scotia/Atlantic Canada) to work harder, and more importantly, what do we wish to achieve?

Size Matters?

Very interesting 2 days! Paul Russ, whom I had the occasion to meet at Neighbourhood DanceWork's festival in St. John's this past July, head's up a very inspired team at Dance4 in Nottingham. While they do present an annual festival (the previously mentioned NottDance, dedicated to emerging voices and practices in dance) he identifies developing the choreographic skills of dance artists as their primary goal. All year long, artists are provided with access to their space, production resources, and various forms of artistic mentoring. The result? An emerging generation of artists who are questioning their artistic practice and rigourously engaging others in the process.

Now, while Dance4 does have a big capital project on the go, it is interesting to note that they have existed in the same space (and built a high level of international respect!) for the past 15 years. That space measures approximately 22' (7m) by 35' (11m). He certainly recognises that it has shortcomings (small & cold), but it is filled with beautiful light, high vaulted ceilings with a small lighting system, and (perhaps most importantly?) years of sweat and creative energy.

One of my goals on this trip has been to witness spaces, to m e a s u r e their dimensions, but I am increasingly coming to realise that size is not nearly as important as what happens within.

This was reinforced by this afternoon's visit to Theatre de L'L in Brussels. L'L has recently refocused its mandate and they now see themselves as being exclusively dedicated to offering residencies and providing development services: production managers, administrative services, and artistic counseling. Their theatre (now mostly converted into a workshop studio) is far from being the biggest in the world, but the activities they facilitate within it have BIG impact on the lives of individual artists. Their goal is creating a world in which there is better work, as opposed to one in which there is simply more work.

What would we do in Halifax with a couple of brand new studios that were the envy of all the world? I'm looking forward to spending a few more days in the land of beer and chocolate to explore this question!

Getting down to size

OK, so my visit to The Place was a bust… A change in schedule and busy busy people mean I’ll need to come back to London en route to Halifax. What I can say is that, walking into their office (fewer square feet than what Live Art Dance Productions occupies with our staff of 2.5) I encountered a bustling little hive. It would seem that everyone has a PA, which is quite nice when you think about it. I really wish I had a PA

Seeing the space in which these people are working reminded me of an interesting conversation that took place between a group of people trying to come to agreement on the dimensions of a room. In Canada, we have a lot of space relative to the number of people inhabiting it, and I think this gets translated into an everyday reality that is quite different from European standards. From the size of our cars, homes, shopping malls, and dance studios, we like things big.

Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, in terms of dance studios, if we’ve got the space let’s revel in it. Dance is in so many ways about physical architecture, and the dance studio is the palette upon, or rather, within which it’s created. In this line of thought, freedom to move abundantly and the ability to stand back and gain perspective are of paramount importance. As dance artists usually have such limited time onstage where dimensions and perspective abound, it is important that the creation studio’s dimensions bear reasonable resemblance. This facilitates translating the work from the studio to the stage. The closer the former resembles the latter, the easier the translation.

As this blog is ultimately about designing and building a purpose-built dance/theatre facility for Halifax, I think it’s worthwhile identifying our end objectives, namely the creation of two performance venues and a series of creation/training studios. The first performance venue should provide artists with a stage that offers performance dimensions of 40’ X 40’ (just shy of 13 meters square), and the second will be a black box capable of a variety of configurations. Ideally our studios will facilitate easy translation between spaces.

But dimensions are but a part of the equation... ask anyone who's worked in a windowless bunker how inspiring they find it. Natural light and textures are so positive but so too are intangibles like accumulated history. Where do you find inspiration?

I write this while on the train from London to Nottingham where I’ll meet with the Director of Dance4 who produce Nott Dance. Don’t let the name confuse you, they ARE about dance! The English countryside sure is pretty!

The Overseas Difference

T minus 27 hours and 7 minutes. Tomorrow night I trade my seaside air in Halifax Nova Scotia for the island air of London. The mission? Visit as many dance centres as possible within a two-week period in England, Germany, Belgium, and Portugal. I'm looking for best practices in dance space design and management, with a focus on training, creation, and presentation. Artist development? Absolutely! Audience/Artist interaction? Definitely! Who's doing what? How are they managing their resources? Where are their resources coming from? And what is the result of it all? These are some of the practical questions that will be driving my brief odyssey.

But why? Pure curiosity? No, much more than that... It would seem some people think that Halifax has got talent AND they deserve some purpose-built resources in which to develop it. I'm one of those people.

I'll do my best to keep you posted on my findings on a regular basis. In the end, the information gathered will go into a big binder that currently wears a tag with the words "The Legacy Centre Project" scratched into it. Our goal is the development of a world-class facility dedicated to dance/theatre creation/presentation. Canada has precious few of these, and Atlantic Canada has even fewer.

My first stop will be The Place in London... from all reports, it is!

It sounds like a perfect departure point.