Blog

Dancing in the street, national and international outreach, a film shoot, and more! Our staff team share their personal highlights from 2024.

International Dance Day was such a great event again this year. The surprise sunshine definitely helped but the energy from the groups leading workshops outside the Vancouver Art Gallery (OURO Collective, Van Vogue Jam, and Hustle at RS Dance Society), really made it special. The premiere of Soft Currents by Action at a Distance/Vanessa Goodman was a fantastic way to cap the day – and then the piece came back with a unique site-specific twist for Dance In Vancouver in November!
-Lindsay, Digital Marketing

Having the film shoot for season 2 of Sight Unseen come in to use our building was quite an exciting and different week for me (and everyone in the building). All of the crew were incredibly cooperative and it was great to see our space utilized for this unique opportunity. I also wanted to shout-out all our renters, tenants, and staff who were extremely flexible in making it happen too!
-Crystal, Venue Administration

Looking back, one of the things I enjoyed the most in 2024 was having many opportunities to nurture ongoing relationships with community members, partners and artists through our Power of Dance programs. Welcoming more school groups back to our Discover Dance! series was another highlight and, overall, I love the energy and creativity that continue to fill The Dance Centre.
-Yurie, Outreach

The biennial 14^th edition of Dance In Vancouver took place in November and I want to acknowledge the amazing community of people who came together in the spirit of curiosity and generosity to make it all happen. It was a busy week with sold out shows, stimulating showings, rich conversations, and relationship-building for artists and visiting presenters. A special shout-out to our UK-based curatorial team, Anthea Lewis and Freddie Opoku-Addaie – we look forward to developing an exchange in 2025/2026 for local artists to continue building international connections.
-Raquel, Programming

This year’s Open House was a highlight, getting to talk to our members and members of the community who make it a point to come every year – or had just heard about the event and wanted to see a showing or try a class (or two). It was awesome to hear how much fun everyone was having and a great way to start the season.
-Kaia, Member Services

Two of the standout Global Dance Connections series presentations this year showed works which were nurtured through our long-running Artist-in-Residence program: Danny Nielsen’s amazing tap show In Conversation, and Sophie Dow’s beautiful Agrimony. It’s so rewarding to see how our artist programs contribute to the creation of new works. Both shows, coincidentally, were close collaborations with musicians!
-Heather, Marketing

The annual season launch event in September was a wonderful opportunity for donors and supporters to mingle and enjoy performances and presentations by a diverse group of artists. The enthusiasm of donors and supporters old and new, together with that of the Dance Centre team, makes me excited for the opportunities that await us in the coming year to transform people’s lives with the power of dance.
-Catherine, Development

A highlight for me was getting to see FakeKnot/Ralph Escamillan’s Croquis, included in this year’s edition of Dance In Vancouver. This durational performance was a captivating study in ornamental excess, featuring a massive and elaborate garment made of paper that unravelled, bunched, collapsed and tore as the performer moved.
-Hamish, Venue Services

We are continually working to facilitate connections regionally, nationally and beyond. This year we attended Tanzmesse (the world’s biggest contemporary dance event) in Dusseldorf, Germany thanks to support from CAPACOA. One of the highlights there was to see the continuation of an Indigenous Round Table which we initiated together with Taiwanese colleagues in 2022. The baton is now handed to BlakDance, Australia and it was such a thrill to witness and participate and meet new colleagues. In October we presented a showcase of BC Dance at Fall for Dance North Festival in Toronto, in partnership with New Works. It was heartening to receive positive feedback and heartfelt appreciation from the visiting presenters for the artists and the works featured!

Last but not least, our continuing partnership with Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique for the BC-Quebec Residency Exchange sent Vancouver’s Sarah Hin Ching U to Montreal and we welcomed Quebec artist Natsumi Sophia Bellali here.
-Mirna, Executive Director

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Thank you to everyone who supported us this year. We look forward to seeing you in 2025!

Please consider contributing to our year-end fundraising campaign to support The Dance Centre.

Photo credits top to bottom, L to R: Lorraine White-Wilkinson/Luciana D’Anunciação; Mirna Zagar and Ralph Escamillan/Luciana D’Anunciação; Ne.Sans Opera & Dance/TDC; International Dance Day 2024/TDC; Discover Dance! with Arts Umbrella Dance Company/TDC; Danny Nielsen/Chris Randle; soma anima arts/Scotiabank Dance Centre Open House/TDC; Natsumi Sophia Bellali/TDC