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We are proud to announce the recipients of two awards that acknowledge the achievements of British Columbia’s choreographers. Eric Cheung is the recipient of the biennial Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award; and Vanessa Goodman, Artistic Director of Action at a Distance, receives the annual Isadora Award.

Our Executive Director Mirna Zagar said: “I am very pleased that we at The Dance Centre have this opportunity to support the work of Eric, an exciting young artist whose career is just starting to take flight, and to celebrate the achievements of Vanessa, who is one of BC’s most innovative artists.

“The Dance Centre has been presenting these awards for over twenty years as part of our mission to support BC’s dance sector, and every year I am thrilled to see the depth and diversity of the artistry in our community.”

About the Awards

The Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award was established in memory of the pioneering educator who developed Simon Fraser University’s dance program. It provides $5000 to assist an emerging artist between 19 and 35 years of age who demonstrates exceptional choreographic potential, to produce their work at Scotiabank Dance Centre in Vancouver. Previous recipients are Amber Funk Barton (2005), Chengxin Wei (2007), Sara Coffin (2009), Shannon Moreno (2011), Vanessa Goodman (2013), Deanna Peters (2015), Julianne Chapple (2017) Jamie Robinson (2019), Shion Skye Carter (2021) and Anya Saugstad (2023).

Through the Award, Eric will present the premiere of his first full-length trio, Contra, this fall. A collaboration with digital media artist Cristian Gonzalez, composer Matthew Tomkinson, and dancers Kinui Oiwa and Tegvaran Sooch, utilizing real-time interactive immersive projection mapping, the work is inspired by the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance, exploring the human desire for transcendence as an idealized source of self-meaning, revealing the endless journey, exposing the contradictions and the inherent flaws of human nature.

The annual Isadora Award, named after the dance pioneer Isadora Duncan (1878-1927), was instituted by The Dance Centre in 1999 to recognize the achievements of BC’s dance professionals. The artists receive $5,000 and access to studio time at Scotiabank Dance Centre to support the creation of a new work. The award comes with a specially-designed sculpture created by renowned glass artist Mary Filer. Previous recipients have included Crystal Pite, Wen Wei Wang, Jennifer Mascall, Julia Taffe, Gabrielle Martin and Jeremiah Hughes of Corporeal Imago, Raven Spirit Dance, and Margaret Grenier of the Dancers of Damelahamid, amongst others.

Congratulations Eric and Vanessa!

Read more about the artists here:

Eric Cheung https://cheung-eric.com/about
Vanessa Goodman https://actionatadistance.ca/people-actionatadistance

Read about Dance Centre Awards here

We support the development of dance in BC as a resource centre providing programs and services for dance professionals.

Photos: Vanessa Goodman/Ben Didier; Eric Cheung/Sebastian Palencia