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March 2024: Perelandra Waddle

Who is Perelandra Waddle in a sentence?
A storyteller who wants to make you smile.

Tell us a bit about your work and practice.
I’m an interdisciplinary artist with a focus in dance and theatre. I recently graduated from SFU with a BFA in Dance and now I’m now trying to create my own work as an emerging choreographer and starting an artist collective for fellow emerging Queer and BIPOC creators. I’m starting to realize just how much persistence and patience this work requires and I feel like if we can work together we can all benefit.

How long have you been dancing?
Technically I started with ballet classes at a community center when I was 4 but my passion really started when my mother signed me up to take jazz classes at a school called The Arts Conservatory at 8 years old. Our recital dance was Shrek themed and I got to play Donkey. It was amazing. I stayed with the same studio up until I went to university and they’ve been supportive of my learning the whole way.

How does dance fit into your life currently?
As a recent grad from the SFU dance program I feel like I’m now in a transitionary period between student and professional where its time for me to create and start earning money but I still feel like I have so much to learn. I have been fortunate enough to get to learn from my mentor Yvonne Chartrand at V’ni Dansi, and with the company I’ve been able to perform and teach Traditional and Contemporary Métis jigging all over the country. Shes been incredibly helpful not only in her dance teaching but in helping me reconnect with my culture and give back to my community. I’m also teaching child dance classes for the City of Delta which keeps me moving and helps pay my rent. I love children and getting to share my passion with them is the ultimate gift.

How would you describe dance’s impact on your life?
As an ADHD child dance was the first art form I was able to express myself in while still releasing all the pent up energy in my body. Getting to emote and tell stories while moving my body has become an amazing outlet for my frustrations with not fitting in to society and for my mental health.

What three core values drive your engagement with dance?
Accessibility
I think as choreographers and performers we can easily get carried away with our artistic visions or with trying to replicate popular dance aesthetics that we forget about who are audiences are. Something I always ask myself when I’m creating a new work is if my Métis grandparents where still alive what would they get out of this. My grandparents were competitive square dancers and lindy hoppers up in Williams Lake and they loved to dance but abstract modern art was confusing to them and inaccessible. If my own Métis grandparents couldn’t have understood and enjoyed my work clearly I’m loosing track of the big picture.

Equity
Dancers, musicians, FOH, production designers, play writers, interns, EVERYONE deserve to be paid for their work. Period. Performers with special needs and/or young children deserve access to support. Period. Low income and special needs community members deserve access to see live art. Period.

Honesty
I only tell what is true and the whole truth. This is a huge issue right now in Indigenous politics and art. So many people that we have looked up to as heroes have turned out to have been deceitful or hiding important parts of their stories for social and financial gain. This creates distrust in our communities and takes opportunities away from those who need them. For this reason I take extra care to always tell the entire truth about myself and my stories.

Do you have a particular practice that you carry out each day or have you implemented new practices over these last few years?
I wish I could say that I’ve figured out a daily practice to upkeep but I think as many people with ADHD can relate to, I live a very chaotic lifestyle and I have a hard time keeping to habits like daily stretching or regular ballet classes. The most important things I try to do to support my work is remembering to eat and drink enough to avoid my low blood sugar feinting spells and sleeping enough for my body and brain to fully recover. They seem like very obvious things but during tech weeks or festival season its easy to forget to prioritize your wellness. I always say “the only thing worth loosing sleep over is a baby.”

What would you say are the most significant benefits for you in being a Dance Centre member?
I haven’t been a member for very long but in these short months I’ve received so many opportunities been able to make so many connections with fellow artists. I became a member so that I could apply to 12 Minutes Max which I was chosen for in Fall 2023. The program provided me with access to studio space to create and explore and an opportunity to present my work at the informal showing to a very kind audience with amazing feedback. It connected me with Kristen Lewis who has been incredibly supportive of my work and given me a lot of great advice throughout the creation process. I’m now taking advantage of many of the amazing info sessions and talks put on by TDC that have greatly supported me in my process of writing my very first grant application.

Perelandra’s Member Directory Profile
Website
Instagram

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Photos: Zack Faulks; Berlin Westwood