Blog

May 2022: Shana Wolfe

Who is Shana Wolfe in a sentence?
Shana Wolfe is a human who loves to dance, try new things and lives as a guest on the unceded territories of the the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Tell us a bit about your work and practice.
My personal artistic practice is heavily based in improvisation. I am working on investigating the delicacy of the spaces around me. I am interested in how as dancers and humans we are self-adapting, self-regulating, intuitive and intelligent bodies.

How long have you been dancing?
I have been dancing everyday of my life since before I can remember – so roughly 24 years.

How does dance fit into your life currently?
Right now, dance fits into my life in so many ways. I dance for myself, for others and with others. I take class and I teach class every now and then. Dance doesn’t just fit into my life, it runs it. I am in rehearsals with OURO Collective working on a new performance happening this summer titled 7y98D, as well as being involved in a very special process with The Falling Company.

How would you describe dance’s impact on your life?
Dance has brought me so many important experiences and people into my life. It has brought me to different parts of the world, and broken my heart a few times as well. It has taught me to listen deeply and connect to space and time with incredible presence.

What three core values drive your engagement with dance?
Patience, Collaboration and Persistence

Do you have a particular practice that you carry out each day or have you implemented new practices as a way of adapting to the current climate?
Having spent countless hours alone in the studio, I started making little dances for no reason. It has become a practice I crave and sometimes despise. I pretend I am my 6 year old self making dances in my parents home listening to CDs through a Hello Kitty boombox.

What would you say are the most significant benefits for you in being a Dance Centre member?
One of my favourite parts is spending time at Scotiabank Dance Centre and getting to pass by other artists of many different disciplines.

How have you been spending your time during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what are you most looking forward to doing moving forward?
In the past 2 years(!) I have spent many hours creating, training and rehearsing with my OURO Collective fam. We’ve created so much new work in the past year and we are SO looking forward to being able to share it with live audiences soon!

This year, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Scotiabank Dance Centre. What impact do you feel the building has had on the dance community, our city, and/or your own practice?
Scotiabank Dance Centre is an important place in this city because it is able to bring movers of many forms into one place to practice what they are passionate about. From the inception of an idea to the end performance of fully developed work, The Dance Centre and Scotiabank Dance Centre can be of value to artists at any stage of their journey.

Shane Wolfe’s Member Directory Profile
ourocollective.com
Instagram: @shanawolfey
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Interested in becoming a Dance Centre Member? Learn more here
Photos by Teppei Tanabe