The death of a dance company is one of the worst things to hear about when you are a performer. It's discouraging to see how many young dancers you teach and who aspire to work professionally may not get the opportunity to because the financial structure, support and audience may not be there.
Last night, I learned that the company I was an apprentice to in high school, Moving Arts Dance, had its last performance a few weeks ago. I was, and still am, devestated.
This isn't the first dance company I've seen fold. I remember one page of the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006, telling the story about the Oakland Ballet dropping the curtain permanently. I couldn't even comprehend that this was possible, especially with a large company in Northern California.
To be honest, I haven't lost anyone extremely close to me, and have only experienced death through the life and buffer of someone else. This I'm thankful and very blessed for, and I know that losing a close relative or friend means suffering from unimaginable pain.
In some way through, that is how I feel about losing my company.
My artistic director worked for nearly 30 years teaching, choreographing and pushing the boundaries of modern dance. She took me under her wing, along with nine other ladies, and transformed the way we danced. Yes, it was hard to have a normal high school life; we trained nearly full-time outside of school and performed on weekends. It was an intense, mentally and physically challenging, and life-changing experience.
However, Moving Arts gave me so much.
Our company motto was,
"the only risk in life is not taking one"
- this has stuck with me
since day one.
When I come up against a wall, I remember how much harder it was to do some things physically from that time and work through it. When I doubt myself, I remember having to perform a seven minute solo to "music" that consisted of the sound of a chainsaw, doors slamming and glass breaking.
After that, I learned I could do anything.
I'm so sad that not more dancers will have the same opportunity I had to experience dance in such an organic and intimate environment, especially with how many commercial ventures there are today. However, the lessons, skills and drive that Moving Arts taught all its dancers will live on as we go into the next phase of our lives. True, it's been five years since I've been to the studio in California, but I still think about it everyday. As a choreographer, every time I start to create, I remember those lessons and skills I learned so long ago.
Perhaps it isn't that a dance company really dies, it just reincarnates into something new. Who would have thought I would be living in Toronto dancing and teaching all the B.C. Interior? Or that one of our dancers would make the top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance? Or another graduating with with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in modern dance this year? None of us saw that coming, so why should we doubt what's next?
So how do we make room for dance? I can only honestly say, that is to be determined.
As for now, all I can say is all the best to the dancers of Moving Arts and thank you so much for everything.
After that, I learned I could do anything.
I'm so sad that not more dancers will have the same opportunity I had to experience dance in such an organic and intimate environment, especially with how many commercial ventures there are today. However, the lessons, skills and drive that Moving Arts taught all its dancers will live on as we go into the next phase of our lives. True, it's been five years since I've been to the studio in California, but I still think about it everyday. As a choreographer, every time I start to create, I remember those lessons and skills I learned so long ago.
Perhaps it isn't that a dance company really dies, it just reincarnates into something new. Who would have thought I would be living in Toronto dancing and teaching all the B.C. Interior? Or that one of our dancers would make the top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance? Or another graduating with with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in modern dance this year? None of us saw that coming, so why should we doubt what's next?
So how do we make room for dance? I can only honestly say, that is to be determined.
As for now, all I can say is all the best to the dancers of Moving Arts and thank you so much for everything.
"Dance, dance...otherwise we are lost." - Pina Bausch
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