When Catrina von Radecki and Janet Johnson founded Guelph Dance in 1998, it was with the belief that dancers should be able to live and work outside of larger cities like Toronto and Vancouver.
charles c smith, artistic director of wind in the leaves collective, holds similar beliefs: that dance performers who are Indigenous, Black, or People of Colour (IBPOC), should be able to have their work seen and appreciated outside of major metropolitan areas.
“We work with a lot of Indigenous artists and artists of colour whose art forms aren’t always well-understood,” says charles. “We’re really trying to push boundaries, ensuring that these artists can get their work out of Toronto and into other parts of Ontario— and hopefully across the country.”
wind in the leaves collective was established in 2012. For the past two years, they’ve been hard at work coordinating research, conferences and artistic showcases, in order to build The IBPOC Artist's Network Tour. The group has received a significant two-year grant from Canadian Heritage, which means they can now launch the tour as a pilot project in Ontario. Their goal is to establish the tour as a sustainable program, to enable IBPOC artists to perform across the country.
The Guelph Dance team was intrigued by the IBPOC touring network when they learned of it last fall. They were inspired by the artists themselves, and how the network encompasses a range of dance styles and a range of emerging, mid-career, and established artists. There are both solo works and larger ensembles in the network.
Guelph Dance has two upcoming presentations of the IBPOC Artist's Network tour:
February 28 at University of Guelph’s ImprovLab, with performances from Newton Moraes and Meryem Alaoui; and March 28 at Guelph Youth Dance Studios, with performances by KasheDance and CinnaMoon Collective. Guelph Dance has partnered with these artists before, and are excited to do so again and strengthen their relationships.
The non-traditional venues hosting these performances means that audiences will have the opportunity to see spectacular performances in smaller, more intimate spaces. charles praises the costumes, the choreography and the dance. “They engage me at a really visceral level. I feel it in my gut and I enjoy the experience of seeing them perform.”
Newton Moraes is Afro-Brazilian and Meryem Alaoui is Moroccan, so they bring their culture into their art. KasheDance’s performances have a combination of contemporary, modern, and Afro-diasporic influences, and CinnaMoon Collective is a Central American and Afro-Caribbean contemporary dance duo.
“They are really amazing dancers, and their work comes out of bringing their ancestral practices into today’s world,” says charles.
The tickets for the performances are reasonably priced and sliding scale, available at $10 or $20. It’s important to both organizations to ensure that a wide audience can afford to attend and take in the beautiful performances.
This is only the first year of the IBPOC Artist’s Network Tour. After this first round of touring is done, they will be entering their 2025-2026 season with many more venues and plans on the horizon. Guelph will no doubt be eager to welcome them back.
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