We talked to Amelia Griffin
and Anik Bouvrette of Tara Luz Danse after their inspiring workshops at the
Guelph Dance March Break Arts Explosion Camp. Amelia describes the experience
from the educators’ perspective.
Amelia: It has been almost two weeks since Tara Luz Danse
visited Guelph for the March Break camp and it’s still on my mind. Both Anik
(artistic director of Tara Luz Danse) and I agree that our time in Guelph was
truly special for us. We worked with each group (Green, Blue and Red), sharing the
principles of creation and movement that we teach in workshops in Franco-Ontarian
high schools in the Ottawa area with adults, as well Anik’s creative process
with the company. It confirmed for us that, regardless of your age, within each
person lays a wealth of creativity and unique movement. It was exciting to see
that the principles we work with in our daily lives can also bring joy,
movement, and connection to another city!
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| Amelia Griffin at our March Break Arts Explosion Camp. Photo: Randy Sutherland. |
The Dance Focus (Green) group was a real treat for
us. We rarely have the opportunity to teach class to youth, let alone in our
own company! I, personally, was very impressed with how the group adapted their
way of moving to Anik’s very fluid and organic movement, which can switch quickly
to static or precise movement. Bravo, guys!! Our piece was very full of
movement and included so much of what we worked on, and the results exceeded
our expectations. I applaud everyone in this group for taking on our collective
creation with a fun spirit and wonderful level of maturity. Beautiful work all
round!
The Blue group was just as exciting to work with. So much positivity
and openness to ideas in one room! We felt like there was no end to the
possibilities of choreography, and ended up with a very interesting (including
flashlights and voice dubbing!) piece. We were reminded that lots of crazy
giggles gave way to endless possibilities of creation. Great work, Blue group!
The last, but very much not the least (29 of you!), was the very
energetic Red group. We were very curious to see how our work could translate
to a much younger group. All I can say is—success! I found so many new ways of
approaching these concepts by working with young kids, as they see the world
with such amazement, simplicity and fearlessness. Each child had the
opportunity to dance in their own way, as well as copying other people’s way of
moving in the Rainbow choreography. It’s rare that I consistently laugh so
hard. Thank you Red group for bringing us your joyful energy!
With each group both Anik and I learned that there are still
no ends to possibilities within the work that we do. We truly believe that,
given the chance, each person has a wealth of creativity and movement to share
with the world and it’s worth exploring. Thank you to all the campers for your
generosity and openness with us, to all the volunteers for your help, to Adam
for the beautiful music, to Janet and Catrina and Guelph Dance for inviting us,
to the Case family for giving us a home away from home, and to Guelph in
general for being so generous. You all inspired us and filled our hearts with
joy. Un grand MERCI!!
Amelia Griffin
(dancer with Tara Luz Danse)
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