Behind the Scenes with RUBBERBANDance

RUBBERBANDance Group is known for its creative risk-taking, innovative choreography, and melding of technical expertise and dance prowess with youth inspired movements like hip-hop. The result is a hybrid of physical expression, marrying discipline and tradition, with the sensibility of the street. Their new work, Empirical Quotient, was co-commissioned by Guelph Dance and will be presented on Friday, March 28 at 8pm at the River Run Centre.

Victor Quijada, Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer of RUBBERBANDance Group, talks with us today about how his creative process has evolved over time and what Guelph audiences can expect.



Victor: The commission by the CanDance Network and our other creative partners has been a wonderful opportunity – first, to have the funding, and second to have tour dates booked before the piece even premiered. It has been incredibly validating for my work and my vision to be endorsed in this way, especially because they gave me a blank slate to work with, rather than having their own ideas in mind for the final product. The piece itself continues to grow and develop as we are on tour.

This is the first time I will not be dancing in my own piece, as I have been able to communicate my message to the 6 dancers, and I do not feel the need to be on stage with them. This has largely been due to the resources that the commission has provided, including a creation residency at the Grand Theatre in Kingston.

Photos of Empirical Quotient by Michael Slobodian.

Victor: I used to be very interested in the extremes of my training background – classical and street styles – and what happens when these exist in the same space. I am now exploring the more subtle elements of that convergence. I have developed a technique to support the style that I am creating. My dancers have varied backgrounds – some with contemporary, some that come from street styles, and some with circus training – but they all need to train in the RUBBERBAND Method in order to execute the vocabulary.

While the RUBBERBAND Method pulls from other contemporary techniques, it is not verbatim. We focus on connecting with the floor through the feet and connecting with the other people in the room. I want to get the dancers out of the vertical axis, and more into the horizontal, diagonal, or even inverted, so that they can flow through these fluidly. This comes from the hip hop cypher where there is no front and everything is performed in a closed circle. It is hard to put our signature style into words, you will just have to come see the show and let the work speak for itself!

Photos of the RUBBERBAND Method by Michael Slobodian.

Victor: The shows for the young audiences throughout the week will be a combination lecture and demo. They will see sections from the full-length piece but there will also be interactive elements where we invite some kids up on stage. Sharing a bit of the RUBBERBAND Method with them will help them understand how we arrived at the works.

The audiences will witness the ways that the dance actors interact with each other, and the moments of discovery and exchange that take place. We commissioned music compositions from Jasper Gahunia, who trained at the Royal Conservatory of Music and has since become a DJ, so he is kind of the musical version of me. There is a lot of work behind what we are offering, and we can’t wait to keep the momentum going.

Co-presented by the River Run Centre, Empirical Quotient is a production of RUBBERBANDance Group and a co-production of The CanDance Network Creation Fund, Danse Danse, Grand Theatre Kingston, Guelph Dance, Le Theatre Hector-Charland, and la Société de la Place des Arts, with the kind collaboration of the Segal Centre for Performing Arts.

Upcoming Fab 5 Cabaret: Behind the Scenes with Janet Johnson

On Friday, February 7, 2014, Guelph Dance's Co-Artistic Director Janet Johnson will be taking the stage of the Co-operator's Hall at the River Run Centre with her company, Portal Dance Project. Her piece entitled This Side of Light is the Guelph Dance Festival's contribution to an exciting collaborative event put on by the Fab 5 Festivals, as they announce their grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The Cabaret show will be the perfect opener to Hillside Inside. Janet shares with us some insight into her piece and her process:
Janet: The piece is inspired by the desire to find a balance between the dark elements within our life and opposing light elements that are often there for the taking. I am inspired by those who seek light over darkness but am also highly aware that there are many elements in one's life where shadows are present. I have seen up close when darkness takes hold and shakes a person hard. I have also seen an aftermath whereby the desire for light is strong. Creating This Side of Light allowed me a process to express my reaction to living close to a loved one's darkness and to understand the immense desire to not only break a cycle but to gather all of the light I can while understanding that there is also shadow where there is light.

This Side of Light was created as a full-length site-specific piece at Goldie Mill in 2011. 6 dancers and live musicians used the walls, garbage cans, and ruins to help create a world for the piece to live in. I am excited to adapt the piece for the Hillside Inside Cabaret.    

Janet Johnson in center, performing at the 2012 Women's Voices event.

Janet: I am hoping that the sensuality and rawness of the piece can evoke a connection, create a world that is both understood and curious. I am hoping This Side of Light steps into that place that isn't about words but a memory, a sensation, a fragmented place, lucid...all those things that make dance speak to me.

Everything about this event excites me. I love community. I believe in and am highly inspired by and grateful for all of the Festivals within the Fab 5. I want to create dance works for the world I live in and for the people who fuel me, support me, and inspire me - for people whose hearts went into this work without even knowing it. I love the idea of the sharing of art works, creating an evening whereby there are many ways to interpret creativity and expression. I am absolutely honoured to be part of an event such as this.

Janet Johnson, performing in Spontaneous Order by Lynette Segal at the 2013 Guelph Dance Festival.

Janet: Balancing my work at Guelph Dance with being a teacher, choreographer, and dancer is tough at times but utterly rich and relevant. I am a more confident and spontaneous teacher for continuing to explore the challenges and rigour of choreographing and dancing as it allows me to see both sides of the coin. As a creator I need to keep one foot constantly immersed in many aspects of the world I live in. This includes working with all of the brilliant young dancers and movers in my classes.

Being the Co-Artistic Director of Guelph Dance inspires me to stay tuned in with my community as well as the greater Canadian dance community, to continue to ask myself why dance is important, why we need art to foster who we are. I feel immense passion for all of the "hats" I wear and find deep inspiration from my students, dancers and community.

You can catch This Side of Light on Friday, February 7, 2014 at 7:30pm as part of the Fab 5 Cabaret at the River Run Centre. The performances will also include Tony Dekker (Hillside) of Great Lake Swimmers’ fame, the 9-member band GUH (Jazz), who will perform a musical score to the Festival of Moving Media’s screening of Georges Méliès’ 1912 film, Conquest of the Pole (À la Conquête du Pôle). The Eden Mills Writers’ Festival offers Maestro Fresh Wes, the pioneering, Juno-award winning “godfather of rap”. A little like a Valentine’s Day chocolate box, the cabaret will allow the audience to sample the flavour of each festival, offering a sensual indulgence and opportunity to expand one’s artistic experiences.

Do not miss this event! Tickets available at the River Run Centre Box Office.

Guelph Dance would like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for all of their support of this Fab 5 co-production.

Behind the Scenes at Guelph Dance: A Stage Manager’s Story

In the weeks leading up to the GuelphDance Festival, the Guelph Dance blog is showcasing intimate glimpses into the artist’s process. We also recognize that none of the artistry on stage could happen without a dedicated and talented team backstage. Today, we introduce you to Dorothy Fisher, our valued and trusted stage manager. Thanks, Dorothy—we couldn’t do it without you!

Dorothy: The Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival is 15 years old!  “Happy Birthday”.  Due to the vision, sheer drive and desire to see dance in their own backyard, two young women gave birth to a festival for contemporary dance. Fifteen years later, Catrina and Janet ‘s baby has transformed into a lovely, sophisticated teenager called Guelph Dance. 

It has been a privilege and a delight to watch this evolution even though it has been done in the  “black”. As stage manager for On the Stage and Youth Moves, I have had the opportunity to work with many talented choreographers and dancers. Their passion and dedication to the art form is a most enriching experience. The privilege of watching Peggy Baker exhibit her incredible talent up close or Denise Fujiwara transform from a youth to a woman of old age is spell binding, even from the wings.

Meanwhile, the Youth Moves dancers, 18 and under, show a wonderful, professional demeanor—a credit to their passion, their teachers, and their training. Their enthusiasm and responsible attitude make my job so easy and my love of working with youth so satisfying.

Along the way, the technical challenges are always interesting. How much time will it take to set a birdcage in position so that when it is flown in it will be in exactly the right spot for the dancer to access? How much time will it take to determine the specific height and placement of those Japanese lanterns? Oh yes, and what about those feathers that need the perfect lift as a floor fan provides the air!

Then there is the white dance mat that had the entire crew scrubbing away the scuffmarks with magic erasers. The logistics for installing a full sheet of heavy plastic downstage to act as a shower curtain was particularly challenging. However, after much agonizing, the final product was extremely satisfying and a thing of beauty.  In addition, I still remember gingerly striking egg yolks from the stage without breaking the yolks.  I could go on, but I don’t want to give away all the fun!

As this year’s festival is fast approaching, I feel the anticipation and energy building. “Let’s make some Magic”.  I can’t think of a better place to be than in the “black”.

Dorothy Fisher is a dedicated arts advocate, administrator, volunteer and occasional stage manager.  She has extensive experience in board governance, fundraising and theatre production.  She enjoys working with Guelph Dance, Guelph Arts Council, River Run Centre, Guelph Symphony Orchestra and Guelph Chamber Choir.  Dorothy feels particularly fortunate to be involved with Guelph Dance for so many years.

In honour of Dorothy and the inimitable backstage team, the following is a personal note from Guelph Dance Festival Co-Artistic Director, Catrina von Radecki:

Catrina: Dorothy Fisher has been the Stage Manager for Guelph Dance since its inception in 1998.  We don’t even know what the dance festival would be like without her—and Taras Cymbalisty, our lighting designer who has also been with the festival from the beginning.  They are an incredible team, which we rely upon, trust, and respect and about which festival artists continually have great things to say. Thank you, Dorothy and Taras, for always being there behind the scenes, for doing your very best to meet everyone’s needs when there is so much going on during the festival weekend, and for being there again this year!  Happy 15^th anniversary year to you too! Thank you also to Jill Grantmeyer who has been at Dorothy’s side over the years as the Assistant Stage Manager. Many of you know Jill from the River Run Centre box office, yet she still finds time to steal away and volunteer for the festival. Truly incredible!

Do you want to be involved backstage?  We offer mentorship opportunities with these incredible people—just let us know if you wish to be involved!