Aeriosa Dance Society

 

. Dancing Through The Seasons Message from the Artistic Director.... Happy spring everyone! The return of longer days feels so good…bring on the sunshine!  It has been over a year, since the dancers and I strapped into our harnesses in the same room. Those last days in the studio buzzed with the excitement of starting our FlockingR&D process with a new team of guest collaborators.  Deaf Theatre Artist Landon Krenz, Butterflies in Spirit Artistic Director Lorelei Williams and Visual Artist Sarah E. Fuller joined us on the ropes to investigate ways of bringing vertical dance into each of their art practices. Everyone was leaning into learning and supporting each other in trying new things. I’m grateful we had that tangible experience of physicality together before Our Year of Zoom. That session produced creative embers that have kept our collective fire glowing through our long waking dream of disembodied dancing. Landon and I are looking forward to meeting with Deaf Performer Chisato Minamimura (on Zoom) in April. Sarah Fuller is currently editing our new video collaboration called Moth Transmissions. Lorelei Williams and I are yearning to get together and start working on Dancing to Remember a new show bringing Aeriosa together with Butterflies in Spirit and Dr. Mique’l Dangeli of The Git Hayetsk Mask Dancers in Vancouver 2022. Meanwhile, I am drinking in the spring cycle of renewal and feeling ready to burst forth with new growth. When it happens, it is going to be gorgeous and glorious. To quote Sarah Fuller - “When they finally let us out, we all are gonna go bonkers making stuff!” Indeed. Wishing you and yours happiness and good health, Julia Taffe   Current Chisato Minamimura featured at SoundOFF Festival   Chisato Minamimura is a Deaf Performing Artist, whom Julia Taffe first met at the Vertical Dance Forum “Alternative Perspectives” Workshop hosted by Gravity & Levity at The Point in Eastleigh UK in January 2019. Chisato shared a Japanese Sign Language poem which she and VDF dancer Sarah Bruat interpreted as a duet on the dance wall guided by Julia Taffe. It was a profound experience that inspired their mutual desire to delve deeper into the expressive intersection between Sign Language and Vertical Dance.  Meanwhile, Chisato has produced a powerful solo performance called Scored in Silence using a unique blend of cutting-edge technology and choreography to share the hidden perspectives of Deaf people from the handful who survived the atomic bomb atrocity in Japan in 1945.  Scored in Silence is offered on-demand as part of the SOUND OFF Festival.  SOUND OFF Festival is dedicated to making theatre accessible for both Deaf and hearing audiences and celebrating the stories and talents of Deaf performers from across Canada, as well as the beauty of American Sign Language. Join Scored in Silence Artistic Director and Performer Chisato Minamimura for a live online Q&A session, Saturday, April 3rd at 11 AM MST / 1 PM EST A free ticket is required to access this event. Follow this link to learn more New Aeriosa T-shirts and other fun Merchandise Our Aeriosa shirts have been loved by many over the years and we are committed to caring for the earth by reducing our waste wherever we can. In that spirit, we have a new ‘shop’ page on our website where you can order exactly what you want and have it shipped directly to you. We have Organic T-shirts in addition to some other fun items available. Check out our shop page. Looking Back  Woody Morrison We honor Káawan Sangáa, Woodrow (Woody) Morrison, BA, JD. (Dec 22, 1941 - Jan 28, 2021). Our hearts are with our dear friends The Git Hayetsk. Their Dance Group is mourning the loss of cherished Elder Woody Morrison, who was taken away too soon, by COVID. We met "Uncle" Woody through our Thunderbird performance collaboration with Spakwus Slulem Eagle Song Dancers and The Git Hayetsk in 2017. Our three groups first gathered together at The Dance Centre to do protocol bestowing Song Rights and witness the breathing of life into a new Dance. His cheerful presence was funny and engaging, he instantly left a big impression on us. Woody’s Haida name Kaawan Sangaa means he brings a special day. He was a bright light for many people, and we are sad to see him go. Inspiration In The Arts ~ Portait and Landscape Save the DATE: 28th April Featuring Julia Taffe 'Being Called to the Land' and Diana Lopez Soto 'Sustainable practices as life and practice' Portrait and Landscape is a series of online bi-monthly events, conceived by Wanda Moretti of Il Posto Danza Verticale in collaboration with Kate Lawrence and Lindsey Butcher of Gravity & Levity. Over the course of 2021, some of the world’s leading vertical dance choreographers will propose a series of  'gifts' for our vertical dance community: presentations, videos, practical lessons. They also introduce a next generation vertical dance artist to present their work at each meeting. If you would like to join us, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/146438857565 Portait and Landscape Upcoming Schedule 28th April  5th May 19th May 2nd June 16th June 21st July 4th Aug 6th Oct 20th Oct 3rd Nov Julia Taffe with Diana Soto Lopez Wanda Moretti with Eleonora Dall Asta Brenda Angiel with Ana Arnas Amelia Rudolph with Roel Q Seeber Chantal McCormick with Ria Murphy Lindsey Butcher with Kathryn Cooley Antoine Le Menestrel with Claudie Gatineau Joanna Haigood with Alice Sheppard Fabrice Guillot with Scheherazade Zambrano Orozco Eduardo Torres with Juan Leiba Special Connections Diana Lopez Soto What is your connection to Aeriosa? When I lived in Vancouver in 2005 I worked with Kira Schaffer who danced with Aeriosa. I first saw your company dancing as gargoyles on a building ledge  and I was inspired!  When I moved to Ontario I kept up with Aeriosa news through the website and I was very touched by the projects dancing with the trees.  What are your working on right now? It is a busy year for me, but also, everything is up in the air. I have three big things happening: I am co-creating Normada (working title) with director/dramaturge Alejandro Ronceria, which is a performance inspired by rituals of water. I am also working on Otros Rostros (The Other Faces), an installation and performance that brings together the work of masks, dance and sculptural objects. For this year, I am adapting and developing this work in relationship to the forest. Along with these projects, I am moving towards sustainability in my practice by creating a sustainable green space to host artist-in-residence projects. What is something special about the place in which you grew up? Where I am from food is ceremony and ceremony is food. Every season has rituals associated with producing and harvesting food. One example is the harvesting of young corn which is celebrated with dance and ceremony, including making uchepos, atole and tamales! What is inspiring you right now? Regeneration and healing practices. The plants have taught me a lot in the last couple of years. Also, I have been reading a lot and one book that has planted many seeds in me is Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Also, the resilience of my children in this time! What is your most recent outdoor adventure? This winter, our family adventure was creating and maintaining our own ice skating pond. I learned to ice skate with my children and how to flood, clear and maintain the ice. To learn more about Diana Lopez Soto, please visit her website dianalopezsoto.com