Aeriosa Dance Society

 

Current/Dance Community Portrait and Landscape featuring Julia Taffe and Diana Lopez Soto Portrait & Landscape is a series of events conceived by Gravity & Levity ~ Il Posto ~ Vertical Dance Kate Lawrence ~ AND Productions @2021 Upcoming: Wednesday, Nov 3, 2021  11am-12:30pm PST Portrait and Landscape 12 with Julia Taffe and Diana Lopez Soto 'Being Called to the Land' with Julia Taffe Vertical dance site work offers me a pathway to thrive as an artist by deepening my connection to the lands and people. I will introduce myself and my artistic practice in relation to the unceded Indigenous lands where it has been created and performed, and I will reflect on the precepts that have emerged to guide my creative practice of vertical dance. Expanding into the topic of rootedness in dialogue with Diana, we will reflect on what it means to return to the land. What responsibilities do we accept, in the context of decolonizing our artistic practices here in Canada and as visitors in other people’s territories around the world? 'Sustainable practices as life and practice' with Diana Lopez Soto I am a mother, a land caretaker and a multidisciplinary artist interested in sustainability as a means to find balance in both life and practice. Organic Agriculture, Ngui Style Qgong, Integrative medicine, Ethnoecology and Site-specific work are a few of the practices that inform my process. Our practices are not separate from our lives. Food, ecology, health, mind and our combined histories shape our practices. I believe that my work must have the ability to respond for/about/to the sustainability of our communities. (Responsible= the ability to respond). Wednesday, November 3, 2021 11am-12:30pm PST To book your spot, click on the eventbrite image for free registration Newsworthy September 2021 marked Julia Taffe's 20th anniversary creating vertical dance on the Scotiabank Dance Centre Building. Fisheye photos by Stuart Ward, all other photos by Sarah Fuller September and early October were exciting for Aeriosa as we finally felt the deep satisfaction of dancing for live audiences again! First up, we workshopped Habitats & Camouflage in the forest within Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks  and on the beach in Yuu-thlu-ith-aht territory, (where the towns Tofino and Ucluelet are located). That nature-based workshop process was a great way to ease back into the swing of things. Right afterwards, we created and performed Home/Domicile for The Scotiabank Dance Centre's 20th Anniversary Open House! Returning to our "vertical stage" on the the Dance Centre's exterior north wall felt like coming home after a long absence.  Aeriosa's home city of Vancouver, is hosted on the unceded territories of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh, and we certainly do feel privileged to share our dances there.  Both Habitats and Camouflage and Home/Domicile featured Winnipeg artist Sarah Fuller's camouflaging moth cloaks.  The process of developing two distinct  productions introduced many new collaborators to each other's work. Creating in two different landscapes, tuning into the the energy of the forest and the beach, and bringing that inspiration into the urban setting, triggered synergy that fed the collaboration in interesting ways. Sarah's moth cloaks introduced some entirely new considerations for the dancers animating the space.    September 2021 also marked Julia Taffe's 20th year choreographing vertical dance on buildings. In 2001 Julia recruited dancers Scott Buffett, Michael Flynn and Abigail Watkins to perform across the ledges, windows, and walls for the Dance Centre's opening ceremony. The energy and excitement of that first building animation led to other residencies and commissions in Banff, Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Montreal and eventually resulted in the founding of Aeriosa Dance Society in 2005.  Warm thanks and rounds of applause to all the Aeriosa company team and guest artists; visual artist Sarah Fuller, composer/musician Keri Latimer, Habitats & Camouflage set designer Pete Clarkson (Tofino) and Home/Domicile set designer  Stuart Ward (Vancouver). Introducing new works to our home audiences always has a special resonance that reminds us why we have devoted our lives to being artists. We are looking forward to developing both shows over the next few years and sharing them with audiences in more locations. Short Clip from Home/Domicile Aeriosa is often inspired by nature. When dancing outdoors, we regularly encounter other species. This next column is dedicated to learning about our friends in flight. Featured Feathered Friends The Hawaiian Nihoa Finch, Telespyza Ultima  The Nihoa finch is very similar to the Laysan finch but smaller. The male has a bright yellow head, neck, and breast with a broad grey band between the neck and mid-back. The lower back and rump of the male are gray. Females have a yellow throat and breast streaked with brown, the head and back are brown streaked with black. The Nihoa finch whistles, trills, and warbles loudly and melodiously. Males are showy when singing, holding their wings horizontally away from their bodies and sometimes swaying back and forth. The distress call is a loud, harsh chip. The Nihoa finch lives only on the island of Nihoa, 250 miles northwest of O‘ahu. It prefers open but vegetated habitat throughout the island. Nihoa finches build their nests in small holes in rock outcrops 100 to 800 feet above sea level. Egg laying begins in February and may extend to early July, with an average clutch of three eggs. Nihoa Island, Hawaii Copyright © 2021 Aeriosa Dance Society, All rights reserved. You signed up for our list so we could keep you up to date.   Our mailing address is: Aeriosa Dance Society 25-717 West 8th Ave Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C9 Canada