Get to know your CADA/West

November 2014 Member's Newsletter

This edition features a profile of one of our first Saskatchewan-based members Johanna Bundon & the CADA/West Raffle, including a member celebration December 13.

CADA/West Member Johanna Bundon

Can you give us a sense of the professional dance scene in Saskatchewan: the artists, organizations, resources?

The professional dance scene in Saskatchewan is best described as small, but mighty. The relationships that I have to other independent dance artists and organizations are really precious. I think there is a silent agreement here in Saskatchewan, that it is important to keep that relational dimension at work for the community here to thrive.

Something I’ve noticed that happens in a small community like ours, is a natural evolution towards inter-disciplinarity. Saskatchewan has taught me to think laterally about my practice. It’s prompted me towards more diversity in my training, my audience, and my community.

New Dance Horizons has been an especially important resource to me. As a contemporary dance artist NDH has nourished my practice in lots of ways, but maybe most importantly just by offering a model of what a professional contemporary dance practice looks like here on the prairies. This modelling has happened through training initiatives, presentation opportunities, guest artists and community art projects.

What currently makes up your artistic practice?

The thing I’m the most passionate about right now is the company that my partner and I founded this fall. It’s called Dream Agreement. We just launched a 10–month residency at Regina’s Heritage Community Association. We’re teaching diverse populations improvisation workshops. We are working with an emergency youth shelter, a community school, a women and children’s shelter and an organization for individuals with acquired brain injuries.

Our company came about really naturally, through our independent teaching practices in dance and theatre, and our collaborative teaching over the past few years. Dream Agreement is grounded in what we are calling the guiding principles of improvisation: listening, accepting, adapting and supporting. Increasingly, I feel my practice is just different ways of learning and reframing these skills.

How do you train?

I take a good old dance class 3 – 4 times a week. New Dance Horizons has an amazing Learning & Teaching Series. And my friend Caitlin Coflin and I also started a new “training class” this fall in partnership with Fadadance. These are two great platforms through which dancers in Regina can train. Outside of dance I have a few important tools. I’ve been studying Ashtanga yoga for the past eight years – it’s a space to engage with my body and breath. And, newer to me, but also important, is my Mitzvah technique and Itcush method self-maintenance program. I’ve taken it up more seriously in the past year. I’m really inspired by the Itcush teaching that Kana Nemato and Ashley Johnson are doing – it is full of wonderful information.

How do you stay connected with dance throughout the rest of Canada?

I’m still figuring this one out. I used to go back and forth to Montreal, where I studied, a lot. But it started to feel counterintuitive. Like if I wanted to live and work in Saskatchewan, I had to stick around for longer than a few months.

My friendships with dancers out of province are really important. For a few years I didn’t have a lot of peers in Regina. During that time I really enjoyed bringing performers in from other provinces.

I’ve collaborated a lot with Bee Pallomina (Toronto) over the past 7 years. We go back and forth to Toronto and Regina on projects. That’s a really important connection for me. Last year, our collaboration The Understory toured to Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary through the Prairie Dance Circuit. That was a great chance to connect and share with dancers in other prairie provinces.

Sara Coffin by Yvonne Chew

CADA/West Raffle

CADA/West's annual fundraiser Raffle expands this year to include prizes from theatre, dance, music, yoga, pilates and coffee!

Tix just $10!

3 pack of tix just $20!

email to buy tix: office@cadawest.org

phone to buy tix: 604.606.6414

contact a CADA/West Board Member to buy tix: directors@cadawest.org

Prizes

First Prize ($495 value)

Ballet BC - 2 tickets
DanceHouse - 2 tickets to Marie-Chouinard
Dances for a Small Stage - 2 tickets
Ocean and Crow Yoga - Introductory 5 class pack
Co. ERASGA - 2 tickets
Continental Coffee - $20 gift card
New Works - 2 tickets to the remaining Dance AllSorts Season

Second Prize ($400 value)

PuSh Festival - 2 tickets
Turning Point Ensemble - 2 tickets
Full Circle Studio - Private Session with Darcy McMurray
Chutzpah! Festival - 2 tickets to "Glory" Feb 21st @ 8pm
Modus Operandi - 2 tickets to end of year show
Mascall Dance - 4 tickets

Third Prize ($290 value)

The Dance Centre - 2 tickets
Vancouver International Jazz Festival - 4 tickets
Form Body Lab - 10 Mat Classes
Dancers of Damelahamid - 2 tickets
Aveda - $50 gift card for services (redeemable at Robson or South Granville location)

Learn more about our donating sponsors by clicking on the links above. Their generous support makes this raffle possible.

Prizes will be drawn at a special open house for Vancouver-area CADA/West members December 13 at Chill Winston in gastown.