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Get to know your CADA/BC
July 2012 Member's Newsletter
This edition features an announcement of a CADA/BC committee meeting, info on personal insurance coverage, a profile of Barbara Bourget and our monthly advocacy challenge.
Membership and Outreach Committee meeting
All Members are encouraged to attend a CADA/BC Membership and Outreach Committee meeting Wed. July 25; 5-630pm in the board room at The Dance Centre.
CADA/BC is its Membership. All Members have a say and are invited to get involved. See info on CADA/BC Committees and Advisory Councils.
Personal workplace insurance in AB & BC
Optional workplace insurance for individuals is available under Alberta's Workers Compensation Board (WCB) and British Columbia's WorkSafe BC:
Alberta: Optional Personal Coverage
British Columbia: Personal Option Protection
Coverage, cost and eligibility differs from province to province, but generally these plans are designed to protect individuals (like self-employed performing artists) who are not automatically covered for compensation under an employer.
Different from medical benefits, these forms of personal insurance cover lost salary if you are injured or contract a disease as a result of your work.
As dancers, we push our bodies and risk injury every time we head to the studio. To learn more about protecting your livelihood, follow these links or contact us:
Alberta: Optional Personal Coverage
British Columbia: Personal Option Protection Plan
British Columbia: Dance Classification Units for WorkSafe BC
Member Profile ⍢ Barbara Bourget
photo: Peter Eastwood
How old are you?
I am 61.
How long have you been dancing?
57 years.
How often do you dance?
I teach classes 4 days per week. When I am not rehearsing, I do yoga or a work-out at the gym on the other 2 days.
How has your dancing changed as you have gotten older?
I have had, and continue to have, many, many physical challenges. Every decade, as you age, there are distinct physical changes to what you can do and how you can do it. I try not to let these very real changes to my physical self influence my choreographic choices, but of course they do.
I think my expressive being has deepened with age and just the experience of living. I feel very connected to life and living when I am dancing, more so than in other aspects of my life.
As an artist who's career and contribution to the dance community spans many decades, what words of advice do you have for dance artists today?
Mostly, I believe it is important to embrace and welcome the fact that dance is a very difficult art form; that dance artists, more than other disciplines, need to continually train to enhance their skills and keep their bodies functioning without injury. It is tough. It is hard. But it can be so rewarding. The more you give to the art form, the more you will get back.
What holds your interest outside of dance?
I am interested in artistic practice as it pertains to all of the arts.
I love my family and find inspiration for creation there, most especially with my grand children. I am interested in the human condition, political issues of humanity—I suppose many things.
Do these interests affect your work?
All of these things affect my work as fundamentally I believe that the art of my creative process is about expressing what is universally human. As Paula Ross used to say "universal tribal metaphor".
What's inspiring you of late?
I am always inspired by rediscovering the wonders of the universe through my grand children's eyes, much like I felt with my own children.
I am moved by the beauty of the West Coast, particularly Haida Gwaii—there is magic in our rainforest.
Artists who seek authenticity, integrity, have great commitment to their vision and the skills to challenge themselves...they always inspire.
Speak⋙⋙⋙⋗⋖⋘⋘⋘⋘⋘⋘⋘With Your Feet
This month's advocacy challenge...
Create dialogue around dance.
Recently, Kevin Griffin of the Vancouver Sun announced on his former Culture Seen blog that his paper will no longer be covering dance and the visual arts—see this article from openfile.ca.
In Alberta, groups like the Edmonton Dance Pack are raising concerns about a lack of dance coverage by local presses.
The rise of the internet has resulted in the economic decline of newspapers. Cut backs are happening industry-wide and not only dance coverage is suffering. We are struggling for recognition in the press alongside all other art forms.
We at CADA/BC propose two approaches to keeping discussion around dance vibrant and relevant to a public. One is to argue for the re-instatement of dance coverage in papers like the Vancouver Sun. Another is to develop new ways of creating dialogue around dance.
1. Let your local papers know, in a quick email, that you are interested in dance and that you would like them to cover it:
2. Create and invest in new methods of promoting and responding to dance:
Develop a voice on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.
- Initiating dialogue around dance via social media platforms engages folks from your community and can reach a larger audience who may not otherwise be familiar with dance arts.
- See this great post on our site about social media advertising.
- See this other great post on our site about YouTube marketing.
Develop a blog, conduct interviews, record podcasts, share videos.
- In response to what Jennifer Mesch sees as a lack of in-depth coverage of dance as a serious and active art form in Edmonton, she has started a blog:
dance-conspiracy.blogspot.ca
It's not a blog about her, but is a place to read about dance in Edmonton and the larger dance community. She also offers dance-related resources and relates dance to other art forms as well as topics in science and culture.
- See these links below for other great examples of individuals, companies and organizations creating dialogue around dance:
-discussions on training and more, Mascall Dance news.mascalldance.ca
-visual mosaic of dance, Yvonne Chew vancouverdanceproject.blogspot.ca
-articles, research, Justine A. Chambers justineachambers.com
-dance advocacy, articles, Tonya Lockyer tonyamlockyer.blogspot.ca
-weekly show, Evi-Dance Radio evidanceradio.com
-wealth of resources, Dance Alive artsalive.ca/en/dan
-hip hop dance news, The Dancers of Toronto thetdotblog.com
- There are many examples out there, including our very own blog and resource collection. Share your sites with us and we will share with our Membership.
- Most blog-style webpages allow for viewer-feedback. If you are not interested in initiating a conversation, but benefit from the work of others, let them know by commenting or sending them a quick message.
Link to your colleagues, collaborators, favourite artists from your site(s).
- The strength of a site in search engines like Google is determined by many factors, including how many people link to your site from theirs. When posting content online, make it interactive—for example, see my bio.
As Barbara stated above, dance is a difficult art form. By pooling our resources, sharing our knowledge, challenging our ideas around dance and baring our passion, we will keep the form vibrant and alive for all to see.
