Building diversity in dance: Focus of Live Art Dance in the future
Artistic Director plans to broaden the horizon of contemporary dance in new season
Live Art Dance, a leading presenter of and advocate for Contemporary Dance based in Kjipuktuk/halifax, wants to broaden its horizon in terms of building diversity in dance.
“In recent weeks we’ve seen so many organizations come out in support of African Heritage Month and celebrating Black legacies and histories” says Liliona Quarmyne, Artistic Director of Live Art Dance.
“That can be a wonderful thing, but it can also gloss over the real work that has to be done. As I go into building programming for next season and beyond at Live Art Dance, I think it’s important to dig more deeply into what it means to build diversity in dance.
It’s not just about putting racialized dancers on the stage or bringing in companies that are led by IBPOC artists. That is a part of the work that we do, but as presenters and organizations that have responsibilities and influence in the communities in which we work, we must go further. Things like African Heritage Month can be important, but what’s more important is taking an ongoing, sustained approach to challenging a problematic system that values some voices more than others,” adds Quarmyne.
Quarmyne joined the organization in August 2023 and wants to look more deeply at ways in which Live Art Dance works in and with equity-deserving communities.
“How are we looking at the ways in which systemic and historical exclusions have reduced the number of racialized artists who feel that they can work in the contemporary dance world? How do we broaden our value systems to recognize that, for example, an African dance practice can have just as much discipline, rigour and training history in it as a ballet practice?” adds Quarmyne.
“How can we learn to value those things equally, as opposed to what very often happens right now, where certain forms of dance are held in higher regard than other forms. How do we break away from these norms?” says Quarmyne.
Live Art Dance presents a range of works in contemporary dance styles from local, national and international dance artists and companies.
“Our season runs from September to June every year, with occasional additional programming in the summer. This season to date we’ve presented five shows, and have two more coming up in March and May. The first show is by Ballet Edmonton which is a creation-based contemporary ballet company that combines classical ballet technique with a contemporary movement vocabulary,” adds Quarmyne.
The second show is Coastal Currents, being co-presented with Kinetic, a non-profit organization dedicated to the creation, development and presentation of contemporary dance and dance artists. Coastal Currents is based on highlighting, celebrating, and presenting the work of choreographers who are working specifically in the Atlantic region.
“2024 is our second year of running Coastal Currents and we’re thrilled to partner with Kinetic again. It’s a wonderful organization that is doing the real and challenging work of supporting dance artists in Kjipuktuk/halifax. Through our partnership this year we’re featuring four works from choreographers who are all based in the Atlantic region two from Nova Scotia, one from Newfoundland and one from P.E.I.,” says Quarmyne.
The show is set to be performed on May 16 and 17 at the Sir James Dunn Theatre. Ballet Edmonton will perform on March 22 at the Spatz Theatre.
“Our shows have been doing well this season, which has been really exciting. It’s fantastic to see audiences coming out in support of contemporary dance, and of the wonderful artists we present. We’re so very lucky to have them.” adds Quarmyne.
To purchase tickets and learn more about Live Art Dance, please visit our website liveartdance.ca.