In partnership with the Roundhouse Community Centre 

OFF-Dance In Vancouver

Sunday Sampler

Feat. Clala Project, Kaili Che, Marco Esccer & Collaborators, Generous Mess, Little Room Productions, OURO Collective

November 24, 2024 | 11:30am  
Roundhouse Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver)
Free, advanced RSVP Required. 
RSVP
 

Vancouver dance fans are invited to join the closing day of The Dance Centre’s Biennial Dance In Vancouver (DIV). This event offers a unique opportunity to support the local dance community by joining international programmers from the DIV delegation. Attendees will get a sneak peek at what their favorite Vancouver dance companies are planning to tour next season. 

This engaging collections of excerpts is a celebration of the vibrant dance scene in Vancouver, offering insights and previews that should not be missed.

Top Photos L-R by: 1 & 5.Lula-Belle Jedynak 2.Cara Tench 3.Alyssa Maturino 4.Emilie Bland 6.Pedro Augusto Meza

Clala Project

About the Artist
Clala Project explores a variety of cultures, researching the upbringing and various customs imparted on artists throughout their lives. The collaborators share how innate learning through interactions with people, place, spirituality, and possessions can have various effects. The collective’s work is multidisciplinary, recently integrating interactive theater, projection design, and sound, all aligned with the strong influence of dance and movement in the collective’s history.

Clala Project was originally based in Japan under the direction of Tomoyo Yamada and Chihiro Nukuto, both graduates from Mukogawa Women's University located in Hyogo, Japan. Their works have been presented in various places including the REVERBdance Festival (New York, 2016) and festivals in Japan such as Dance Jewels (Hyogo, 2016). Currently, the collective is based out of Vancouver, BC and run by Tomoyo Yamada, Charlotte Telfer-Wan, Sam Mason, and Christian Ching, who are all graduates of Simon Fraser University, School for the Contemporary Arts. They most recently produced More Than This, an evening of dance works at uRBANGUILD in Kyoto, Japan which included their newest work Tashme in July 2024. In Vancouver BC at the Beaumont Studios they self produced Uchi in April 2023. Notably Clala has been presented by the Dance Centre in Open Stage (2020), Dancing on The Edge (2019 & 2024) and Vines Art Festival (2019).

www.clalaproject.com
IG: @clalaproject

Photo artist courtesy
About the work
Tashme

Past lives exist among us, they shape the intricacies of our communities. Journeys of our ancestors like lines in the sand, traced and re-carved over time. Tashme tells the story of the complex past of Japanese-Canadians in Western Canada. This multidisciplinary performance immerses its audience in the delicate details of hardships endured by people interned in interior BC during WWII. One of the camps was called Tashme. Understood in both English and Japanese, this piece fills the space with text, projection and contemporary dance, re-creating the intimate histories of these people.

Tashme begins by peering into the past at images that expose the displacement and dispossession of Japanese-Canadians. A duet pulls attention to their tiny homes in remote camps, stripped of culture and community. Lastly, the piece comes to a poem, a poem that beautifully scripts the mournful yet resilient lives of the interned. Movement on stage and on screen is simple, giving space to bask in the gentle words of the past.

Cultural integration is as significant as ever. It is integral that as a multicultural society we understand the many dimensions that create it. Tashme explains the challenging lives of immigrants and the repercussions of their mistreatment. Stories such as this have created our foundation. Experiencing them through art brings a deeper understanding to one of the many dimensions of how we live today and a chance to write brighter stories for the future.

OURO Collective

About the Artist
OURO Collective (OURO) creates and produces new dance works on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We wish to express our gratitude to the Indigenous people who have ties to this territory and acknowledge that we are guests on this land we work, play and live in as artists and settlers.

OURO was founded by Cristina Bucci, Rina Pellerin, Maiko Miyauchi, Dean Placzek, and Mark Siller in 2014. The group explores hip-hop, waacking, breaking, popping, house, and contemporary dance foundations to create performances that explore the group's full range of possibilities and identities the group represents. OURO Collective advances the public's appreciation of street dance culture through dance classes, events, and workshops.

They have presented their work at Dance in Vancouver, Dancing on the Edge, Vancouver International Dance Festival, Seattle International Dance Festival, and Guelph Dance Festival, and they have toured Japan from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, OURO received Dance Victoria's Chrystal Dance Prize to collaborate with Rauf Yasit (aka RubberLegz) to create a short film and full-length dance work entitled 7y98D. The short film premiered on NOWNESS and has been screened at film festivals: Lago (Italy), Mignolo (USA), Cinedans (NL), and in Germany at TANZAHOi. 7Y98D excerpts have recently been presented at Fall for Dance North in Toronto and La Serre in Montreal.

www.ourocollective.com
IG & FB: @ourocollective

Photo by Abhishek Joshi
About the work
7y98D unites two dynamic voices to develop a timely and relevant piece focusing on the impacts of climate change. Street dance-based artist RubberLegz and OURO Collective collaborate with prominent artists to produce a multi-disciplinary project that emphasizes existing problems viewed through an abstract lens. 7y98D entails a twelve-minute short film directed by Dave Ehrenreich and Jeff Hamada, a fifty-minute stage piece choreographed by RubberLegz and performed by OURO Collective.

The work is inspired by The Climate Clock, a public art installation created by artists Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd set on Manhattan’s Union Square. The clock depicts a timer counting the remaining time to avoid climate disaster. According to the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC, if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate, the average global temperature will continue to rise and become irreversible. Golan and Boyd began counting down on September 17th, 2020, from 7 years, 103 days, 15 hours, 40 minutes, and 7 seconds – OURO became aware of the Climate Clock when it was down to 7 years and 98 days.

Kaili Che

About the Artist
Kaili Che 謝祖弘 is an emerging interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, and movement educator based on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples (Vancouver) and in Moh’kinstsis, Treaty 7 Territory (Calgary). Her creative journey is rooted in vulnerability, curiosity, play, and collaboration, fostering braver spaces through anti-oppressive practices and Disability Justice principles. Alongside her artistic practice, Kaili is dedicated to nurturing community connections and supporting fellow artists. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance (with Distinction) from the University of Calgary and is certified in Healthy Dance Practice. Kaili has engaged in collaborative processes with Dancers’ Studio West, TRAction, Ivanochko et cie, W&M Physical Theatre, and kloetzel&co. Her choreography has been presented at the Surrey Art Gallery, The New Gallery, The Dance Centre, IndieFest, and Expanse Festival. She is currently producing her first short film and rehearsing with Cloudsway Dance Theatre (Calgary, January 2025) and Project InTandem (Banff, February 2025) for their upcoming performances.

www.kailiche.ca
IG: @kcdanceartist
FB: KC Dance Educator & Performer

Photo by Alyssa Maturino
About the work
Marooned is a 50-minute interdisciplinary solo performance rooted in installation art, dance, and audience interaction. Born from a deeply personal place, it reflects Kaili’s journey as a Chinese-Canadian artist, weaving together memories of heritage and identity while exploring the complexities of family, lineage, and the emotional weight of responsibility. The work addresses struggles with negative self-talk and the challenges of navigating two cultures.

At its core, Marooned emphasizes the connection between performer, participant, and the stories they carry. The intricate installations of red cotton and plastic strings symbolizes the tangled complexities of family ties and self-expectations.

Marooned is designed for small, intimate spaces and can adapt to various venues while maintaining the integrity of its immersive installations. The space becomes a site of reflection, where emotions and honest movement unfold. The work fosters dialogue, understanding, and a sense of belonging, making the audience essential collaborators in a communal experience.

Kaili is committed to creating more inclusive spaces. Relaxed performances, sensory touch tours, and outreach activities—such as movement workshops and artist talks—can be integrated into the programming, fostering a welcoming environment that engages and resonates with a diverse audience.

Little Room Productions

About the Artist
Isak Enquist is a movement artist, choreographer, teacher, actor, and experimental sound designer living on Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, Skwxwú7mesh, and xʷməθkwəy̓əm nations. Raised in the Kootenays/Ktunaxa of Canada, he began formal training in Shotokan Karate-Do before pursuing post-secondary dance education at Simon Fraser University and Modus Operandi (Vancouver).

Isak works with Canadian contemporary dance communities, connecting years of technical history and exploring the intersections of martial and expressive movement. He has performed nationally and internationally with performing companies such as Out Innerspace Dance Theatre, Compagnie Vision Impure, Shay Kuebler Radical System Art, Mahaila Patterson-O’Brien, Amber Funk Barton, Mascall Dance, Generous Mess, Cristina Bucci, Anne Plamondon Productions, and Corporeal Imago. He is on faculty with Vancouver’s Harbour Dance Centre, Lamon Dance Company, and a guest teacher with Training Society of Vancouver, Goh Ballet Academy, and GötesborgOperan Danskompani (Sweden) among many others.

As a Co-Producer with Little Room Productions (founded in 2023), Isak has created new stage works for Dance Café (the response.), BLOOM (Mascall Dance), Dancing On the Edge (DOTE), Vancouver International Dance Festival (VIDF), Innovate Dance Film Showcase, Dance: Made In Canada / Fait Au Canada Festival, Coastal City Ballet, Lamon Dance Company, and most recently Blackout Theatre Society.

IG: @little_room_productions @isakenquist

Photo by Lula-Belle Jedynak
About the work
“Not-Yet-Conscious” is suggestive to the forward imaginings of communal/political daydreaming, as we gather as in performance spaces to pursue higher states of consciousness and connection. Exploring contemporary dance movement suitable for large performance spaces, this choreography utilizes significant space, incorporating spirals to generate power, transitioning between the floor and air continuously, and actively engaging the upper body as a supportive framework. Integrating Shotokan Karate-Do, Horton, freestyle snowboarding, and Breaking, I aim to introduce new forms of rotation and style that blend these traditional practices.

Confirmed Performances: 20 minutes of choreography will be presented as part of the EDAM Choreographic Series in April, 2025. The completed work will premiere in Edmonton, AB October 2025 with The Brian Webb Dance Company, showcasing 8 artists performing 60 minutes of choreography. I am looking to partner with presenters interested in this work, building a tour for the 2025/2026 season.

IG: @little_room_productions @isakenquist

Generous Mess

About the Artist
Born in North Vancouver BC, Aiden Cass began his training with North Shore Academy of Dance before joining Modus Operandi (MO) in 2015. Born in Hanna AB, Sarah Hutton moved to Vancouver in 2013 and trained with the Source Dance Company and EDAM before joining MO in 2016.

During their graduate project at MO, Aiden and Sarah first collaborated on what now exists as their evening length duet, by means of each other. They offered a sounding board to each other’s creative process and their shared values of physical research, innovation, and partnering would ground their collective practice and company, Generous Mess.

Generous Mess plays between delicate details and outlandish, exaggerated scenes. Unruly and vulnerable lifts and pathways make up their partner work. Storytelling, humour, and autobiographical themes have molded the context for their first works. Aiden and Sarah’s process is devoted to encouraging their collaborators to mine their unique curiosities, skill sets, and desires through each project they facilitate and believe this meaningful work is not linear nor hurried. Generous Mess aims to continue to make live theatre and dance as to remedy a digitally dependent world. Inspired by the quote, “We sit in a dark room alone so we know how to be together in the light”, they understand the power of live storytelling and are dedicated to making their own unique contribution to audiences.

Generous Mess is privileged to work and play in so-called Vancouver on the unceded, stolen territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

IG: @generous_mess @sarah_hutton @aidencass

Photo by Emilie Bland
About the work
by means of each other - 50 min duet

Company Generous Mess Directors, Hutton and Cass, source from their everyday, domestic behaviour as romantic and working partners to create a duet that reveals the absurd and profound lengths we go to for one another. Playing between highly physical partnering and subtle gazes and gestures, they investigate the nuances of communication, power dynamics, and coexisting; all with their signature humour and wit. In the face of relentless conflict, the two embrace their trust, love, and willingness to transform. With a dynamic playlist, live dialogue, and elegant prop work, the tangible chemistry of Hutton and Cass illuminates the ridiculous, painstakingly tangled, and resilient pursuit of partnership.

Generous Mess is passionate about reaching regional and rural audiences with this work and holding movement workshops and post-show talk backs to deepen the reciprocal connection that touring offers. These two have leaned on their diverse training to deliver a truly approachable, entertaining, quirky work that will appeal to audiences 16+ regardless of their exposure to watching live dance.

Marco Esccer & Collaborators

About the Artist
Marco Esccer is a queer Mexican dance artist and embodiment facilitator based in Vancouver. His work focuses on creating spaces for awareness through movement and storytelling. Marco is the Artistic Director of Camino y Despedida, leading this collaborative exploration of migration, memory, and hope.

Carla Alcántara is a Mexican multidisciplinary artist and emerging choreographer. Based in Vancouver since 2021, she directs TEMPO Dance & Visual Art, blending contemporary dance and visual art to create accessible works that connect people through meaningful expression.

Carolina Silva is a Colombian musician, singer, and songwriter specializing in Latin American folklore and classical music. She is developing her original music while exploring interdisciplinary performance and building her portfolio in Vancouver.

Ysadora Dias (she/her) is a Brazilian dance artist with a background in contemporary dance, ballet, and Capoeira. Currently based in Vancouver, she has performed with Coastal City Ballet and Co.Erasga and is an artist-in-residence at Dance West Network's Re-Centering Margins Residency.

RCHRDY (pronounced ‘richardy’) is a queer, Mexican multidisciplinary artist based in Vancouver. They explore the "spaces in between" through performance, music, visual arts, and installation, creating unconventional connections between life and art.

Rodrigo Hervert is a 27-year-old Indigenous Mexican emerging dancer and artist, whose work is fueled by his creativity and passion for exploring movement and altruistic practices.

IG: @marcoesccer @carla_alcantara55 @carosilvacaro @ysadoradiass @rchrdy @tlaskamatli

Photo by Pedro Augusto Meza
About the work
Camino y Despedida (Walking Farewells)

Collaborative Work by Latinx Artists Explores Migration, Memory, and Hope Through Dance and Live Music

This dynamic production brings together an ensemble of Latin American artists to explore themes of migration, memory, and hope, through a poignant blend of dance, live music, and storytelling.

Exploring collaborative Interdiscipline While Marco Esccer leads the project, Camino y Despedida is a collaborative creation that reflects the collective artistry of its key contributors. This work is enriched by the involvement of Carla Alcántara (Assistant Director), a multidisciplinary Mexican artist whose expertise spans dance, choreography, and visual art, and RCHRDY (Assistant Director), a multidisciplinary artist who brings a unique creative voice to the project. Together with co-creators and performers Ysadora Dias, Carolina Silva, and Rodrigo Flores, the team combines their distinct cultural and artistic backgrounds, creating an intercultural dialogue that adds depth and resonance to the performance.

Carolina Silva and RCHRDY further elevate the piece through Original songs by Carolina SIlva and live musical compositions by RCHRDY, accompanied by covers from various artists and text. These sonic elements weave together with the performers’ movements, building a rich emotional landscape that captures the essence of migration, the memories carried forward, and the hope for new beginnings.

This collaboration exemplifies the merging of diverse artistic voices, guided by Esccer's vision to explore the intersection of movement, music, and visual art. The result is an immersive experience that invites audiences to reflect on the shared threads of migration.

Presented with: