Review by Rice Paper Magazine
Injected with 1LUV
Angelica LeMinh, February-25 2006

Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 was a proud night for live action Vancouver soul.
Injected, an original dance and spoken word production marked the return of Ms. Kelly Konno, a hometown girl who has accomplished amazing dancing feats with the likes of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. She now splits her time between LA and Vancouver, and she dabbles in her newest passion of acting for the show. She does return to her dance roots though, opening the show solo to Saul Williams’ piece “Talk To Strangers”.

Injected was a high paced and professional foray into the diverse styles of dance set to varying degrees of props and audio visual backgrounds. The aural element showcased some of the most prolific artists in spoken word from The Asian American Youth Ensemble and Canadian artists ranging from Mystic to K’naan and Leonard Cohen.

There was a polished air of professionalism to the fast and furious 22 act set (in an hour and a half) and none of the hard work from the dancers, producers, choreographers and sound/lighting crew was missed.

The diversity of the dancers and interpretations of the pieces was phenomenal, and hometown spoken word hero N’didi Cascade closed out the show. Also, it was awesome to see some of Harbour Centre’s finest; Jojo Zolina, Celine Amurao, and Stewart Iguidez have a stage to strut their stuff on. In case you don’t know the names, they are the flyest bboys and bgirls that you can shake a stick at in the clubs.


VANCOUVER,
MOVING LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Written by Heather Laura Gray 2005

Vancouver is at the developing stages of its own dance identity. With a rapidly increasing population and heightened interest in urban dance styles, Vancouver’s dance community is evolving every second but with one problem. The amazing outdoor lifestyle Vancouver has to offer is so vast that many forget theatres exist. Due to the fact that there is a very small audience with a desire to watch live indoor entertainment, it has forced a situation on local dance artists to forge a level of talent that makes people stand up and take notice. Dancers, like never before, are stepping forward to take control of their careers, creating opportunity for themselves and others. This is especially true for the independent urban dance community that does not have an official stamp of approval with government grants given usually to ballet or modern companies like “Ballet British Columbia” or “Kokoro Dance”. The contemporary jazz, street jazz, hip hop, tap, and breaking community, is gushing with talented dancers that oft times left the city for lack of employment opportunity, are now deciding to stay and create.

Josh Beamish creator and director of “MOVE: The Company” has decided to make Vancouver his home base. “MOVE: The Company” (www.movedance.com) is the first of its kind in recent Vancouver dance history. Focusing on topics that interest a 17-35 year old audience using contemporary jazz and street jazz dance styles, Beamish is appealing to more than just his fellow dance artists; all while paying his dancers. To date “MOVE: The Company’s” 2005/2006 season is composed of five different shows, one of them being URBANFLOW PRODUCTIONS’ INJECTED*. URBANFLOW PRODUCTIONS is a new and innovative entertainment company that fuses visual and audio art forms designed to educate, inspire and bring incite. The show will combine spoken word, music and dance, to help relate to the human experience. Kelly Konno dancer for Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Prince, Michael Jackson and creator of Triple Threat Dance Conventions will be featured. www.urbanflowproductions.com.

Another company that has stayed in Vancouver is the extremely talented street dance group “Over The Influence” (www.overtheinfluence.net), who’s turning heads both locally and internationally with their unique west coast flavour. They’ve performed with Nelly Furtado, K-os, Black Eyed Peas, Swollen Members and many more. Jojo Zolina, who started the group in 2002 has recently written and directed his latest “concept driven” dance show BASEMENT which will be showcased at the Scotia Bank Dance Centre by “Over the Influence” this Fall. The group will also be performing in Vancouver’s hottest new showcase “For the Luv of It”. This brand new, once a month carnival of acts is designed to showcase and encourage local talent to generate their own work.

The world of corporate shows, events and industrials is on a huge rise. With many new companies having insight into Vancouver’s growth potential and the presence of the 2010 Olympics, B.C. is becoming the home of a lot of businesses as well as larger corporations western head offices. The “Femmes Fatales” have seen first hand the increased call for corporate event entertainment. “We are blown away by the demand we’ve received” stated director Carla Catherwood who has also produced “For the Luv of It”. This provocative cabaret act of beauties was created so Catherwood and fellow dancers could stay in Vancouver and get paid to do what they do best. You can get info on “For the luv of It” and “Femme Fatales” at www.fortheluvofit.com. Some of the dancers from the group also perform for local rising pop star Cory Lee, who is currently on tour with Shawn Desman. You can see Cory Lee and her dancers newest video “Goodbye” at www.muchmusic.com

Unfortunately, musical theatre is the most undeveloped opportunity in Vancouver for a dancer. With very few companies hiring professional dancers and singers to perform, employment opportunities are few and far between. However, if you’re looking to get on stage there is a flourishing community theatre network.

One of the primary spots dancers use to take class, in addition to being the hub for the dance community is The Harbour Dance Centre (located in the heart of downtown), home to “Kokoro Dance” and “MOVE: The Company”. Located just up the street, The Scotia Bank Dance Centre provides an alternative to Harbour Dance and continues to expand since its construction in 2001. The Centre is an amazing, state-of-the-art facility with a built in studio theatre offering a wide array of classical, contemporary, and ethnic dance styles. Its’ residents are Ballet British Columbia, Judith Marcuse Projects Society, Vancouver Ballet Society, Dance International Magazine and New Performance Works. Another place to take drop in jazz class that dancers say “kicks their gluteus maximus” is Monday nights at Rachel Poirier’s, “Danzmode”. One of Vancouver’s most talented choreographers, Poirier has created a semi professional environment that pushes the boundaries of dance performance and grooms next generation talent.

It’s impossible to mention all the new dance companies and events that are creating opportunity for themselves in Vancouver; you’ll have to come see for yourself. If you’re a dancer from any other part of Canada looking for a lifestyle change and still want to pursue your art, this is a great place to be. You’ll be part of this strong movement of dance artists who will soon reap the benefits of being pioneer’s of the west coast dance community.