Near/Far
Reflecting on the realities of physical distancing during Covid-19, All Bodies Dance Project embarked on a community engaged project leading to the creation of this short dance film. The dancers generated movement that explores questions around distance, proximity, and the spaces between us.
Near/Far captures this unique moment in time and has helped participants to stay playful, curious, creative, and engaged in dancing. Spending more and more time in our homes and in our neighbourhoods, we discovered new relationship with objects, parks, and rooms. Near/Far shows new connections with trees, views out the window, or perhaps a crack on the sidewalk. The process was guided by the question: How can we stay near to each other, while being physically far apart? Is there a newfound relationship with the environment that allows us to feel both near and far from each other?
Concept: Carolina Bergonzoni
Edit: Gemma Crowe
Music: Sebastian Laskowski
Dancers / Collaborators
Alana Prochuk
Ashlee Davidson
Aviva Martin
Bryna Andressen
Cheyenne Seary
Eileen MacKenzie
Janice Laurence
Marnie Maretic
romham pàdraig gallacher
Trina Frometa
Vanessa B. Mendoza
With support from the City of Vancouver.
Bios
All Bodies Dance Project (ABDP) is an inclusive dance company located on unceded Coast Salish Territory (Vancouver, BC). Founded in 2014, ABDP brings together artists with and without disabilities to explore the endless creative possibilities of difference. The company offers accessible and inclusive dance classes for people of all abilities, genders and backgrounds in addition to creating opportunities for diverse artists to practice, research and create innovative, inclusive dance. ABDP seeks to make opportunities for every body to discover dance and for under-represented artists to access dance training and mentorship. We want to widen the spectrum of who dances and what dance can be.
Carolina Bergonzoni (she/her) is a dance artist, educator, and PhD candidate in Arts Education at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. Originally from Italy, she has been living as a settler on unceded Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil- Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) territories since 2014. Carolina is an Artistic Associate of All Bodies Dance Project. Since 2011, she has been working toward building communities of movers and thinkers, with people from 0 to 99+ years old. As a choreographer, she has created works for the Vancouver Fringe Festival, Dance in Vancouver, The Dance Centre, and more. Her first movie Ho.Me has been screening internationally over the past year.
Gemma Crowe is a Vancouver-based interdisciplinary artist focusing on connection, expression, and community through embodiment and discursive practices. A trained contemporary dancer and videographer by trade, Crowe has most recently choreographed the evening-length Seasons: A Magical Musical, which debuted at the prestigious Centre in Vancouver for Performing Art and was offered a broadcast agreement with TELUS Optik TV on Demand for her short documentary, WAREHAUS: making it happen, following a local contemporary dance-duo. Gemma Crowe also runs G Project/Works, an authentic expression and creation initiative which connects the mediums of dance and film. Crowe is currently pursuing an MFA at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
Sebastian Laskowski is a Vancouver-based composer whose music has been described as “bluntly energetic” (The Telegraph). He has written music for chamber/orchestral ensembles, theatre, dance, film, and visual art installations. His first opera, ©alculated to death, (based on documents obtained from WikiLeaks), was staged in 2014 in London as part of Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival. From 2016 to 2017, he served as Composer-in-Residence for the Boulder Symphony in Colorado, where his newest work for the ensemble, Kinespheric Exploitation, was premiered. Sebastian holds a BFA in Music Composition from Simon Fraser University, and an MMus in Creative Practice from Goldsmiths, University of London.