Movement Through Dance

Andrew Winchur speaks to Nikolaos Markakis and Jillian Peever about the dynamics of modern dance in Toronto, and the possibilities of meaningful social change.

Nikolaos Markakis is a co-founder of the Half-Second Echo Dance Collective. He recently completed a Masters in Fine Arts at York University.

Jillian Peever is an independent dance artist based in Toronto. She is a recent recipient of the Dora Mavor Moore Awards Outstanding Female Performance for her work in the solo show The Mystery of Mr. Leftover's, by Sharon B. Moore, and has worked with Angela Blumberg, Signal Theatre, BouchardDanse, and Fujiwara Dance Inventions.

Here are links to some of the things we talked about:

-Dance Collection Danse, Canada's national dance archives and publisher dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Canadian theatrical dance history.

-Toronto Dance Theatre, a founding force in Toronto's dance scene.

-Dance Makers, a contemporary dance centre programming residencies, performances and workshops to support the development of Canadian dance.

-Jillian Peever Dance Creations, a platform for Jillian's solo performance work, choreography and creative projects..

-Dusk Dances, an outdoor dance festival that brings contemporary and traditional dance to public parks.

-A Washington Post article describing recent educational initiatives to pair math lessons and dance.

-Signal Theatre, a company committed to the collaborative process, experimentation and intercultural research.

-Sacra Conversazione, a classic experimental work by choreographer David Earle.

-Sasha Ivanochko, a prominent Toronto-based dancer who has has been commissioned by Toronto Dance Theatre, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, TILT sound+motion, Toronto’s Crazyfish Collective, among many others.

-DA Hoskins, Artistic Director of The Dietrich Group, a platform focussed on exploring a non-conformist aesthetics of dance and a forum for interactive exchange.

-Susanna Hood, a teacher at the l’École de Danse Contemporain in Montreal and past Artistic Director of Toronto's interdisciplinary performance company, hum dansoundart.

-Dave St-Pierre, a Quebecois dancer and founder of the experimental Compagnie Dave St-Pierre.

-Canadian Stage, one of Canada's largest contemporary performance companies.

-DanceWorks, a collective of independent dance artists one of Toronto's leading presenters of independent dance.

-Toes For Dance, a collective dedicated to creating platforms for artistic exchange, public engagement and dance education.

-Angela Blumberg's Evolution, performed by Jillian and Irvin Chow, with music by Derek Jarlkaganova.

#education #dance #performance #toronto #arts