JOE INK and SFU Woodward's Cultural Programs to Premiere DANCE:CRAFT

JOE INK, in Partnership with SFU Woodward's Cultural Programs is set to present the world premiere of DANCE:CRAFT at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Fei & Milton Wong Experimental Theatre (149 W. Hastings) from May 20 to 22. Performances and an exhibition will begin at 7pm. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for students & seniors + s/c. For tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/dancecraft-tickets-309954762037. For more information, visit https://joeink.ca/.

DANCE:CRAFT is an exploration of two dancers interacting with numerous craft objects in a reconfigured theatre setting. Its craft seen through the lens of dance and remixed, a look at our relationship to objects, creating and interacting with them. How do objects further extend the language of the body and its narrative possibilities? JOE INK is creating this performance scenario through movement, craft objects, original music, lighting and video design. In addition to the performances an exhibition of 5 Virtual Reality films will take the viewer into the atelier of the artists.

The objects and art will influence the movement and this final two-month creation process, will further develop the piece and inform its language. The initial research began in 2017 and 5 years later, the creation will be fully realized with the celebration of the world premiere in May 2022.

DANCE:CRAFT began as a research-based dance/art project, a cross discipline performance work engaging Joe Laughlin and dancers' in a dialogue with 5 prominent British Columbia Craft Artists, facilitated and curated by the Craft Council of British Columbia. The intention is a synthesis, blurring the lines between construction and performance and the body as object.

Each of the 5 craft elements; glass (Hope Forstenzer), metal (Stefanie Dueck), wood (Patrick Christie), fibre (Deborah Dumka) and ceramics (Debra E Sloan) are represented and re-interpreted by celebrated choreographer Joe Laughlin and acclaimed dance artists Heather Dotto and Joey Matt. It is cross disciplinary, collaborative and cumulative and uses a responsive approach to fusing all of the elements.

"I have been thinking about the earth, the environment, the elements, evolution, geography, migration and humans. The tactile sensation of handmade objects juxtaposed with the ephemeral quality of the dancing body triggers a memory experience. Being immersed in an environment and watching the body respond to texture and colour is what anchors us in time and space. We are looking for connections between communities and the natural world, geography and the human family.

Reflecting on the limbic system, molecular memories and the continual erosion occurring in the body, I want the viewer to recognize a connection with ancient materials like water and stone, our relationship with the elements and the shifting landscapes we find ourselves in. This performance provides new ways of looking at craft through dance and reflects a collective creative spirit.

Dance may be carved out of the landscape, movement ebbs and flows, rises and falls, shifting and ever changing, it is cumulative, and a gradual transformation occurs over time. The process for creating a dancer incorporates, fiber, sinew, muscle, bone, water, pressure, agitation and repetition. Craft is a transformative process that incorporates stone, fiber, wood, metal, water, pressure, agitation and repetition." Joe Laughlin

About JOE INK

Joe Ink was founded in 1995 and has built a reputation for its versatility. Described as "wickedly sophisticated," "unusual," and "daring," this Vancouver dance company speaks in a movement language all its own. Led by choreographer Joe Laughlin, the companies mission is to engage and inspire people through the medium of dance, pushing the edge creatively as professional artists while also strengthening community through dance. Since inception Joe Ink has balanced local performances and projects in partnership with national and International Artists and organizations while also producing public performances in the context of the community-based dance program Move It !

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