moved from another thread: <BR> <BR>shag, Member posted July 08, 2000 09:04 AM<P> Here's a summary of the Canadian Dance Festival held in Ottawa. <P> June 30, 2000 The 2000 Canada Dance Festival -- A Memorable Edition!<BR> OTTAWA -- The Canada Dance Festival (CDF) arrived like a breath of fresh air in the<BR> Nation's capital and ended on a high note, charming the dance community and the<BR> general public along the way. With over 10 000 tickets sold, and an overall attendance<BR> of 70%, the eighth edition of this biennial Festival was a resounding success! The CDF<BR> presents artists from across Canada and enjoys a reputation for being the definitive<BR> showcase of new Canadian Dance. With this year's unparalleled programming, the<BR> Canada Dance Festival distinguished itself, once again, as a must-see contemporary<BR> dance event. <P> The 2000 edition will be remembered as a great celebration of dance, which included a<BR> tribute to choreographer Édouard Lock, in honour of the 20th anniversary of his<BR> company, La La La Human Steps. The activities linked to this Homage most certainly<BR> contributed to making this edition a memorable one, including the opening night<BR> performance of Lock's latest creation Salt, and the public interview session with Lock,<BR> mediated by journalist and dance critic Andrée Martin. <P> One of the many other highlights of the 2000 CDF was the performance of two new<BR> works by Marie Chouinard: Les 24 préludes de Chopin and Le Cri du monde. Both pieces<BR> received standing ovations and confirmed the genius and maturity of this great<BR> choreographer. Also of great interest were performances of Te souvient-il? by Louise<BR> Bédard and Sylvain Émard; the world premiere of Ottawa's Tedd Robinson's stunning<BR> solo, Rigmarole; the North American premiere of José Navas' Perfume de Gardenias; and<BR> the much anticipated return of Vancouver's The Holy Body Tattoo whose latest work,<BR> Circa, was well received by fans and critics. The CDF is also a creative hotbed for the<BR> emerging talents and voices of tomorrow. This year, journalists and presenters agreed<BR> that one of the most electrifying of these discoveries was choreographer and performer<BR> Sarah Chase from Toronto. <P> The entire region benefited from this year's festivities during which dance took over the<BR> Nation's capital from 10 a.m. to midnight. Performances took place in the most<BR> prestigious venues, including the National Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Canada,<BR> Arts Court, La Nouvelle Scène, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and Strathcona<BR> Park, where the ever-popular Dusk Dances attracted and charmed large crowds once<BR> again. La Nouvelle Scène was a new venue this year, and was acclaimed by all as an<BR> intimate and comfortable setting in which to fully appreciate the magic of dance<BR> performances. <P> The CDF is committed to pursuing the development of dance, which remains essential in<BR> the demystification of the art form and audience development. It seeks to educate in<BR> order to allow dance to expand and develop. Meetings, conferences, and forums, such<BR> as Login: dance/se organised by the Canada Council for the Arts, encouraged research<BR> and discussion about the current status of dance in Canada. As another important<BR> initiative, the Festival commissioned Laura Taler, the curator of Filmdance, to produce a<BR> promotional video to explain contemporary dance and make it more accessible. "A very<BR> dangerous pastime, a devastatingly simple dance guide" was shown at different Festival<BR> venues and was very well received by both dance artists and the general public. <P> The enthusiastic collaboration of the media throughout the Festival must be<BR> highlighted. In honour of the Festival, certain media directly collaborated in the<BR> development of audiences by publishing special articles and sections about<BR> understanding and appreciating dance. These became veritable communications tools<BR> for the public. <P> Cathy Levy, Producer of the CDF has greatly contributed to the building of the solid<BR> international reputation the Festival enjoys. Barbara Laskin, Chair of the Board of<BR> Directors, thanks her warmly for her commitment for over 13 years and congratulates<BR> her on her nomination to the position of Dance Producer for the National Arts Centre.<BR> "This is a great loss for us, but we will have the pleasure of continuing to work<BR> together. We are very happy that Cathy Levy will put her talents at the service of<BR> dance on national and international levels". <P> The eighth edition of the Canada Dance Festival was made possible thanks to the<BR> support of our partners and sponsors. The Canada Dance Festival wishes to thank its<BR> co-producer, the National Arts Centre, and the following partners and sponsors: the<BR> Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, the National Gallery<BR> of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts (Millennium Fund), the Canada Millennium<BR> Partership Program, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the<BR> Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation, the<BR> City of Ottawa, the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, the Laidlaw Foundation,<BR> du Maurier Arts, CanWest Global Communications Corp., VIA Rail, Bell Mobility, Canada<BR> Post, Michael Bell, Harvey and Louise Glatt, the Cultural Human Resources Council, the<BR> Community Foundation of Ottawa, Canadian High Commission (London), the Conseil des<BR> arts et des lettres du Québec, Grimm Pictures, Le Groupe Dance Lab, the Canadian<BR> Museum of Civilization, the Canadian Museum of Nature, Digital Services Group (New<BR> Media), Magma Communications, Budget Rent-A-Car of Canada Ltd., David Redmond<BR> and Associates, The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, Le Bureau du<BR> Québec à Toronto, Kolégramdesign inc., M.O.M. Printing, the National Film Board of<BR> Canada, Sleeman Brewing & Malting Company, The Lookout Bar & Bistro, the Hudson's<BR> Bay Charitable Foundation, Karin Lacey, Dance Educators, Business Development Bank,<BR> and the Embassy Hotel and Suites. The Canada Dance Festival also wishes to thank its<BR> media partners for the 2000 edition: Radio Canada Télévision, CBC Television, Rogers<BR> Television, Le Devoir, The Ottawa Citizen, Première Chaîne de Radio-Canada le 90,7 FM,<BR> Zone, Xpress, Capital Xtra, Le Droit, Diffusart, The Dance Current, and Les Saisons de<BR> la danse. <P><BR> <BR>
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