ON STAGE

What: Broken Rhythms' Spark

When: Tonight, 7: 30 p.m.

Where: Intrepid Theatre

Tickets: $17 at the door or by email from brokenrhythms victoria@gmail.com.

She calls it "rhythmical contemporary."

The new dance form, pioneered by Victoria-based dancer Dyana Sonik-Henderson, is a hybrid beast, blending together the varied influences and styles the 26-year-old choreographer has absorbed over the years.

"If I were forced to break it down, I'd say the legs are contemporary, the rhythm is jazz, the articulation of the upper body is hip hop and the animal inspirations are my own infusion," she said.

"It's funny," she said. "I'd been working with the style for quite a few years before I really knew what it was."

Sonik-Henderson's new dance company, Broken Rhythms, will dance the rhythmical contemporary piece Spark tonight at Intrepid Theatre. The nearsoldout show is part of Intrepid Theatre's You Show, a semimonthly showing of emerging artists.

Sonik-Henderson grew up in Victoria and studied dance at Stages Performing Arts School, where she now teaches. She has also performed hip hop with preprofessional dance company OIP in Toronto, jazz at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in Calgary and worked as an entertainer on a cruiseliner, which she called "very 'show girl.' "

Consuming different dance cultures isn't just a hobby for Sonik-Henderson, it's a mission.

"I'm trying to get to every place in the world to study their culture of dance," she said. "I think it has affected a lot of the style I do."

She calls it her "dance bucket list."

So far, she has made it to Cuba, England and Italy.

The next stop in her quest might be Russia - "they're known for their dance training and their ballet" - or Switzerland.

When she moved back to Victoria last summer to study at UVic, however, she didn't find the dance community she was hoping for.

"I was like, what can I do? What's out there? I didn't find much . or any group of like-minded individuals who had a common goal," she said. "I wasn't finding that leadership."

So she took the reins herself and held auditions in September, despite naysayers who pointed to a lack of funding and other constraints.

"I was like, you know, we might not have as much, but we can still do something with it," she said.

Though this is the first performance by Broken Rhythms, Sonik-Henderson has already planned the next two years for the group. It includes remounting Spark (potentially through Fringe Festivals), choreographing two new works (the concepts are already there) and seeking funding to sustain the company.

Sonik-Henderson says she is indebted to Stages director Kim Breiland.

"None of this could be possible without Kim," she said.

"She gave me the encouragement to do it, she gave me the space to rehearse and I've been almost on full scholarship at that arts school since I was little."

asmart@timescolonist.com