ON STAGE
What: Dance Days 2021
Where: dancevictoria.com
When: Jan. 15-25
Tickets: Free
Dance Days, now in its 12th year, has become an annual highlight for amateur dancers who want to learn first-hand from the pros. But in a year when unpredictability is the norm, organizers at Dance Victoria are offering the widest range of content possible, from short films to hip-hop classes.
Being able to offer something for everyone, free of charge, is a little more important in 2021, said Tracy Smith, Dance Victoria’s marketing manager. “Everything being offered is a true reflection of the resilience and creativity of people coming together to create something really special. Whether that’s a dance film created at home under these circumstances or a discussion about dance, they are all example of resilience during this time.”
Dance Days, which gets underway Jan. 15 and runs through Jan. 25, offers classes and content from around the city through one portal — the dancevictoria.com website. Participants can choose from dozens of options, all provided free.
Smith is especially enthusiastic about a virtual fundraiser Jan. 20 featuring Ballet B.C.’s highly touted artistic director, Medhi Walerski, who will converse with the University of Victoria’s fine arts dean, Allana Lindgren, before answering questions from the audience. “It’s about sharing a love and appreciation of dance, which is our vision and mission statement,” Smith said.
Dance classes on offer range from Beginner Rollers Dance (Jan. 16) to Solo Beginners Ballroom (Jan. 22) and Barre Fitness (Jan. 24). The majority of classes over the 10-day period are online, though a small number of in-person events got the go-ahead to proceed, under provincial health rules.
Smith said the best way to learn what’s available is to follow Dance Victoria’s social-media accounts, which post class details in advance, or to sign up by email for the Dance Days calendar, which can be tailored for themes of interest.
The quality of instructors, from a former Winnipeg Ballet dancer to a current company member of Ballet BC, is very high, Smith said. “They are all looking for mediums to offer their classes.”
Film plays a large role in this year’s Dance Days, from Constance Cooke’s Make a Dance Film workshop to a series of two-minute short films about dance, one of which will posted to the Dance Victoria website each day through Jan. 25. The latter was the result of a new partnership with the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria that came about during the pandemic, one of the many positives in a year of new health restrictions on gatherings.
Smith said she loves how resourceful the dance community was in the planning of Dance Days. “The variety offered through livestreaming is incredible. We’re so happy with the response. In the fall, when we put it out there for people to submit their class, everyone was in a state, thinking: ‘How can we do this?’ But everyone has come so far. We’re thrilled.”
