Dance On Stage This Week : May 28-June 03

Almost all of the shows going on this week are mixed-bill performances by artists of which you may not have heard. Many of them are emerging artists, community dance groups or dancers from out-of-town. The up-and-comers of the dance scene in Vancouver are the ones that I like to watch. In ten years (give or take a few), these emerging artists will hopefully have established themselves as major players, and you can say - "Hey, I saw her before she was famous".

Included in this week's promo? 12 Minutes Max, Dances for a Small Stage, Link Community Dance, Moving Dragon and the Orchid Ensemble and Ballet de Printemps. Read on for more details!

The final show of 12 Minutes Max, version XXXIII is on tomorrow night at the Firehall Arts Centre (280 E Cordova St @ Gore). If you're willing to brave the somewhat-sketchy neighborhood, it promises to be a great show. If you're taking transit, my advice is to bring a friend. Not only will you and your friend be entertained and culturally enlightened, but you'll both feel a lot safer walking to your car/bus stop afterwards. This series presents work by emerging and established artists, showing a mixed-bill of work (nothing over 12 minutes long). The show is supposed to be curated with an interdisciplinary mandate, but most often it ends up being predominantly contemporary work.

This installment of 12MMax was curated by Maryse Zeidler and Vancouver-based dance critic Kaija Pepper. Choreographers include Noah Drew, Lina Fitzner, Barb Murray, Joe Laughlin, Caroline Liffman and Jane Osborne, among many others. Tickets are $12, available at the door or at the box office by calling 604.689.0926. if you saw the show tonight, drop us a line and give your opinion on the show! I'd love to hear an informal review...

Another local dance series is also taking place this week, May 29th & 30th @ 8pm. MovEnt presents the 16th edition of Dances for a Small Stage. The series is now showing at their new location, which is reported to be an improvement: The Legion on The Drive (2205 Commercial Drive @ East 6th, 2nd floor). Small Stages used to be held at Crush downtown - this will be their second show in the new space. Locals Jacky Essombe, Ballet BC's Donald Sales, Dianna David, Jessica Fletcher, Marla Waal, Justine Chambers and The Ruckus Company are teamed up with Torontonians The Chimera Project, promising a jam-packed night of dances created specifically for a teeny-tiny stage.

On Wednesday May 30th at 8:00pm, Link Community Dance will present their annual showcase of dance choreographed by professionals and performed for the most part by recreational dancers. This is a great opportunity to see the diverse and wonderful dancers enrolled in Vancouver's community centre groups, while at the same time enjoying performances by guest contemporary and cultural dance companies.

This year, participating groups include stART Dance, headed by Desiree Dunbar of Dancers Dancing; Continuum Dance Co., Skywaterdreams, Roundhouse Community Dancers, Lorita Leung Chinese Dance Co., Sudnya Dance Academy, Centro Flamenco, and many others. Located at the Norman Rothstein Theatre, 950 West 41st Ave. (at Oak St). Admission is by donation, suggested $5. For more info, please contact the theatre at (604) 257 - 5111, or visit their website .

Discover Dance! presents Moving Dragon and the Orchid Ensemble's collaborative work, Triaspora. Presented as part of Asian Heritage Month, this work explores the Chinese Canadian experience through dance and music. Triaspora is on Thursday May 31st at 12noon at the Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie St @ Granville). Tickets are $9 ($7 for students and seniors) from Tickets Tonight or at the door.

Stop by the Scotiabank Dance Centre on June 3rd for Ballet de Printemps. Presenting choreography by Arthur Saint-Leon, Marius Petipa as well as the premiere of a new work, The Cellist, choreographed by my fellow SFU Dance Alumnus, Jelena Bagaric-Mandic. For more info, please contact The Dance Centre at 604.606.6400.

Photo credit: Untitled, by Flamenco.Contemporary