News: (Ottawa) Special events announced for Canada Dance Festival (press release)

MEDIA RELEASE

Plenty of exciting activities on the horizon for the
2014 Canada Dance Festival.

For Immediate Release

May 9, 2014 – The Canada Dance Festival (CDF) is about so much more than just amazing dance performances.  In addition to the full festival line-up unveiled in April, Jeanne Holmes, Artistic Producer of the CDF is pleased to announce that this year’s festival will also feature a fundraising gala, panel discussions with artists, additional dance events as well as the hub of all the festival off-stage activity: the festival bar.

 “The gathering of dancers and companies from across Canada is not only a national showcase; it is the coming together of a small and far-flung community of artists” says Holmes. “The CDF brings the many sectors of the field together in Ottawa, but the impact of our activities both on and off stage is felt across the country.” 

CDF 2014 will present 24 new dance works including two world premieres performed by more than 200 dance artists from across Canada over the festival’s six days including the recent addition of Vancouver’s Ziyian Kwan as part of a double bill with Tania Alvarado on Thursday, June 12 at the NAC Studio.

On Wednesday June 11 at 8 p.m., CDF 2014 is pleased to host the second installment of ‘A Moveable Feast’ – a delicious fundraiser celebrating Canadian dance at the Orange Art Gallery.  It’s a chance to kick your heels up at an evening of good food, great cocktails and fabulous company.

Renowned Winnipeg filmmaker Danielle Sturk brings the preview of her new film Rachel Browne: A Good Madness at 1 p.m. on Friday, February 13, at the National Art Gallery. This feature length dance film captures the power of the dance created by Rachel Browne (1934-2012), a Canadian dance icon and founder of Canada’s oldest professional modern dance company, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, shedding light on the imprint that she has left on those who danced with and alongside her.

Additional programming includes performances by Montreal’s Jane Mappin Danse at the Waterfall Court / Le Jardin des Cascades presented by the Canadian Museum of History as well as a showcase of new works by Ottawa Dance Directive in the ODD Box studio.. Both productions are running Thursday June 12 to Saturday, June 14.

Public panels and round table discussions will be held on Art as a Catalyst for Dialogue which will include members of the cast of A Soldier's Tale (presented in partnership with the War Museum); Capturing the Moving Image (inpartnership with the School of Photographic Arts, Ottawa); and Art and Activism hosted by Marie Wilson (from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada on Residential Schools), and will include choreographer Lara Kramer and others. Additionally, pre and post show conversations with festival artists will take place daily throughout the festival.

Beginning Tuesday, June 10 and running through Saturday, June 14, festival patrons are invited to rub shoulders with the crème de la crème of dancers, presenters and choreographers from across the country at the CDF Festival barco-hosted with Ottawa Dance Directive (ODD) in Arts Court.  The bar will be open nightly from 10 p.m. to 1:30 am and will offer plenty of affordable beverages and delicious snacks. For more details on CDF 2014’s ancillary activities, please click here.

Festival tickets are on sale now through the NAC box office and Ticketmaster.

For the entire performance schedule, program details and additional festival information, please visit canadadance.ca.  Follow us on Twitter or reach out to us on Facebook.

CDF 2014 is a national platform that celebrates the voice of the contemporary artist and cultivates the future of Canadian dance.  By investing in dancers and choreographers we are helping to build relationships across physical and generational boundaries, to spark creative ideas, partnerships and relationships, and to present and honour the broad range of work in the ever-evolving Canadian dance scene.