Free Flow Update - January 2007

Welcome to a new year! May it be a happy and healthy one for everyone! I have survived what native Saskatchewanians are calling the Blizzard of our lifetime and am ready and raring to go in the new year.

Recent Events

SCES Workshop Tour: For 7 weeks I toured the province in a van full of artists to over 30 different schools in rural Saskatchewan. The program runs each fall brining a variety of professional artists and their workshops to students who may not often have the opportunity to experience the arts. Our tour offered Visual Arts – painting and pastels, Drama – improvisational skills, Music – Hip Hop poetry writing, Vocal play and of course creative dance. After a long and hard tour we successfully emerged on the other side of our contract tired and ready for the next big thing.

As luck would have it the next big thing for me was…
The Vaudeville Project!
I was fortunate enough to receive some funding from the Saskatchewan Arts Board to travel to Toronto where I lived and worked for the next two months. (Happily missing out on the cold of the Saskatoon winter) I was thrilled to be working with some of the dancers I had previously worked with and excited to rekindle old friendships along the way.

I began work at The Artists Play Centre the day after I arrived and continued except for a brief break over Christmas to visit my family until the night before I departed! It was a whirlwind of a trip but a wonderful one!

Who was involved?
Lucy Rupert – One of Free Flow’s original company members worked with me on Music Box Salome – Inspired by historical figure Maud Allen
Tim Spronk – Previous Company member worked on The Swirling Universe – Inspired by La Loie Fuller
Rebecca Carney – Previous Company member worked on He Kissed me… a new work inspired by many of the more clown like characters in Vaudeville.
Holly Treddenick – Of Free Flow’s Izzy Scorpio and Show and Tell fame performed in Nice and Naughty – a traditional style burlesque piece inspired by Sally Rand and also joined forces with newcomer Sabrina Pringle in the aerial act Vraisment Grande.

The work was presented in an informal but entertaining showing at The Centre of Gravity on Gerrard St on Jan 4^th. An intimate and supportive crowd was in attendance at the first Toronto showing of work from the Vaudeville project.

We would like to thank those of you who came out for the showing and who are supporting this project. A big thank you goes to Alan Page my gracious host while I was in Toronto for his sponsorship and donation and to Daf and Jim Summers for their contribution towards the project. And last but not least to the dancers who shared their talents with me in the development of the work!

Diva's
Free Flow was invited as a guest artist to present work at the last Drag Performance of Diva's current reigning King and Queen 2006. Performers Kelly Van Damme and Jenna Wolford were a hit with the well-known piece Conjoined. The work was also presented at the AKA Gallery Burlesque Fundraiser in Dec. 2006 to much acclaim.

Upcoming Events:

Free Flow will perform at Positive Passions Masquerade, on Sat. Jan 20^th at 9pm. Tickets are available at the door for $10.

Jackie will be attending the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse Feb 22 to March 10 as the team manager for team Saskatchewan's National Arts Program. She is extremely pleased to be a part of this event and is proud to be representing Saskatchewan!

Dirty Bingo III will be held on March 31^st at 8pm at the DSI Centre! Don’t miss this fantastically fun annual fundraiser! $5 door fee $2 bingo rounds.

W.I.P. New Dance Series 2007
A call for choreographers has been placed for this season's WIP. Information is available on the web site. Please click on the WIP icon on the homepage of the site. The Refinery Arts and Spirit Centre will be our host space for the season and the first of two showing will take place on April 28^th 2007 at 7pm. The second showing will be in Sept. with the Gala following in Nov. Apply now as choreographers are accepted on a first come first served basis.

International Dance Day Sunday April 29^th 2007 at 7pm at the DSI Centre. Please join us for our annual International Dance Day Celebration Performance featuring dance from around the world! Tickets $5 DSI members $6 Non members.

Classes:

Modern Dance classes – Refinery Arts and Spirit Centre Monday evenings – ongoing

Traditional Burlesque Classes, hosted by Positive Passions begin on Thursday Jan 18^th at 7:30pm

This year is already shaping up to be a fantastic one! Keep you eyes open for a show near you! As always we look forward to hearing from you so be sure to drop us a line once in a while.
Have a prosperous and happy new year!
Dancing across the Universe,
Jackie Latendresse