IN THE STUDIO | EN STUDIO: Ame Henderson

relay

Interview by Megan Andrews
Photos by Bettina Hoffman

Ame Henderson / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

Ame Henderson lives and works in Toronto where she is the artistic director of Public Recordings. Her works Blue**Disco (2002), memories and statements (2004), Manual for Incidence (2005), /Dance/Songs/ (2006), Open Field Study (all together now) (Nuit Blanche, 2007) and It was a nice party (Dancemakers, 2008) have been presented in The Netherlands, Italy, Croatia and across Canada. The Most Together We’ve Ever Been, a duet with Matija Ferlin, premiered in July 2009 at INK (Pula, Croatia), appeared at Tangente (Montréal) in October 2009 and at Dancemakers’ TWOBYTHREE – a festival of duets in February 2010.

You say that you are paradoxically at times elated and also despondent with the way things are in the world. What particular issues draw your attention or emotion? Specifically, since we often tend to dwell on the negative, what makes you feel elated?

It is so easy to become discouraged with the state of things in the world. The environment is under duress, we witness poverty and injustice, corruption and the seemingly unending hold of consumerism and individualism taken to such extremes they feel irreversible. I wonder about art and its ability to resist; I find myself questioning its relevance as a space for resistance and hopeful dissent. These are things that make it difficult to stay upbeat.

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And so, I try to focus on the small discoveries of an art practice that does not follow the rules of efficiency, that mostly remembers to take its time, that makes mistakes, and is often absurd and hilarious and tragic for these reasons. Together with others, I work on dances and performance situations for them, trying to believe that in some small way these attempts can make a space not so much away from but just beside all of the looming unknowns and fears of irrelevance. Sharing these processes with artists who are both my friends and my most trusted critics, I am often shaken by people’s generosity of spirit, by their ability to risk and to question, by their humility and humour.

Claudia Fancello, Marie Claire Forté, Chad Dembski, Brendan Jensen, Mairéad Filgate and Barbara Pallomina in rehearsal for relay / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

You note that you construct a laboratory in the studio that is “influenced by the accumulated histories, thoughts and strategies of a group of individuals”. I know that you spend a good deal of time in your process discussing ideas with your collaborators, sitting around a big table full of books and notes. So I can see that these influences come to bear through such conversations. Do you also feel that these influences show up in other non-verbal ways and if so, how? I’m interested in your perspectives and experiences of the intangible dynamics that percolate among a group in a creative process.

Yes. We all arrive into these working situations as ourselves and bring to them all of our knowledge and experience, desires, blind spots. This diversity of perspective is embodied as much as it is theoretical or anecdotal. People have had different work experience, training and history of injury. In working together, these traces are brought to bear on what we make, contributing to the dynamics of exchange and complicity. For me, moving from distinct positions toward each other is as much a physical creative process as a theoretical one. Therefore the movement between spaces of exchange (the table, the studio, the theatre) is important, each space allowing us to articulate our positions and move toward each other in different ways.

Katie Ewald, Chad Dembski, Marie Claire Forté, Brendan Jensen, Claudia Fancello, Barbara Pallomina and Mairéad Filgate in rehearsal for relay / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

I’m interested in your thoughts about the ability of the body to reveal and transform societal structures. Several cultural theorists have taken up these considerations in various ways and I wonder if your thinking is informed by or in argument with any specific theoretical writing about the body? If so, who/what are you reading and how do you situate your work in relation to their ideas?

These days, I am probably most influenced by recent writings by Deleuzian thinkers including Brian Massumi and Elizabeth Grosz as well as by political theorists Chantelle Mouffe and Julia Kristeva. My orientation toward the body and embodiment focusses on relationality and the processes of these exchanges as well as “the political” as a dynamic of relation.

Marie Claire Forté, Barbara Pallomina, Mairéad Filgate, Brendan Jensen, Katie Ewald, Claudia Fancello, Matija Ferlin in rehearsal for relay / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

Quoting you from your artistic statement in the April print issue of The Dance Current: “In staging these events, I hope to make the act of performance a site to imagine different arrangements and realities.” With respect to your belief that the body can both reveal and transform societal structures, in your performances, do you think you/your performers are in the act of actually transforming structures or in the act of proposing or imagining the possibility of transformation? (I guess I’m asking about your perspective on what you call the “interface of the theatre” and thus what you aim for in terms of a relationship with the public?

I think I am most concerned with creating spaces to hold a polyphony of perceptions – both for performers and audiences. I try to set up the circumstances where we can imagine, project, think or dream with and to the art object, the performance. By interface I mean both the apparatus that makes our work visible and also one that allows exchange between different perspectives – the viewer and the performer. I am not so sure about looking for something in particular, but only with noticing a space where something might happen.

Dancers in rehearsal for relay / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

Your collaborative team involves not only dancers but also dancer/actors, a composer and a dramaturge. How do the perspectives of artists from other disciplines inform your work? What do you learn about dance by looking at other forms? Can you give a specific example?

In a series of recent works (/Dance/Songs and It was a nice party) I have engaged with the codes of other mediums such as cinema and live music. I have found that this transduction has allowed me to address what is specific to dance, how it collides and departs with the rules of other forms. I feel similarly about the different perspectives brought by collaborators with backgrounds other than dance. We all have to decide together how the work belongs or relates to a dance tradition.

Jacob Zimmer (seated), Claudia Fancello, Marie Claire Forté, Barbara Pallomina, Brendan Jensen, Ame Henderson, Chad Dembski and Katie Ewald / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

In relay, and I think also in your duet with Matija Ferlin, The Most Together We’ve Ever Been, you are engaging with ideas of togetherness, individuality and the unison gesture. How did you arrive at this topical focus for your work? What politic underlies this concern/interest?

I have been working collaboratively for many years, at first almost by accident and now as a crucial through line of my practice. The investigation of collaboration and the necessity of agreement and discord in a creative process as a working dynamic have increasingly seeped into the artistic and conceptual frameworks for my projects. I can no longer make such a clear distinction between the ways we work and the artworks that we produce, and so I think the recent projects are a result of my interest in questioning the practice of making in general. At the same time, I feel strongly that finding ways to meet each other and to begin to find space for the perceptions of the other are vital to our contemporary situation. I feel a responsibility to address these conundrums in my work – to work things out, to talk things out, to find new modes within my medium – thinking that this might help.

Claudia Fancello, Ame Henderson and Katie Ewald / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

Based on your response above, I wonder if there are utopic/idealistic threads underpinning your explorations of togetherness and whether through this work you are expressing a hopeful perspective?

I think I have as many questions and scepticism about the possibility and danger of utopia as the next person. If there was such a thing, I would say that my work tries to ‘think utopically’, meaning that it privileges the space for possibility that things could get better, for hope (if you want to call it that) but situates this thinking as a dynamic that exists and is useful now – in real time, in the messy place we are actually in.

Claudia Fancello, Brendan Jensen and Mairéad Filgate / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

In your statement in the print magazine, you comment on your interest in the “the role of the dancer in the emerging dance archive”. I wonder what you mean by this? Further, what specific questions are you interested in posing about authorship and legacy?

I am curious about the ways that the body can be understood as a document while also being in the process of constantly documenting as it is also experiencing. Working with performers with histories of making and performing works, I’ve become increasing aware of the archival nature of memory – what the dancer remembers and how this is an often unrecognized site of a constantly emerging, shifting archive. In relay, the performance is structured as a mechanism that allows this embodied archive to become visible. Individual memories become a launching place for something shared. Relating this to other questions earlier in the interview, I would say that this work makes explicit the reality that none of us come from no place, that our perspectives and experience are consequent to the unfolding of the event. In this way, I hope that I am also positing questions about legacy and authorship. In choreography, unlike visual art, music and cinema for example, we don’t have a history of quoting, sampling and reconstruction practices – modes that I think both reconfirm and reconfigure the evolution of art practice.

Dancers in rehearsal for relay / Photo by Bettina Hoffman

Ame Henderson/Public Recordings presents relay from April 7th through 10th as part of Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage at the Enwave Theatre, Toronto. relay then appears at the Canada Dance Festival on June 12th at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa. The work was co-commissioned by the CanDance Network, Rencontres chorégraphiques internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis, Harbourfront Centre, L’Agora de la danse, The Vancouver East Cultural Centre and Canada Dance Festival. | Ame Henderson/Public Recordings présente relay du 7 au 10 avril dans le cadre de la série World Stage du Harbourfront Centre au théâtre Enwave, Toronto. La pièce est ensuite présentée au Festival Danse Canada le 12 juin au Centre National des Arts, Ottawa. relay est une commande du Réseau CanDanse, de Rencontres chorégraphiques internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis, de Harbourfront Centre, de l’Agora de la danse, du Vancouver East Cultural Centre et du Festival Danse Canada.

Learn more | Pour en savoir plus >>
www.publicrecordings.org

HEALTHY DANCER: Sensational Oat Cookie

What influences your appetite?
By Nathan Payne, BASc, and M. Karin Ng, MHSc, RD

Satiation is defined as the sensation of fullness that develops during the progress of a meal, signaling the brain to stop eating. Palatability (taste), ripeness of fruit, particle size of food (apple sauce versus a whole apple), cooking methods, timing of meals, size and composition of meals (proteins, fats and carbohydrates, including fibre), and physiological differences such as one’s metabolism, can all impact a food’s satiating effect.

These petite, nutrient-dense treats are a great balance of fibre, protein and intense chocolate taste. Give them a try and see if they satisfy your appetite.

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15-minute preparation time
20-minute bake time

3 cups oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup baby food prune purée
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup flax meal or ground flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 egg whites
1 & 1/2 cups sucanat (Cane sugar with naturally developed molasses)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225F. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Increase heat to medium and add sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add milk, increase heat until mixture is boiling, stirring frequently. Boil mixture for 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and pour into dry mixture. Stir in prune purée. Whip egg whites until a light foam develops, and slowly fold into mixture. Take heaping teaspoons of the mixture to create small mounds on a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake at 225F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes.

Note: Try coating with melted dark chocolate once they have cooled and keep in the freezer until needed.

Editor’s Note: The authors would love to hear your feedback on this snack. Write to dc.editor@thedancecurrent.com with your response.

ASTUCES POUR PROFESSEURS: Planifier la fin de l’année

De Katharine Harris de l’École nationale de ballet du Canada
Traduction de Marie Claire Forté

Le mois d’avril se prête parfaitement à la planification de la fin de l’année au studio. C’est aussi le moment idéal pour entamer la promotion et les inscriptions de la session d’automne.

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Fête
Nombre de professeurs aiment souligner la fin de l’année avec une fête, qui se tient souvent autour du récital de fin d’année. Décidez à l’avance si la fête aura lieu pendant les heures de cours et si les parents seront invités. Le studio de danse est comme une famille élargie ; une fête de fin d’année réunissant élèves et parents est un moyen inclusif de renforcer cette notion.
La présence des parents compte d’autres avantages. La fin de l’année est un bon moment pour rappeler aux élèves de s’inscrire aux cours d’automne. Dans une ambiance festive, après une année de travail ensemble, élèves et parents seront enclins à confirmer leur engagement à la danse. Les enseignants peuvent faciliter l’inscription en proposant une table où les élèves peuvent s’inscrire sur place. Si ce n’est pas possible, pensez à imprimer un dépliant avec l’horaire des cours de la session d’automne, ainsi que la date du début des inscriptions. Distribuez-le à la fête et renvoyez-le par courriel un peu avant le début des inscriptions.

Photos
Les photos de classes et d’élèves sont une autre tradition courante de fin d’année. Prenez-vous à l’avance si vous voulez engager un photographe professionnel puisque le printemps est une période achalandée avec les mariages, les collations des grades et autres célébrations. Avisez les parents aussi tôt que possible, surtout si vous exigez que les élèves portent des uniformes ou des costumes particuliers. Si vous n’avez pas encore travaillé avec un photographe, demandez des références à d’autres propriétaires de studio. Prendre en photo des groupes d’enfants peut être complexe. Assurez-vous que le photographe sait s’y prendre, qu’il est capable de mettre les gens à l’aise et qu’il a une complicité avec les enfants. Vous pouvez recruter des parents bénévoles pour aider l’initiative.

Fierté et promotion
La fin de l’année est aussi un bon moment pour songer à investir dans de la marchandise promotionnelle. Les sacs de danse, chandails, pulls et bouteilles d’eau sont très populaires – et utiles. Imprimez le nom et le logo de votre studio sur ces produits et regardez-les s’envoler comme de petits pains chauds. Parce que le studio de danse est comme une famille, l’élève cultive un sentiment d’appartenance avec ses enseignants et collègues de classe, et à son studio. Étudier la danse fait partie de son identité. Ainsi, la marchandise promotionnelle lui permet d’exprimer une fierté d’affiliation au studio. La marchandise est aussi un excellent moyen de promouvoir votre studio, puisque l’élève s’en servira probablement à des stages d’été ou à des ateliers. Si vous décidez d’acheter de la marchandise promotionnelle pour la vendre, magasinez et comparez les offres et les prix. De nombreux fournisseurs proposent de bons prix et des produits de qualité afin que vous puissiez offrir la marchandise à des prix abordables pour les élèves et les parents.
Ces initiatives s’ajoutent à la planification des spectacles de fin d’année. Prenez-vous à l’avance afin de vous assurer une fin d’année paisible.

Dance Scenes From the Interior: in process with Jeanne Renaud

By Richard Simas

Jeanne Renaud / Photo by Ed Kostiner

She whispers to a technician while shooting a sequence for her current dance-film project, Blanc Noir ou Rien, (White Black or Nothing) and steps lightly behind the camera dolly as it traces a wide circular path around performers Louise Bédard and Sylvain Émard. Her poise and grace, moving with the camera as it records the duos’ “eyes-closed” floor segment, makes it easy to imagine a brilliant young Renaud about to deftly enter the dance herself. Now, sixty years after her groundbreaking expressionist choreographies of the late 1940s, Renaud is dancing again on the edge. Her eyes, poetic journal writing and keen sensibility provide the figures for a new creation.

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Create Again

Renaud is a contemporary dance pioneer and essential reference in regard to the arts in Québec. Influential and far-reaching, her artistic career stretches from complicit and early associations with the historic and revolutionary Automatist artists and the Refus Global manifesto of 1948, through her creative output dating from the late 1940s (Déformité, Emprise), up to this current dance-film project. Emblematic of her deep dedication to cultivating artistic experimentation and development, Renaud founded and directed Le Groupe de La Place Royale (1966 through1972), co-directed Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (1985 through1988), and has served tenures on arts councils, dance faculties and consultative committees. She has been instrumental in encouraging the careers of generations of dance artists including Jean-Pierre Perreault and Ginette Laurin, and more recently Louise Bédard and Sylvain Émard. Her contributions have been recognized by a Québec Arts Award, (Prix Denise Pelletier), a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, and an honorary doctorate from Concordia University.

Where to start on a creation now? “I simply want to begin from the instinct and personality of each dancer,” she says. The spark for Blanc Noir ou Rien originated in a proposal by the video and visual artist Mario Côté, who was initially interested in filming Renaud’s Déformité (1948). Renaud’s response: “Remounting a previous work is not a priority for me. It’s as though I just wanted to live in the past. I prefer to reflect on how I see my two dancers, Louise Bédard and Sylvain Émard, right now.”

In anticipation of her first sessions with the dancers, she noted in a journal:

I began with the pleasure of writing about how we would experience the project: what the body senses, the spirit; or perhaps even just a description of an empty space that will be filled, an energy that we will employ; a way of going beyond ourselves and on to somewhere else … or even nothing at all. We begin from nothing because an artistic creation is always new, projecting us into the unknown.

Louise Bédard and Sylvain Émard / Photo by Ed Kostiner

In 1991, Renaud had worked intimately with Bédard and Émard when she choreographed Blanc et Noir to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Le Groupe Dance Lab (Le Groupe de la Place Royale). Looking at photographs from that project nineteen years ago gave her the impetus to propose a new project to her two favourite dancers.

“What interested me was to work with Louise and Sylvain … I find them extraordinary. When we started working from the text I had written, it was even more exceptional because they offered me such vast generosity and complicity for my research and experimentation. I wasn’t expecting that.”

From the outset, the choreographer told her dancers, “I could only do this project with you.” Later, she added, “I knew that together, we would go beyond the technical level to a singular life-experience.” Blanc Noir ou Rien is a new creation, a dance collaboration conceived for film. The only aspects remaining from the 1991 project are the quality of the relationship between the artistic partners and Renaud’s quest for a refined, interior sensibility.

Louise Bédard and Sylvain Émard / Photo by Ed Kostiner

Notebooks/Physical Words

Though she is a woman whose primary creative language is dance, in her notebook, Renaud, ever the youthful explorer, carefully named her objectives for Blanc Noir ou Rien:

Attempt to explore, in every way possible, the sensations that the movements create inside you: with your partner, by your partner, in the provocations between you. Answer these sensations with your body as honestly as is physically possible. At the end of each rehearsal, the dancers should write the impressions of what their bodies and spirits experienced.

Renaud kept a journal of notes during the creation and insisted that her dancers do the same. It was not only a way of organizing her thoughts and procedures, but also a chronicle of the ephemeral beauty of her daily exchanges with Bédard and Émard. The idea of “beginning from nothing”, the blank page of a creation, became a unifying and minimalist starting point. “Nothing” became the dancer’s state of availability and the zone of exchange among the collaborators, a place of possibility and invention.

Renaud: For the sake of a common departure for our project, we accept this idea of “nothing”, with the notion that it’s a new place for all three of us. It opens the doors of our desire for discovery in yet unknown places.

Bédard: The idea of “nothing” can’t really exist in art.

Émard: It strikes me: “nothing”. Does emptiness really exist? It’s surely the “nothing” where everything is possible … I like those few words even if I don’t really know how to work with them.

Louise Bédard and Sylvain Émard / Photo by Ed Kostiner

Beyond Déformité

1947. The scene is the Lower East Side of New York. In the vibrant and startling post-war urban setting, the eighteen-year-old Renaud witnesses a scene near the tracks of the Williamsburg Bridge that leaves a profound impression and stimulates a seminal dance solo called Déformité: “I saw a man lying on a bench with his arm dangling. When I touched him, I knew that he was dead … I thought, life is so harsh and terrible in New York. I will try to describe what I feel in a dance.” That image and the sensations it provoked inspired a piece that is an historic reference in her oeuvre and Canadian modern dance. “The first time I explored Déformité, I took a silk sock and pulled it over my head to create a deformed effect.”

If that harsh observation was the genesis for Renaud’s first solo creation, it is likewise a link to her work more than sixty years later in Blanc Noir ou Rien. She says that in fact she is creating from the same impulse now as she did after that scene in New York with a difference, obviously, in procedure. Her research is focussed directly on the human sensations her dancers evoke rather than on forms.

“I’ve always worked from ‘nothing’, but still with the necessity to express myself … I can no longer choreograph from my own body. That’s what has changed. Now I work directly from the dancers … What remains constant is my interior research of creative instinct, the need to create.”

On the first day of exploration, Renaud directs Émard to the music of Morton Feldman, a composer and friend from her time New York and to whom she feels indebted for his influence. She suggests to her dancer, “Watch your hand. Start with your fingertips. They begin to open. Your hand opens as well and then closes. Your wrist opens, your elbow, your shoulder and finally your whole body begins moving.” Reflecting on his response, she says, “Sylvain began to simply walk in front of me, and with that music he improvised a solo that was exactly what I was looking for. The next day I was with Louise, and we worked from the same concept.” A hanging sculpture by visual artist John Heward, Feldman’s music and Renaud’s suggestions were the base materials for two weeks of studio exploration in preparation for filming.

Renaud notes the difference between “choreographing” and the collaborative process she has chosen, using improvisation as a principal tool. “I am very aware that I am working with two accomplished choreographers, so I give them a starting point and allow them total liberty. Improvisation has to happen in the immediate moment. In order to keep that spontaneity for the film, we had to take some sequences a number of times.”

The notes written by her dancers indicate that the plunge into her exploration was an elevating experience:

Émard: That’s it. The drug has taken effect. I’ve re-found my movement instinct that brings me closer to the “wild animal”. From Jeanne’s point of view there is lots of interesting material. The ambient sense of schizophrenia no longer surprises me. What’s good for one isn’t necessarily so for the other. That’s one of art’s mysteries. We attempt to understand, but there are always those questions inside of us. And we’re always prone to judgment … I felt good all through the moment. Starting from frenetic and isolated movement allows me to enter my partner’s space. Slow motion and stillness help create the spatial tensions required for our mutual understanding.

Bédard: … difficulty in releasing my weight, but still there are rich exchanges. Things flow easily and on their own. Our attentiveness is hypersensitive. Our bodies barely touch, but the contact is charged with sensations. I feel like I am somewhere else. To repeat Jeanne’s words, ‘It’s crazy for a dancer when they are seized by doubt.’ I think it’s part of my life … Let myself be taken … Live the present moment. It’s so great for me to find myself here with Sylvain and Jeanne from many points of view … I began this voyage alone, imagination there on my path. At times, the music takes me hostage. Jeanne told me, “Go ahead. Do exactly as you think …” I thought of nothing, but everything moved together, flowing from one place to another. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that.

Renaud says she came home each day overwhelmed, dizzy and ecstatic with the power of the creative energies from those work sessions. Once the exploration and filming was over, Émard looked at the photos by Ed Kostiner and said, “I would start all over again tomorrow.”

Jeanne Renaud and Mario Côté / Photo by Ed Kostiner

A Film, in Black and White

The contemporary Québec in which Renaud creates now is distant from the morally and aesthetically oppressive society she fled sixty years ago in order to dance.

“Where is the urgency now? For me, it’s to provide an occasion for the artists whom I consider exceptional [Bédard and Émard] … to exhibit their magnificent qualities as creative performers. After seeing the photographs of our show in 1991, I said to myself, I have to immortalize those dancers. They are so beautiful, so exacting in their expression.”

The final visual text of Blanc Noir ou Rien will be composed, together with artist Mario Coté, and edited from hours of video recordings. Renaud’s dance will emerge through the montage of images, a result of her poetic sensibility and close collaboration with Bédard and Émard. Ever the demanding artist, she set her own ultimate objective when she began the project. In anticipation of viewing the result, she reflects, “If this creative trail leads us to sense the poetic world in dance, I will have touched what I was searching to express.”


TAG LINE: Blanc Noir ou Rien will premiere at Montréal’s Festival International du Film sur l’art (FIFA) from March 18th through 28th, 2010.

Learn more >>
www.artfifa.com


Richard Simas [guest writer] is a freelance fiction and nonfiction writer living in Montréal. His texts have been published in literary and arts reviews in Canada and Europe, including commentary on dance, contemporary music and Azorean culture.


Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article was published in French in Vie des Arts (#217).

ASTUCES POUR PROFESSEURS: Semaine de relâche… pas toujours une relâche !

De Katharine Harris de l’École nationale de ballet du Canada
Traduction de Marie Claire Forté

La semaine de relâche présente une semaine ou deux sans les exigences de l’école et du travail. Pendant qu’ils prennent congé de leur entraînement habituel, les élèves devraient être encouragés à demeurer actifs, tout en profitant d’une période de récupération, particulièrement pour ceux qui sont blessés.
La majorité des danseurs peuvent appréhender une semaine de congé de leur entraînement régulier puisque les muscles commencent à perdre leur tonus après seulement deux jours d’inactivité. Toutefois, de nombreux élèves partent en vacances avec leur famille pendant la semaine de relâche. Les professeurs devraient encourager ces élèves à se ternir en forme. Des exemples de solutions pour rester en forme comptent des entraînements complémentaires comme la natation, le Pilates et le yoga. Si ces options ne sont pas disponibles, conseillez à vos élèves de se promener, de faire de la course à pied, de s’étirer et même de pratiquer des sports pendant leurs vacances. Toute activité qui fait bouger les muscles aide à garder la forme.

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Pour ceux qui choisissent de prendre des classes de danse, la semaine de relâche peut être un excellent moment pour essayer un nouveau style de danse ou se concentrer sur un aspect particulier de son entraînement. Plusieurs studios offrent des classes spéciales ou des ateliers intensifs pendant la semaine de relâche ; c’est une occasion pour les élèves de s’entraîner avec différents professeurs ou d’essayer différents studios. Les professeurs devraient encourager leurs élèves à vivre de nouvelles expériences. Plus ils ont une formation riche, meilleurs danseurs ils deviendront.
Si vos élèves décident d’entreprendre une nouvelle activité ou d’essayer un nouveau style de danse, aidez-les à se préparer. Encouragez-les à faire de la recherche sur l’activité, le style de danse ou le studio pour qu’ils sachent à quoi s’attendre. Rappelez-leur d’être patients envers eux-mêmes dans leur processus, puisqu’ils seront débutants dans un nouveau contexte et ils ne progresseront pas nécessairement rapidement. Proposez-leur de revenir sur leurs premières expériences en danse – une nouvelle situation sera semblable à cela. Et, avant tout, rappelez à vos élèves de se donner le temps pour récupérer physiquement de leur apprentissage de nouveaux mouvements et de différentes façons de faire appel aux muscles.
Finalement, les enseignants et les élèves devraient être encouragés à bien profiter des occasions disponibles pendant la semaine de relâche. Que ce soit en essayant une nouvelle forme d’exercice, en apprenant un nouveau style de danse ou simplement en changeant la routine pour y mettre plus de relaxation et de récupération, le plaisir est important !



Katharine Harris [department writer] has worked for multiple dance companies and is currently with Canada’s National Ballet School. Although not herself a dancer, she is an ardent supporter and fan of the art form.

IN THE STUDIO | EN STUDIO: Jolene Bailie

Sensory Life, Infinite World

Interview by Megan Andrews
Photos by Hugh Conacher

Jolene Bailie / Photo by Hugh Conacher

Since graduating from The School of Contemporary Dancers and The University of Winnipeg in 2000, Jolene Bailie, artistic director of Gearshifting Performance Works, has self-presented and produced over 250 solo shows, six cross-Canada tours and numerous smaller tours; re-mounted fourteen works by senior choreographers; commissioned eight new works; collaborated on several dance-based video projects; and created one evening-length solo work, eight works for pre-professional students and over 125 dances for schools. Bailie has performed with Trip Dance Company, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers and Ruth Cansfield Dance. Her new full-evening work for an ensemble of dancers marks her ten-year anniversary of professional work. She lives in Winnipeg where she shares a small condo with a beloved dog and a wonderful cat.


You launched your career fresh out of school by commissioning solo works from established choreographers. Many new grads would find this a challenge. How did you proceed and what gave you the confidence to go for it?

The path may appear confident, but in fact it was an interweaving of two factors. Upon graduation, I desperately wanted to dance, a lot. I would have loved to dance full-time with one of the companies in Winnipeg but I was not what any of the directors were looking for at the time and it did not look like any positions at the emerging dancer level were going to appear. Ever since I was a teenager, I have also always had a very strong need to experience dance outside of my somewhat isolated geography and a hunger to experience new things as well as a continued desire to train with a broad range of teachers.

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Mark Sawh Medrano, Madie the dog, Jolene Bailie and Sarah Helmer in rehearsal for Sensory Life, Infinite World by Bailie / Photo by Hugh Conacher

Who were some of the choreographers you worked with and what did you learn from these commission projects that informed your subsequent artistic path and development?

I have worked with many wonderful choreographers and directors, with some of the relationships growing to exist independently, outside of the commission. When relationships grow to be more than straightforward business, this has a profound effect on me. I love to have the opportunity to bond with artists I work with, and having an understanding of who someone is personally definitely enhances my interpretation of their work. This relationship does not always grow, but when it does, it is magical. The most influential artist in my life by far has been Bill Evans. I first trained with him in 1996 and, since then, I have trained with him every single year, as well as assisted at his summer intensives and performed with his company in Port Townsend, WA and Rochester, NY. I have had the honour to learn from him through an incredible wealth of experiences over a span of fourteen years. Simply being around Bill Evans makes life, and one’s understanding and appreciation of dance, dancers, people and the world in general richer and more fluid. He is a great teacher, an amazing mentor, now a wonderful friend and I love him dearly.


Andrew Milne, Emma Rose, Ruth Levin, Freya Olafson and Mark Sawh Medrano in rehearsal for Sensory Life, Infinite World by Bailie / Photo by Hugh Conacher

Early on, you toured the Canadian fringe festival circuit regularly. How did you manage/produce these touring shows and what advice might you give to someone interested in doing the same?

Touring the fringe with a dance show is insane. I have no idea how I survived it. One year, I did ten cities and almost sixty shows in eight-and-a-half weeks. For several tours, my ex-partner, long-term artistic collaborator and new best friend, Hugh Conacher, toured with me. I am very thankful for Hugh’s ongoing support. I also did many tours alone: setting lights, sound, making cue sheets, postering, doing publicity, packing up, unpacking, shipping, sweeping the stage, sleeping on the floor, running out of money – you name it, I did everything, plus all the shows. While some fringe festivals are great for dance, some are simply not equipped to support a dance show in the formal setting that I need. That being said, I loved touring and performing very much. I met so many wonderful artists, saw amazing performances I would never have had a chance to see in Winnipeg, and I was able to broaden my artistic experience through visiting galleries, museums and other cultural attractions. As for advising others, try out one city first. It’s very expensive and really rough emotionally and physically; and, first and foremost remember, the fringe was not created with dance in mind.


Mark Sawh Medrano and Emma Rose in rehearsal for Sensory Life, Infinite World by Bailie / Photo by Hugh Conacher

You note that you like to include elements of science fiction, fantasy and technology in your work. What attracts you to these particular fields and how are they related to your art-making in the context of today’s culture and concerns?

My reaction to these elements is out of horror. It is both amazing and disturbing how easy it is to communicate through inanimate objects and go about living life in a buffered fantasy world.


Sarah Helmer, Ruth Levin and Freya Olafson in rehearsal for Sensory Life, Infinite World by Bailie / Photo by Hugh Conacher

As you’ve developed your performance and choreography, you’ve also built a teaching practice. What values underlie your approach to teaching; what do you hope to impart to your students?

I was actually teaching tap, jazz and ballet for a few years before I began training in modern dance. I always knew I was going to teach dance. I never really thought I’d get to dance professionally, even though I wanted to so very badly. I did not start ballet until high school but immediately my skill for teaching was recognized and nurtured. I’ve always been a bit burdened by the reality that I am a far better teacher than I am a dancer. Teaching comes very naturally and I love to bond with students and help facilitate positive change. To me it is most important that dance enhances one’s life and that at the end of the day it is a positive experience, not a negative experience.


Andrew Milne, Emma Rose, Ruth Levin, Sarah Helmer, Freya Olafson and Mark Sawh Medrano in rehearsal for Sensory Life, Infinite World by Bailie / Photo by Hugh Conacher

What kinds of arts and cultural experiences do you partake in outside of your own work?

I try to watch as much as I can. My approach is simple: expose myself to as much as possible and do not get caught up in understanding any of it. I simply take it in and I am committed to this as much as I am to dance. I subscribe to everything I can: Manitoba Theatre Centre Mainstage and The Warehouse, as well as Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. I have a flex pass for the symphony and I always see The Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s season as well as Theatre Projects Manitoba, as well as loads of other shows not affiliated with a season pass – and I am a member of The Winnipeg Art Gallery. I see a live performance at least once a week for most of the year and have made it part of my lifestyle. I strongly feel that if I am active in the arts community, I need to experience and smell and feel what is going on in the community I act in. I also surf the net and YouTube to see what is going on outside of the Winnipeg bubble. I am overwhelmed at the richness of creativity we have in the world.


Mark Sawh Medrano, Jolene Bailie and Sarah Helmer in rehearsal for Sensory Life, Infinite World by Bailie / Photo by Hugh Conacher

Gearshifting Performance Works (Jolene Bailie) presents a new work from February 19th through 21st at the Canwest Centre for Theatre and Film, Winnipeg.

Learn more >>
www.gearshifting.org

Protein: recent research and debate

By Nathan Payne

Editor’s Note: In the November 2009 print issue of The Dance Current, our “Healthy Dancer” column focussed on the body’s need for and use of protein. A discussion ensued in our letters to the editor in December/January 2009/10, which inspired writer Nathan Payne to develop a longer article on the topic.

More Research Leads to More Questions
The conventional nutritional wisdom in the area of protein use and classification of amino acids has changed. In the 1930s and 1950s Rose and colleagues performed a series of nitrogen balance studies on volunteers. The volunteers were fed diets deficient in one or more amino acids and as each amino acid was removed from the diet a corresponding deficiency would be observed in the body. It was only when the amino acid was re-introduced into the diet that the deficiency was reversed (Rose 1955).

More...
New understandings of protein such as biological use, individual variability and the dose-response relationship (i.e., what quantity of amino acid “x” reduces risk of deficiency), can only be refined by the development of controlled clinical trials.

Adjustments to an individual’s requirements for dietary protein consumption and use of amino acids can be impacted by a number of variables including but not limited to the intensity level and type of physical activity performed, biological differences, physiological and pathophysiological states (e.g., trauma and catabolic disease), protein quality and digestibility, and energy balance (i.e., meeting the functional needs of the body during rest and active states). For example, a sixty-two kilogram person who is incorporating resistance training, like weight-bearing physical activity, and endurance training, would require approximately 100 grams of protein or 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For the average Canadian, this level of protein would not be required to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and consuming the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day would be sufficient.

Earlier examinations of protein and training also discovered that training intensity, restricting calories through diet and following food plans that decrease the levels of carbohydrate and fat, could all decrease the efficiency of protein use in the body. These results would in turn alter the dietary protein recommendations for some athletes (Tarnopolsky et al. 1988).

Rather than generating conclusive evidence, the volume of research conducted in this area has raised many unresolved questions in nutrition science.

Measuring Nitrogen Balance to Determine Protein Requirements
The body’s principle uses of protein are energy and repair of muscle following exercise. Of the several approaches used by researchers to evaluate protein use, the most common is the nitrogen balance method. Nitrogen is required by the body to form proteins, hormones, neurotransmitters and other molecules related to the immune system. Nitrogen must be obtained in the diet through amino acids (components of proteins). One criterion to determine an individual’s protein requirement is the maintenance of a positive or zero level of nitrogen. However, nitrogen measurements can be impacted by a number of confounding variables. The results from research focussing on nitrogen balance data with respect to context, methodology and test subjects used, have subtle nuances that need to be compared with other research.

Do highly active individuals have greater protein requirements?
The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the United States Institute of Medicine report on the evidence of additional protein needs cites studies published in 1992 and 1995 that conclude additional protein is not required for highly active individuals. This report differs from the combined position of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the Dietitians of Canada (DC) committee (2006 and 2009) as well as others. In their own study, Venderley and Campbell suggest that the protein needs of well-trained endurance and strength athletes are higher than that of sedentary persons (Venderley and Campbell 2006). These authors further note that the position of the ACSM, ADA and DC committee on higher protein recommendations were specifically for highly trained, elite athletes, and that otherwise their assessment is consistent with findings of the FNB, which suggests that there is little scientific support for increasing dietary protein recommendations for recreational or non-elite athletes. In the context of dance, this last statement would beg the question: Is a dancer a “recreational” or “non-elite athlete”, or does a dancer’s level of training equal that of other highly trained athletes?

The suggested range of 1.6 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day and greater for individuals pursuing high-level strength training, depending on intensity and duration of the strength exercise, has consistent support based on several studies (Campbell et al. 2007; Wilson et al. 2006; Tarnopolsky et al. 1992; Lemon et al. 1992). Similar results are found in studies focussed on endurance exercise and this may be due to the body’s use of protein for energy, or the fact that some proteins used in the studies are of lower quality compared to others (Phillips 2006). In a recent “Globe and Mail” article, Phillips is quoted as advocating a “middle path” between the low protein requirements suggested by research studies and the higher requirements advocated by many coaches and athletes (Hutchinson 2009). When it comes to wading through the results of these studies, the devil is in the details and you will likely draw your own conclusions.

So, where do dancers fit in?
Back to the earlier question of whether a dancer is a recreational or elite athlete, most of these publications classify the study participants as active or sedentary, or athletes who are training recreationally or professionally. One thing is clear: an RDA of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day does not apply to everyone, especially dancers at different stages of training. Perhaps we should come back to consider how these studies define a recreational athlete. When examining individuals’ protein requirements, Tarnopolsky characterized a recreational athlete as someone participating in activity such as jogging four times per week at forty-five percent maximum oxygen consumption for one hour. This is a very different physiological scenario from a top sport athlete who may be training and competing at intensities of sixty to eighty-five percent of their maximum oxygen consumption for eight to forty hours per week (Tarnopolsky 2004). VO2 max, a measure of aerobic potential or the maximum amount of oxygen used during intense/maximal exercise, may not necessarily be the best method of testing performance. A dancer will differ in training impulse and peripheral adaptations compared to a cyclist or runner. In other words, VO2 max values collected from a study participant riding a stationary bike may not be transferable to a dancer or other athletes. So where does a dancer fit in this scheme? I would argue that many dancers, during their initial stages of training, as well as throughout their careers, would fall somewhere within the range of physical activity presented in the Tarnopolsky article.

Protein requirements are also impacted by intensity, duration and type of exercise (Lemon 2000). Recent intervention studies have examined the importance of consuming protein with carbohydrate during exercise (Beelen et al. 2008). Campbell and colleagues also noted that strength/power exercise is thought to increase protein requirements even more than endurance exercise, particularly during the initial stages of training and if there is a sharp increase in the intensity and frequency of training (Campbell 2007). It would be reasonable to surmise from this data that a dancer would have increased demand for protein as well. For example, in rehearsals involving more strength movements, including jumping and lifts, the body will require greater amounts of protein and energy to sustain the activity and for recovery (repair to damaged muscle tissues).

In evaluating this research, however, one should keep in mind that a proper food plan, which includes adequate carbohydrates, will have a sparing effect on amino acid oxidation and protein balance (Elwyn et al. 1978). In other words, protein will not be the first choice for fuelling the body if one consumes a sufficient amount of carbohydrates. Therefore, it is generally recommended to include snacks composed of a mixture of both protein and carbohydrate, especially when training over an extended period of time.

Protein Intake and Renal Function
There is a widely held belief that additional protein, beyond the recommended daily intake for the general population, could stress the kidneys. Most of the studies that observed a negative impact on renal function were conducted on animals and patients with co-existing renal disease so an extension of those findings to healthy individuals is inappropriate (Martin et al. 2005). A report of a joint World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization/United Nations University Expert Consultation published in 2007 suggests that a high intake of protein in healthy subjects does not lead to a deterioration of kidney function. This same report concludes that, with respect to safe upper limits for adults, “an intake of twice the recommended intake … is likely safe given that it equates to intakes of physically active individuals consuming average mixed diets who would otherwise be identified as having healthy lifestyles.” This statement is supported by the most recent review published in the “Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition”, which summarizes research results concerning renal function in athletes and finds the data to be inconsistent, especially when looking beyond the population of chronically diseased people (Lowery and Devia 2009).

Classifying and Combining Proteins
In terms of the relevance of essential (“indispensable”) amino acids and non-essential (“dispensable”) amino acids, researcher Alan Jackson suggested reclassifying amino acids into four categories based on the ability or inability of the body to synthesize all or part of the amino acid (Jackson 1983). The traditional classification of essential or indispensable amino acids (IAAs) and non-essential amino acids is a little less rigid today due to certain physiological circumstances that make particular amino acids “conditionally” essential. Laidlaw and Kopple further modified this classification based on research indicating that humans synthesize amino acids differently in healthy and diseased states (Laidlaw and Kopple 1987). So in certain circumstances, when an amino acid is no longer synthesized in the body, it must be consumed through diet in sufficient quantities to avoid any deficiencies.

The classic nutritional theory of protein combining within one meal in vegetarian diets has also been refined over the years. The position of the ADA and DC is that one does not have to consume complementary proteins at one meal, and that consuming a variety of foods throughout the day will also ensure minimum levels of protein are being met (Mangels et al. 2003). However, I would also argue that the concept of strategically consuming a variety of grains, pulses and other meat alternatives throughout the day for various eating habits (vegetarian or other) is not common knowledge for most people and is even more relevant today. If an individual does not follow the basic tenet of consuming fruits and vegetables, it would be reasonable to assume that they may also stray away from whole food sources of protein found in pulses and grains. More specifically, they may not appreciate the variability in quality and quantity of plant and animal proteins.

This knowledge is especially important for those deriving a majority of their protein from plant sources in order to support an active lifestyle or during bouts of training. A modification in one’s food plan is particularly important if one decides to completely eliminate particular animal proteins. The latest data collected by a recent Ipsos Reid poll was well publicized. Unfortunately, it found that 23% of all Canadians surveyed did not consume any vegetables or fruit in their diet and 91% of younger adult men and women did not eat the recommended daily amount. As noted by Venderley and Campbell: “A vegetarian diet can provide all essential and non-essential amino acids from plant foods alone if a variety of foods are consumed throughout the day and energy intake is adequate (Venderley and Campbell 2006).”

The practice of food combining throughout the day is important because the quality of amino acids is not the same in all foods. The Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score has been adopted as the preferred method for the measurement of protein value in human nutrition (Schaafsma 2000). For example, if a dancer follows a diet composed mostly of cereal grains, which are often deficient in the amino acid lysine, either another complementary food item, such as quinoa, various other seeds and legumes, or a strategic supplement, such as a dose of spirulina or other, if one is vegan, is recommended.

The biological systems addressed here are complex. Dietary needs are diverse and individuals living either active or sedentary lifestyles may need to adjust their food plan in relation to the general recommendations. There is considerable evidence that the dietary protein needs of a dancer are different than that of the average person. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume the RDA may not be sufficient for everyone. Not all foods are created equally, and so consuming a variety of foods, with extra attention during periods of increased physical activity and training, will ensure unique dietary needs are being met.

References

American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and Dietitians of Canada. (2009). “Joint position statement: Nutrition and athletic performance”. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(3), 709-731.

Beelen, M., Koopman, R., Gijsen, A. P., Vandereyt, H., Kies, A. K., Kuipers, H., et al. (2008). “Protein coingestion stimulates muscle protein synthesis during resistance-type exercise”. American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, 295(1), E70.

Campbell, B., Kreider, R. B., Ziegenfuss, T., La Bounty, P., Roberts, M., Burke, D., et al. (2007). “International society of sports nutrition position stand: Protein and exercise”. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 4, 8.

Elwyn, D. H., Gump, F. E., Lles, M., Long, C. L., & Kinney, J. M. (1978). “Protein and energy sparing of glucose added in hypocaloric amounts to peripheral infusions of amino acids”. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 27(3), 325-331.

Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the United States Institute of Medicine. (2005). “Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients).” A Report of the Panel on Macronutrients, Subcommittees on Upper Reference Levels of Nutrients and Interpretation and uses of Dietary Reference Intakes, and the Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes.

Hutchinson, A. (2009, May 8). “Easy on the protein shakes big guy”. Globe and Mail, pp. L.3. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/do-i-need-to-quaff-protein-powders-to-gain-muscle/article1139578/

Joint World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization/United Nations University Expert Consultation. (2007). Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition No. 935. Switzerland: WHO Press.

Jackson, A. A. (1983). “Amino acids: Essential and non-essential”. Lancet, 1(8332), 1034-1037.

Laidlaw, S. A., & Kopple, J. D. (1987). “Newer concepts of the indispensable amino acids”. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 46(4), 593.

Lemon, P. W., Tarnopolsky, M. A., MacDougall, J. D., & Atkinson, S. A. (1992). “Protein requirements and muscle mass/strength changes during intensive training in novice bodybuilders”. Journal of Applied Physiology, 73(2), 767.

Lemon, P. W. R. (1996). “Is increased dietary protein necessary or beneficial for individuals with a physically active lifestyle?” Nutrition Reviews, 54(4), 169-175.

Lemon, P. W. R. (2000). “Beyond the zone: Protein needs of active individuals”. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 19(Supplement 5), 513.

Lowery, L. M., & Devia, L. (2009). “Dietary protein safety and resistance exercise: What do we really know?” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 6, 3.

Mangels, A. R., Messina, V., & Melina, V. (2003). “Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets”. J Am Diet Association, 103(6), 748-765.

Martin, W. F., Armstrong, L. E., & Rodriguez, N. R. (2005). “Dietary protein intake and renal function”. Nutrition & Metabolism, 2, 25.

Phillips, S. M. (2006). “Dietary protein for athletes: From requirements to metabolic advantage”. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 31(6), 647-654.

Rand, W. M., Pelett, P. L., & Young, V. R. (2003). “Meta-analysis of nitrogen balance studies for estimating protein requirements in health adults”. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77(1), 109-127.

Rose, W. C., Wixom, R. L., Lockhart, H. B., & Lambert, G. F. (1955). “The amino acid requirements of man. XV. the valine requirement; summary and final observations”. 217: 987-995, The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Rose, W. C. (1938). “The nutritive significance of the amino acids”. Physiological Review, 18, 109.

Schaafsma, G. (2000). “The protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score”. Journal of Nutrition, 130(7), 1865S.

Tarnopolsky, M. (2004). “Protein requirements for endurance athletes”. Nutrition, 20(7-8), 662-668.

Tarnopolsky, M. A., Atkinson, S. A., MacDougall, J. D., Chesley, A., Phillips, S., & Schwarcz, H. P. (1992). “Evaluation of protein requirements for trained strength athletes”. Journal of Applied Physiology, 73(5), 1986.

Tarnopolsky, M. A., MacDougall, J. D., & Atkinson, S. A. (1988). “Influence of protein intake and training status on nitrogen balance and lean body mass”. Journal of Applied Physiology, 64(1), 187.

Venderley, A. M., & Campbell, W. W. (2006). “Vegetarian diets: Nutritional considerations for athletes”. Sports Medicine, 36(4), 293.

Wilson, J., & Wilson, G. J. (2006). “Contemporary issues in protein requirements and consumption for resistance trained athletes”. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 3(1), 7.


Nathan Payne [department writer] graduated from Ryerson University with a degree in Food and Nutrition. Currently he volunteers in health promotion and community gardening. He also continues to develop his interest in visual arts.