Carlene Questions and Answers
Q 1) Has Broken Rhythms/Rhythmical Contemporary influenced how you move in other modalities?
Definitely. Rhythmical Contemporary explores movement in ways that might seem unnatural at first, especially to a traditionally trained dancer, but actually taps into the most animalistic and innate movements of the human body. Learning to move my body in this way has made me more grounded in other modalities, and more open to interpreting movements, rather than just regurgitating choreography.
Q2) What is your favourite moment in this show?
There is one piece in particular that I could just watch on loop, it’s resonates on such a visceral level. The song is entirely made up of breath sounds, and is broken up into phrases, with choreography that repeats identically each time. The movements are performed in a way that completely surrenders to the sounds, as if the music is taking the lead and the dancer is just along for the ride. Congruently the other dancers are standing up stage, appearing to be ‘waiting in line’ with a coordinated collective breath pattern. Without giving away too much detail, what I get from the piece is an embodiment of the helplessness of having no control over the wait. You can choose to give up, but if the result is something that is too important to let go of, you are stuck in the waiting, ‘on hold’ if you will, completely at the mercy of time. If you step out of line, you are forced to start over, and if you choose not to enter the queue, you are definitively letting go of whatever you were hoping to reach at the other end. The rhythm and universality of this piece is very satisfying to watch.
Olivia Questions and Answers
Q1) What has been your favorite part about being a part of the development/creation process for the first time?
Having taken classes with Dyana in a more recreational setting for the past five years or so, I had a general sense that the choreography would be both challenging and rewarding— with a healthy dose of boom-has! But what really surprised me was how much the choreography and themes seemed to evolve based on the unique makeup of the group. It’s been amazing to watch each piece take shape, not just in a technical sense, but in a way that feels deeply personal to each dancer. Seeing how the different pieces have settled into everyone’s body, makes the choreography feel really organic and bespoke to both the individual and the cast as a whole.
Q2) Do you have a favourite moment in On Hold?
There are so many great moments to pick from – but one that really stands out to me is in the second half of the show. It really resonated when I was watching from backstage during a recent rehearsal. In this particular piece I feel like the tension is really building – both through the movements but also with the music. The dancers are doing a sequence of repetitive movements that have a heavy, almost frustrated quality to them, almost like they’re trying to break free of some outside force that’s weighing them down and trying to keep them in place- when suddenly they all just stand up very abruptly, almost defiant. It’s such a simple movement but it’s so impactful!
See Broken Rhythms upcoming production of ‘On Hold’
Premieres April 4 2025 at 7:30 PM McPherson Playhouse.
Interested in one day trying Broken Rhythms dance development program? Rhythmical Contemporary workshops are a great way to get to know the company. Check out upcoming workshops
Carlene’s Bio
Carlene’s connection to dance began at age four, setting the stage for a lifelong journey within the studio. Her training spans a diverse range of disciplines, including modern, contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip hop, tap, and musical theatre. As a teenager, she was selected for a Sports Excellence Program, providing her with exceptional training and opportunities to collaborate with leading choreographers throughout Canada and the United States. In 2005, Carlene began her teaching career, nurturing dancers of all ages in contemporary, jazz, ballet, and hip hop. Her passion as both a performer and choreographer has opened doors to numerous unique and challenging artistic experiences as she has continued to share her love of dance over the last 20 years.
Joining Broken Rhythms as an apprentice in 2014 and becoming a full time company member in 2015 marked a significant chapter in Carlene’s dance career, leading to countless local performance opportunities as well as tours to Edmonton, Toronto and Halifax. After a brief hiatus to welcome her two children in 2022 and 2024, Carlene is now back, eager to continue her artistic exploration, particularly within the distinct and demanding realm of Rhythmical Contemporary.
Olivia’s Bio
Olivia was born and raised on the unceded ancestral lands of the Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc territory, also known as Kamloops, British Columbia. Growing up she trained in ballet, lyrical, jazz, and modern/contemporary styles of dance, and like many people that spent their childhoods and teen years dancing, left dance behind to focus on education and career. After eventually finding herself in Victoria for work, she started engaging in the dance community and hasn’t looked back since. Training again in contemporary, ballet, and jazz, this is her first year with Broken Rhythms, as a dancer in development/swing for On Hold.
Broken Rhythms 