#yyjfringe – Broken Rhythms

March 24, 2015March 24, 2015

Meet… Paige Brar

Paige may be the youngest member of Broken Rhythms but her nickname of “Gramps” would make you think otherwise! Paige loves cardigans, sewing, deals on RubA535 and polysporne and in rehearsal she is the one who will put off doing big jumps and going down to the floor as much as possible! She goes hard on stage but will defiantly be needing a long hot bath right after to rest those sore “old” muscles!

Help support Paige and Broken Rhythms by giving to http://dancevictoria.com/support-us/dance-accelerator-broken-rhythms/

Now here’s what Paige had to say about Broken Rhythms and SEVEN…

Being able to Dance with Broken Rhythms has been one of the most amazing gifts in my life! I work harder than I ever had before (8 hour dance rehearsals are almost a norm), and I get to be a part of making beautiful art with some wonderful women. We are all so very different and but have really created a little dance family. We laugh A LOT, share our lives together and with the show SEVEN we cry together too.

I am excited to take SEVEN on tour to the Edmonton Fringe Festival for so many reasons. I am excited to show what cool things are happening in Victoria for dance, to perform for a totally new audience

and to experience what it is like to tour with the company! I am looking forward to re-working and connecting back into the show. SEVEN is a show about the seven stages of grief, any grief, it’s up to the individual, the dancer and each audience member to decide what that grief is. Grief is a confusing thing, with constantly changing emotions and feeling, and this show really demonstrates just that. In so many ways I connected to this show, we lost my uncle suddenly almost a year ago and I received that news mid-rehearsal and then only a few months later we lost my aunt to cancer. I spent the entire show process, rehearsals to performances, living out my grief through dance. It has been incredibly challenging, therapeutic, painful, and freeing all at the same time.

SEVEN was my first big production with Broken Rhythms, before that I was a part of a few smaller shows, including my first official show with ‘Bounce Around the Building’. This is how I knew I was now dancing with a totally different type of company, a company who would try just about anything for the opportunity to perform and share what we love to do! We did a sight specific work, which means we created a dance based around an unexpected location, we danced in the office of Dance Victoria. I had recently moved back home and now was doing this really cool piece with lights and shadows in a carpeted corner of an office! We got to perform the same piece 4 times that night and each time we performed I was more and more certain that this was where I was meant to be. I am meant to be dancing and performing what I love and am proud of with an amazing director and group of dancers. I can’t wait to see what we do next and to be on the road to Edmonton Fringe Festival!

– Paige

March 19, 2015March 19, 2015

Meet… Meag Saulnier

Meag is funny, caring and the fashionista of the company! You can’t miss Meag on route to rehearsal in either her head to toe Jamaican track suite or a pair of fabulous leggings! Meag has this amazing air of confidence to everything she does, in a photo shoot she created her own jump, a “Ninja Jump”, exclaiming it with such confidence it took the rest of the company a minute or two to realize that didn’t exist! But Wow! Check out that awesome shot!

Help support Meag and Broken Rhythms by giving to http://dancevictoria.com/support-us/dance-accelerator-broken-rhythms/

Now here’s what Meag had to say about Broken Rhythms and SEVEN…

Dancing with Broken Rhythms is inspiring, freeing and innovative.

Being able to find a company as an adult dancer has been something I have been yearning for.

BR is constantly experimenting with new endeavors which really pushes the envelope for me and I love how our repertoire expands.

I have many favourite moments from Seven pre-show rituals-putting on our “suits”… To the moment we were all sitting around the balloon at the start of the first piece and we all started crying!

I am looking forward to touring Seven. After last years Fringe the show felt not over. It will be exciting to perform for a new town and my hope is that it is the first of many!

Dance is physical exercise yet it is also touches one on spiritual and emotional levels.

There is a linguistic component as well that comes from the rhythmicity of the music one moves to. Dance is a universal language crossing ethnicities,ages,sexes and abilities;breaking barriers and creating opportunities for social justice. Dance is used in every culture for celebration and grieving. These are some of the many reasons why I love dance.

I love dancing with Broken Rhythms as I feel a deep connection with the dancers and feel liberated by the animalisitc movements that Dyana has choreographed.

– Meag

March 4, 2015March 4, 2015

First Up: Meet… Naomi Graham

Naomi is a founding member of Broken Rhythms and has played a vital role in all three major productions, SPARK, GRIM and SEVEN. You’ll always notice Naomi on stage, not only by her array of beautiful tattoos but her amazing emotional connection to each and every piece! Naomi also loves bulldogs, you’ll often find her flyering shows during fringe with her tutu wearing bulldog Bella or like in this photo you’ll lose her during flyering and find her cozied up with another bulldog!

10590632_10152704905062526_3097632604662407051_n — Flyering Break!

Help support Naomi and Broken Rhythms by giving to http://dancevictoria.com/support-us/dance-accelerator-broken-rhythms/

Now here’s what Naomi had to say about Broken Rhythms and SEVEN…

10313312_640453419371234_4396888767854378180_n — Photo shoot, GRIM

Our first Broken Rhythms rehearsal was during a cold winter. I really didn’t know what to expect. I had only worked with Dyana as a choreographer a few times before and never to prepare an entire show just for us. In fact, I think this was the first time I was part of a show, a professional company show, just for adult dancers. It was just Lindsay and I that first rehearsal. Us and two six foot ladders. What started out as play (and numerous heart attacks for Dy) became one of our most memorable pieces; Tree Dwellers. And we’ve only grown from there.

430439_10150698151532526_964147380_n — Tree Dwellers, SPARK

Our company has evolved so much since then. From anticipation and uncertainty to confidence and pride, I am so grateful to be part of an evolution of a style of movement, an opportunity that you cannot find anywhere else in Victoria, and to be part of Dyana’s vision and artistic creation. Although I am attached to all three Broken Rhythms shows, SEVEN holds a special place in my heart. I think serendipitous is the only word I could use to describe SEVEN. It’s been a process not only in movement, but a cathartic exploration of my own experiences with grief – both from my past, and as we were preparing for the show.

10411119_10152844557877526_3183892411899242309_n — Naomi and her daughter Grace

Last summer my 15 year old made a courageous decision to accept her father’s offer to live with him for a school year. Grace and I are close; close in age, and close at heart. I have always struggled to be away from her, but this was something I don’t think any parent can prepare for. As parents, we have the agonizing task of prioritizing our child’s best interests (and experiences) over our own feelings. It reminded me of when she learned to walk; I couldn’t catch her every time she fell or else she wouldn’t learn. If I said no to her moving to San Diego – she wouldn’t learn. The day I returned from California without my child, I walked into a rehearsal for our last piece; Rebuilding. We had tried a few variations on our ending, but this one was different. Dy said: ‘The feeling I get from this piece is not necessarily acceptance but that you have to move forward. This dance represents picking up the pieces, and experiencing the goodness in life with a fresh and healing wound’. That’s exactly how I felt. On that day I had to experience dance (which brings me such joy) without Grace. Rebuilding holds a special place in my heart.

I’ve toured once with the Broken Rhythms Company before. We had a great time together. Performing in a new city is always so exciting and nerve wracking. I can’t wait to go to Edmonton. I honestly can’t wait to start rehearsing SEVEN again. So much has happened in life since last summer and I am excited to see how our experiences will shift and strengthen the movement. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to dance in this way and I can’t wait to share it with a broader audience.

~ Naomi