Graduate students Shannon Roberts, Nancy听Latoszewski Greyeyes and Ilse Gudi帽o, candidates in 91亚色鈥檚 Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in choreography and dance dramaturgy, premiere new choreographies for ensembles in Temenos. The show, performed by professional and pre-professional dancers, runs Feb.听15 to 17 in the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan Theatre at听the Keele campus.

Shannon Roberts. Photo by听David Hou

The Greek word temenos refers to a piece of land cut off from common use, often dedicated as a place for worship. Historically, the proscenium stage has been regarded as a space reserved for particular users and dedicated to expressing the meanings that infuse our bodies and relationships.

As well as addressing the concept of the stage as a special site, the three emerging choreographers build on the idea of the dancing body itself as temenos 鈥� simultaneously separated from society鈥檚 imposed meanings, and infused with individual sources of meaning for each artist.

鈥淭heir dances focus on navigating the proscenium stage as a site for researching the body鈥檚 memories and cultural constructions,鈥� said Professor Darcey Callison, the production鈥檚 artistic director. 鈥淔rom delving into the historical roots of flamenco, to exploring a family narrative of coal miners in Pennsylvania, to challenging the complexity of the male gaze, these choreographers investigate the proscenium theatre as temenos: a theatrical space that frames these works in order to make visible the body as a conduit for memories and social conditions that permeate their choreography.鈥澨�

Fusing modern dance with her athletic background, Shannon Roberts incorporates Bollywood, ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, figure skating and flying trapeze into her work. Her choreography is inspired by social issues and the people, artwork and cultures she has experienced in her travels around the world.听听听听听听听听听听听听听

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Roberts鈥� work, A Way of Seeing, is a discourse between Edvard Munch鈥檚 painting Woman in Three Stages and writer John Berger鈥檚 influential book Ways of Seeing. Investigating how a woman鈥檚 experience is informed through youth, sexuality and aging, this trio explores a sensual physical language that frames the private experience as public display.

听Ilse Gudi帽o Barthold. Photo by David Hou

In her piece, In the Marrow: A听Crucial Journey, Ilse Gudi帽o Barthold explores the history of flamenco as cultural memory and personal expression. Four dancers and four live musicians bring to the stage this complex journey, from a dance form infused with cultural significance to a movement vocabulary that is both personal and contemporary.

Trained in flamenco dance in Madrid and Seville, Gudi帽o Barthold has been a member of the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company since 1997 and has performed as a soloist and with other flamenco dancers across Canada and internationally.

In Valley of Coal, Nancy Latoszewski (Greyeyes) tells the story of her grandparents. Both her grandfathers were Pennsylvania coal miners, and her choreography charts memories of the challenges they faced and the personal sacrifices they made. This narrative choreography is Latoszewski鈥檚 way of exploring oral history through her work as a dance artist.

Nancy Latoszewski (Greyeyes). Photo by听David Hou

A former soloist with Feld Ballets NY, Latoszewski has also been a principal dancer with the Cleveland San Jose Ballet and Alberta Ballet. Her work has been performed at Nuit Blanche and by Ballet J枚rgen, and she has also choreographed for film.

The Temenos program concludes with a structured improvisation created by the 91亚色 Dance Ensemble鈥檚 (YDE) artistic director Holly Small in collaboration with the ensemble, and听performed by the 16 dancers and five musicians of the YDE.

For tickets, contact the Box Office at 416-736-5888.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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This monthly series features interviews with Canada's notable dance historians, with the goal of illuminating aspects of the person, their craft and the field, and to provide insight into what inspires those who interpret dance history. DCD puts a face to the byline 鈥撎齮he writers who are often hidden behind the computer screen 鈥� and gives credit to historians as the intangible forces that spur dance on.

Right: Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt with the cover of her book The Ballet Class

Fisher-Stitt is the 13th historian to be profiled and the fourth 91亚色 faculty member in the series. Previously DCD honoured 91亚色 Professor Emerita (the inaugural Dance Historian of the Month) as well as Professors and .

The Q&A-style feature on Fisher-Stitt, written by Carolyne Clare, is posted on the 听website. It takes readers through the beginning of her dance career, as a young girl taking ballet lessons in a church basement in Scarborough, to training at Canada's National Ballet School, followed by four years as a corps de ballet dancer with The National Ballet of Canada under Rudolph Nureyev, through to her teaching career at 91亚色 and her ongoing research.

鈥淔isher-Stitt became an accomplished scholar and has published widely,鈥� said Clare in the article鈥檚 introduction. 鈥淗er love for dance education motivates her continued dedication to the field and the joy dance brings her is evident in her work.鈥�

Even as a young dancer, Fisher-Stitt knew she wanted to continue her education at the university level. She earned her BA and MFA in dance at 91亚色 (in 鈥�78 and 鈥�86 respectively) and segued directly into teaching ballet at the University after completing her undergraduate degree.

鈥淚 only found out that I loved teaching when I started teaching,鈥� said Fisher-Stitt in the interview. 鈥淟eaving performing is always very hard. Performing brings exuberance to your life that is difficult to replicate. However, I found that teaching was rewarding in a different but equal way. Similarly to performing and researching, I found teaching to be creative and interactive.鈥�

In 1993, Fisher-Stitt undertook her doctorate in dance education at Temple University in Philadelphia, as there were no doctoral programs in dance in Canada at the time. Her dissertation studied the impact of incorporating a computer tutorial into dance education. At 91亚色, she had already collaborated with her colleague Mary Jane Warner on the world鈥檚 first multi-media tutorial on dance history, so for her dissertation she created one to explain specific elements of ballet technique and terminology. Her research was a success and she found her students responded well to the platform.

In equal parts looking to the future and to the past with these digital projects, Fisher-Stitt was simultaneously continuing to perform and take dance classes. She actively pursued a balance between her mind and her body, and her research and her practice.

鈥淲hen I was a performer I felt bored, I did not feel challenged intellectually. The university setting provided me with an environment where I could be in the studio, but I could also explore ideas, and have intellectual debates with others. It was important to me to have that balance.鈥�

Her book The Ballet Class: A History of Canada's National Ballet School 1959-2009 (see YFile, May 14, 2010,) is another example of how Fisher-Stitt has balanced and combined her varied interests. The book unites dance history, dance education and her love for ballet and听the school she trained at in her formative years. Supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, the book was completed for the National Ballet School's 50th anniversary and launched at the alumni weekend celebration in April 2010.

鈥淚 wanted to offer a solid piece of research without making the book too ponderous,鈥� said Fisher-Stitt. 鈥淭he artifacts were all so rich and it was often hard to decide what to include and what to leave out. I also wanted to be clear within my book that this is just one way of viewing the school's development. There are many other stories that can, have, and will be told about the school.

鈥淚 feel incredibly blessed that I have been able to remain involved in dance from the time I was four years old. Like many other dancers, I believe that dance chooses you, you don't choose dance. But, I've been lucky to keep doing it. It's a good life.鈥�

Alongside her extensive contributions to the field of dance as an historian and educator in the studio, lab and classroom, Fisher-Stitt has a long history of service in academic administration. She has been chair of 91亚色's Department of Dance, associate dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, associate dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, associate vice-president, Academic Learning Initiatives, and currently directs the Graduate Program in Dance (MA) and the Graduate Program in Dance Studies (PhD).

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Her book, , traces the conception and growth of the National Ballet School (NBS),听one of the world鈥檚 foremost training institutions for aspiring young dancers and teachers.

Right: Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt

The Ballet Class is organized following the structure of an actual ballet class, with chapter subtitles named after traditional ballet exercises such as the 辫濒颈茅 and rond de jambe, building up to the grand allegro.

Each chapter starts with a definition of the ballet term as a metaphor for the topic at hand. Thus adage, a term embracing slow, controlled movements that build strength and coordination, introduces 鈥淭he Delicate Balance of Growth鈥�, a chapter outlining the school鈥檚 growing pains in the early years and the push and pull between academic and artistic demands. Pirouettes 鈥� dazzling spins that require great balance and focus to execute 鈥� aptly heralds the chapter titled 鈥淭he Challenges of Boys and Deficits鈥�, about two perennial problems: a dearth of male dancers and a dearth of dollars.

Interviews and direct quotes from conversations and letters by National Ballet School听luminaries pepper the book. Featured personalities include Celia Franca, the visionary founder of the National Ballet of Canada and co-founder of the school; the formidable Betty Oliphant, the school鈥檚 co-founder and first artistic director, and Mavis Staines, the current artistic director; independent modern dance icon and National Ballet School听instructor Peggy Baker; former NBC principal dancers Nadia Potts and Vanessa Harwood; and Grant Strate, the founding chair of听the Department of Dance in 91亚色's Faculty of Fine Arts.

Readers can put faces to many of the names thanks to the book鈥檚 rich collection of archival photos from performances, classes and landmark events in the life of the school.

Fisher-Stitt herself was a student at the National Ballet School听from grade 7 to 12, during the tenure of Betty Oliphant. She subsequently joined the National Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet, touring throughout North America and Europe before leaving the company in 1975 to pursue advanced studies in dance at 91亚色, where she earned her BA and MFA, followed by a doctorate in dance education at Temple University, Philadelphia. She has been a full-time member of the faculty in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Dance since 1992.

Above: National Ballet School student Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt performing with听fellow student听James Kudelka. (Kudelka went on听to become a renowned choreographer and served as the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1996 to 2005. He听is now听the school's resident choreographer.) Photo courtesy of Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt.

In addition to drawing on her own experience and those whom she interviewed, Fisher-Stitt collected material for The Ballet Class from the National Archives in Ottawa, the archives of the National Ballet of Canada and the National Ballet School听and Dance Collection Danse. Her research and the publication were made possible with the support of the Social Science听& Humanities Research Council of Canada and听the National Ballet School.

The book was launched April 24 as part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the National Ballet School. The event was听attended by 400 of its alumni from across North America and overseas. The launch party took place in the original home of the National Ballet School听鈥� the Old Quaker Meeting House, now known as Currie Hall, at 111 Maitland Street in Toronto.

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