By Elaine Smith
91亚色 is known for its vibrant, diverse arts programs and the , happening on May 27 at 3 p.m. at the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre in Accolade East, brings to Congress 2023 a sampling of this creativity.
鈥淭he arts are one of our strengths at 91亚色,鈥 says Joel Ong, director of : Centre for Digital Art and Technology and a member of the Congress 2023 scholarly planning committee. 鈥淭his program will be a celebration of the arts and culture at 91亚色 and a culmination of the program that has been ongoing at AMPD. 鈥淐ongress 2023 Director Liz McMahan, Academic Convenor Andrea Davis and the performance facilities team at AMPD led by Jacquie Lazar and I have been working hard to put forth a rich and diverse program that builds on the variety of such performances we鈥檝e had over the year.鈥
The performances scheduled for the afternoon draw on the conference theme . The roster includes the Gospel Ensemble directed by music faculty Corey Butler; a video piece, Black Ballerina, by dance Professor Syreeta Hector; and three dance pieces choreographed by 91亚色 students and external guests led by dance Professors Tracey Norman and Patrick Alcedo at AMPD. In addition, the Showcase will feature students from Downsview Secondary School performing a winning entry from a organized by Davis.
Ancestor 73 is a dance choreographed and performed by alumnus Rayn Cook-Thomas (Gwagwadaxla) from the Kwakwaka鈥檞akw nation in coastal British Columbia. It honours the 73 remaining southern resident orcas living near his home.
Cook-Thomas noted that orcas are important spiritual leaders for him and his nation because they carry ancestral knowledge. His dance piece attempts to show the strength, beauty and spirituality of these mammals as they face the impact humans have had on their ocean home and the detrimental effects colonialism has had for the planet.
AMPD alumna and choreographer Blythe Russell is presenting Respair at the Showcase, an original, contemporary dance duet that she created in a 2022 collaboration with fellow alumni Cook-Thomas and Phoebe Rose Harrington.
鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to be sharing this piece at Congress,鈥 Russell said. 鈥淚n creating this new piece, we sought to understand what was driving these two bodies to come together. We discovered a human perspective that produced beauty in the form of a more tender, vulnerable magnetism between two people. Respair is about accepting the challenges that make us who we are and bringing them forward with us in a hopeful way.鈥
Ong says the Showcase is also a reminder that there are many different forms of expression and exploration and that the creative arts play an integral role in work done in the humanities and social sciences.
91亚色 and the Federation for Humanities and Social Sciences will host Congress 2023 from May 27 to June 2. to attend. are available and have been adjusted to align with timelines for this year鈥檚 event.