New voices, established names, and classical South Asian forms, as Dance Centre announces 2024-25 season
Sophie Dow and Laura Reznek, Shakti Dance, Daina Ashbee, and Company 605 are among the offerings on next season’s roster
Sophie Dow’s Agrimony. Photo by Vitantonio Spinelli
Shakti Dance’s Sky Dancers. Photo by Yasuhiro Okada
INDIGENOUS CHOREOGRAPHERS Sophie Dow and Daina Ashbee, world premieres in classical Indian dance forms, and a compelling new collaboration by Company 605 and Singapore’s The Human Expression are among the highlights of the Dance Centre’s just-announced 2024–25 season.
It kicks off with a blend of contemporary dance and concert, as Sophie Dow and Laura Reznek join forces on Agrimony, September 20 and 21 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. Emerging talent Dow pays tribute to Agrimonia eupatoria and traditional Indigenous plant medicine, performing with three dancers as Reznek and four musicians play live.
October 4 to 6, Anusha Fernando’s Shakti Dance presents the world premiere of Sky Dancers, featuring six outstanding Bharatanatyam dance artists. Drawing on the framework of the Dakini (Sky Dancer), a Buddhist symbol of energy in the universe, the work was conceived and directed by Fernando. Arno Kamolika, Kiruthika Rathanaswami, Malavika Santhosh, Ashvini Sundaram, and Sujit Vaidya perform with live musicians, meditators, and chanters.
In the new year, celebrated dance innovator Daina Ashbee’s new We learned a lot at our own funeral is a solo, performed by B-Girl Momoko “Momo” Shimada, exploring the notion of death. It shows February 6 to 8.
March 28 and 29, watch for Gaurav Bhatti’s world premiere Bulleh Shah: The Messenger of Light, bringing together North India’s classical Kathak and contemporary dance. The new solo is inspired by the life and poetry of the 18th-century Sufi mystic Bulleh Shah, who advocated for tolerance. Watch for the energized performer to draw on Punjabi folk dances as well in this copresentation with New Works.
And Company 605 teams up with Singapore’s The Human Expression: for a world premiere June 5 to 7. Choreographed by T.H.E’s Anthea Seah and Company 605’s Josh Martin, and performed by artists from both cities, the work explores breaking and rebuilding.
Another big event on the Dance Centre’s roster is the biennial Dance In Vancouver, November 20 to 24. The showcase for B.C.’s contemporary-dance scene features Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award recipient Anya Saugstad’s new ensemble work Paper Mountains.
Elsewhere, the Dance Centre partners with Mandala Arts and Culture to present a new Bharatanatyam duet performed by Kiruthika Rathanaswami and Malavika Santhosh on December 6 and 7.
And the noon-hour Discover Dance! series continues with aerialists Corporeal Imago (October 31), Arts Umbrella Dance Company (November 28), Bollywood specialists SHIAMAK Vancouver (February 27), Chinese classical and folk dance troupe the Lorita Leung Dance Company (March 27), and tap star Danny Nielsen (April 24).
In other news, the Dance Centre has announced the appointment of two associate artists, Justine A. Chambers and Ralph Escamillan, for three-year terms. They’ll choreograph new works, curate programs and events, and build connections with different communities, as well as take part in national exchange projects with organizations in Montreal and Toronto that will support artistic growth and creative exchange.
Subscriptions and single tickets for most events are now on sale at thedancecentre.ca.
And mark September 14 on your calendar for a day of free programming at the Scotiabank Dance Centre’s annual Open House. 
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