Voirelia Dance Hub's De/Formed Revival makes Renaissance sculptures move at The Dance Centre lunch series, February 29

Art history, psychology, dance, and philosophy all interweave in a piece about transformation

Photo by Adrian Ortega

 
 

The Dance Centre presents Voirelia Dance Hub’s De/Formed Revival on February 29 at noon

 

WATCHING SCULPTURES COME to life is an intriguing way to spend your lunch hour Thursday.

That’s when Voirelia Dance Hub presents De/Formed Revival at the Scotiabank Dance Centre for as part of the noonhour Discover Dance! series.

Inspired by Renaissance sculptures, it features a standout trio of dancers—Hana Rutka, Ben DeFaria, and Will Jessup—taking a journey of transformation. In the process, they explore larger metaphors about breaking free from life’s “moulds” and embracing change. Vancouver-based choreographer Idan Cohen has acted as artistic advisor on the project, and check out the artfully pleated details in designer Alaia Hamer’s costumes. The music ranges from Vivaldi to the ambient cello of Janice Wong.

It’s fitting that the unique company, launched in 2017, has the word “hub” in its title: run by founding artistic director Alina Sotskova, the choreographer behind De/Formed Revival who’s both a professional dance artist and a practising psychologist, its works interweave psychology, dance, and philosophy—especially the feminist, humanistic, and existential.

In this case, Sotskova also draws on Renaissance art history as well—a chiaroscuro-lit escape full of sculptural beauty before you return to work after lunch.  

 
 
 
Featured
Janet Smith
Janet Smith

Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is an award-winning arts journalist who has spent more than two decades immersed in Vancouver’s dance, screen, design, theatre, music, opera, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

 
 

Related Articles

Articles
Dance review: Coregulation and calm, as Action at a Distance’s WAIL sculpts vocal sound and movement
Dance review: Coregulation and calm, as Action at a Distance’s WAIL sculpts vocal sound and movement

In this PuSh Fest, Music on Main, and Dance Centre premiere, humming songs, whispered words, and hypnotic movement bring a sense of serenity and connection to a chaotic world

In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living
In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living

With staging that evokes a Chicago jazz bar, the Dance Centre and PuSh Festival co-presentation draws on matrilineal fashion and line dancing

Ballet BC highlights masterful choreographers Crystal Pite and Jiří Kylián with INFINITY, February 26 to 28
Ballet BC highlights masterful choreographers Crystal Pite and Jiří Kylián with INFINITY, February 26 to 28

Program features Pite’s Frontier, a deep dive into the unknown, and Kylián’s 27’52”, an exploration of theoretical elements

Dance review: JEZEBEL challenges the stereotype of the booty-poppin’ backup dancer
Dance review: JEZEBEL challenges the stereotype of the booty-poppin’ backup dancer

In a riveting PuSh Festival and New Works copresentation, Belgium’s Cherish Menzo plays with repetition, chopped-and-screwed music, and flashing dental grillz

Review: Liquid limbs and mesmerizing visual magic at Recirquel’s Paradisum
Review: Liquid limbs and mesmerizing visual magic at Recirquel’s Paradisum

In DanceHouse and The Cultch co-presentation, the Hungarian company is full of flowing bodies and rippling fabric

At PuSh, Alan Lake Factori(e)’s mythologically driven Orpheus paints a visceral picture of loss
At PuSh, Alan Lake Factori(e)’s mythologically driven Orpheus paints a visceral picture of loss

In the deeply moving production, dancers embody the ancient tale of death and longing by tapping into their own experiences of tragedy

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 shows to startle and spellbind at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 shows to startle and spellbind at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

Productions that “push” forms include dance works that play with props and stereotypes, as well as ethereal odes to nature and the northern lights

Recirquel’s postapocalyptic Paradisum conjures visual worlds out of fabric and light
Recirquel’s postapocalyptic Paradisum conjures visual worlds out of fabric and light

Producer Natália Fábics says the Hungarian work, co-presented by DanceHouse and The Cultch, is as much a contemporary artwork and philosophical epic as a fusion of circus and dance

The Dance Centre and PuSh Festival present Justine A. Chambers in The Brutal Joy, February 5 and 6
The Dance Centre and PuSh Festival present Justine A. Chambers in The Brutal Joy, February 5 and 6

Choreographer’s latest creation is a dazzling blend of dance, lighting, and sound that draws on her Black matrilineal heritage

Dozens of musicians and dancers take the stage for Celebrate Africa! at BlueShore at CapU, January 30
Dozens of musicians and dancers take the stage for Celebrate Africa! at BlueShore at CapU, January 30

Big bands play West African music with guests Dawn Pemberton, Khari McClelland, and others

Cherish Menzo's JEZEBEL lands at PuSh Festival in copresentation with New Works, January 22 and 23
Cherish Menzo's JEZEBEL lands at PuSh Festival in copresentation with New Works, January 22 and 23

Electrifying performance reclaims hyper-sexualized “video vixen” of hip hop’s golden era

Matriarchs Uprising spotlights stunning contemporary dance by Indigenous women, February 16 to 21
Matriarchs Uprising spotlights stunning contemporary dance by Indigenous women, February 16 to 21

Festival brings live performances, conversations, and community workshops to the Scotiabank Dance Centre and Morrow

At interplay_2026, artists blur the lines between digital and physical realms
At interplay_2026, artists blur the lines between digital and physical realms

Chimerik 似不像 and New Works XR partner to continue the online festival with new artistic producer Caroline Chien-MacCaull

Year in review: Looking back on a few standout moments in Vancouver’s theatre and dance scenes in 2025
Year in review: Looking back on a few standout moments in Vancouver’s theatre and dance scenes in 2025

Provocatively reimagined endings to opera and Shakespeare were among the random scenes that stuck with us from the year onstage

Ballet BC announces artistic director Medhi Walerski to step down in June 2027
Ballet BC announces artistic director Medhi Walerski to step down in June 2027

Having steered the company toward full houses and extensive touring, French-born dance artist will leave after 40th-anniversary season

New Ballet Jörgen production A Midsummer Night's Dream tours to Massey Theatre, February 7
New Ballet Jörgen production A Midsummer Night's Dream tours to Massey Theatre, February 7

Set to a score by Mendelssohn, whimsical show puts a Northern Canadian twist on Shakespeare’s timeless comedy

The Nutcracker at Wethersfield follows New York City Ballet to a wintry estate, to December 28 at VIFF Centre
The Nutcracker at Wethersfield follows New York City Ballet to a wintry estate, to December 28 at VIFF Centre

The Leading Ladies bring to life Duke Ellington’s swingy twist on Tchaikovsky score at December 14 screening

Goh Ballet fosters young talent and holiday cheer with 15th edition of The Nutcracker
Goh Ballet fosters young talent and holiday cheer with 15th edition of The Nutcracker

Amid tulle tutus and fleecey lambs, director Chan Hon Goh reflects on the history of the “feel-good production”

DanceHouse and The Cultch present the North American premiere of Recirquel’s Paradisum, January 21 to 24
DanceHouse and The Cultch present the North American premiere of Recirquel’s Paradisum, January 21 to 24

Hungarian dance-circus company invites audiences to witness a visceral, mesmerizing spectacle set in the aftermath of a destroyed world

Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker inhabits a snow-dusted Canada, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, December 12 to 14
Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker inhabits a snow-dusted Canada, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, December 12 to 14

Pond hockey, RCMP battles, and polar bears bring this unique rendition home—with classic Russian touches, of course

Arts Umbrella’s dancers rise to the challenge of learning every part in Mixed Nuts
Arts Umbrella’s dancers rise to the challenge of learning every part in Mixed Nuts

Company’s annual holiday twist on The Nutcracker features a flavoursome assortment of styles, from classical ballet to hip hop to ’60s swing

Dance review: In Birdy, Hung Dance makes endless, artful play with feathered headpieces of Chinese opera
Dance review: In Birdy, Hung Dance makes endless, artful play with feathered headpieces of Chinese opera

Dreamlike Taiwanese show explores freedom and oppression, with Ling Zi becoming everything from spiky weapons to shivering life forces all their own

Stir Q&A: Lai Hung-Chung’s Birdy explores freedom through feathers
Stir Q&A: Lai Hung-Chung’s Birdy explores freedom through feathers

Presented by DanceHouse, Taiwan’s Hung Dance draws on the headpieces of Chinese opera to conjure calligraphy, weapons, and birds in flight

Holiday shows 2025: Stir’s ultimate guide to Vancouver’s merriest performances and events
Holiday shows 2025: Stir’s ultimate guide to Vancouver’s merriest performances and events

The local arts and culture scene has bright gifts in store this season, from music by candlelight to wintry ballets

Movement meets multi-laser projections as Eric Cheung premieres Contra at Scotiabank Dance Centre, November 28 and 29
Movement meets multi-laser projections as Eric Cheung premieres Contra at Scotiabank Dance Centre, November 28 and 29

New production comes as a result of the street dancer’s Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award win earlier this year

Arts Umbrella's festive Mixed Nuts returns to the Vancouver Playhouse, December 12 to 14
Arts Umbrella's festive Mixed Nuts returns to the Vancouver Playhouse, December 12 to 14

This spin on Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker features a flavoursome assortment of styles, ranging from classical ballet to hip hop

MOSAÏCO unites diverse dance and cultural backgrounds with kaleidoscopic projections
MOSAÏCO unites diverse dance and cultural backgrounds with kaleidoscopic projections

Quebecois choreographer Audrey Gaussiran’s work tours to Alliance Française Vancouver’s V-Unframed and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts

Stir Q&A: At the Chutzpah! Festival, Australian duo’s Common Place taps into the magic of partnerwork
Stir Q&A: At the Chutzpah! Festival, Australian duo’s Common Place taps into the magic of partnerwork

Dancers Omer Backley-Astrachan and Jana Castillo explore the importance of connection and trust

Dance review: Stunning group work drives Ballet BC’s high-energy TRILOGY
Dance review: Stunning group work drives Ballet BC’s high-energy TRILOGY

Company looks sharp across opening program of eclectic, full-throttle LILA, mysterious SWAY, and epic BOLERO X

Created with survivor testimonials, The Mush Hole tells the truth about Canada’s longest-running residential school
Created with survivor testimonials, The Mush Hole tells the truth about Canada’s longest-running residential school

Renowned Indigenous choreographer Santee Smith brings her haunting yet hopeful piece to The Cultch and Urban Ink’s TRANSFORM Festival

DANCEJanet SmithVoirelia Dance Hub, DANCE CENTRE, The Dance Centre