About the Performance Research Project (PReP) at Arts Umbrella
PReP is a half-day program for emerging dance professionals led by Lesley Telford at Arts Umbrella. PReP is conceived as a stepping stone into a career in dance or for those in transition between contracts. The program is for dancers who would like to continue training along with in-depth research and development. PReP is committed to developing an intensive artistic practice which offers a technique class followed by a daily workshop. The morning class is a ballet or contemporary technique class, followed by a workshop that delves into the creative process with the research and development of new work, exploration of improvisation skills as well as the investigative learning of existing repertoire.
This program involves creation with guest choreographers as well as a laboratory exchange with other artists in the community such as visual artists, writers, actors, musicians, filmmakers, etc. There will be showings of the work we are investigating. Performing is a great opportunity to develop experience, keep the dance community in touch with the work we are doing and be seen by choreographers and companies.
The program is structured to function in parallel with an emerging professional path so that the dancers involved will have time in the afternoons to be involved in professional projects and performing opportunities. The year is divided into 2 semesters. Although a full year commitment to the program is encouraged, the program essentially serves for career development and some dancers may plan periods of the year for auditions or may find work. PReP serves to maintain momentum following graduation or in between work and introduce emerging dancers to other choreographers and artists. The main purpose is to provide dancers with the flexibility, support and focus that they need while balancing training, auditioning and independent work. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Past Performance Research Projects:
New work in creation with Lesley Telford
Improvisation events at Sawdust Collector
Dancers created their own work in a choreographic workshop
Collaborated with Pi Theatre developing movement for the play Long Division
Studied the repertoire of Jiri Kylian
Text and dance workshop with Barbara Adler
Workshop with movement sensor technology
Works in progress by Noam Gagnon, Serge Bennathan, Idan Cohen and Heather Myers
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Alumni of the Performance Research Project have gone on to dance professionally with:
Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, Germany Theatre Pforzheim, Germany Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal Inverso Productions - Lesley Telford 605 Collective- Josh Martin and Lisa Gelley Vision Impure - Noam Gagnon Les Productions Figlio - Serge Bennathan Wen Wei Dance- Wen Wei Wang Action at a Distance - Vanessa Goodman Rachel Meyer Project20 - Donald Sales The Response - Amber Funk Barton ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Schedule 9:30am to 11:00am – Technique class 11:00am to 12:30pm – Workshop Monday to Friday September to June (34 weeks) Semester 1: September-December Semester 2: January-June _____________________________________________________________________________ How to audition
Please contact dance at dance@artsumbrella.com for audition information. ______________________________________________________________________________ Open Classes
The Performance Research Project at Arts Umbrella offers drop-in classes for professional and advanced-level dancers in the community.
Class with Lesley Telford: $12
Monday-Friday 9:30 –11:00 am
77 E 7th Ave, Vancouver, BC
*Online drop-in class registration *Fees are eligible for partial reimbursement under CADA/West’s Training Subsidy Program.