Saint John Contemporary Dance Festival is Happening this Weekend

Category: arts 218

Connection Dance Works is excited to announce its 9th annual Contemporary Dance Festival, returning to Saint John July 5-7, 2019.

The 2019 edition of the Saint John Contemporary Dance Festival takes place this weekend in Uptown Saint John. The event will once again offer performances both in and outside of traditional theatre venues along with many free presentations throughout the weekend.

The festival begins with a kickoff party and special performance of What’s Love Got To Do With It?  by Amanda Pye (Toronto, ON) at the Jones Gallery, 1 Charlotte Street, on Friday evening. Free performances continue Saturday between 1:30-3 p.m. in various locations around uptown Saint John.

The festival’s flagship presentation is its Main Stage Show, which takes place Saturday at 7:30 p.m at The BMO Studio Theatre, 112 Princess Street. This ticketed event features a double bill including Parallel Paths by Nostos Collective Dance Association (Halifax, NS and Toronto, ON) and the première performance of Sasha French’s (Fredericton, NB) new work Panemone.

Panemone is a relational landscape piece exploring patterns within our world from geographical and global patterns, to bird migration, genetic information, and the harnessing of power. This stark duet is driven by simple machine power and fueled by the music that was created simultaneously. The dancers, Amanda Pye and Amanda LaRusic are accompanied by musicians and composers Andrew Reed Miller (Saint John) and Nadia Francavilla (Fredericton).

Tickets for the show are $20/$15 and are available for purchase online at www.ticketpro.ca and at the door. 

The festival culminates on Sunday with a workshop focused on contemporary floor work led by Nostos Dance Collective Association. The workshop takes place at 11:00am at The Studio Dance School, 187 St. James Street, and is open to members of the public with an interest in movement. Registration is required via connectiondanceworks@gmail.com and the cost is $10 per participant.

Schedule Of Events:

Friday, July 5
Festival Kick-off Party at Jones Gallery
Featuring a performance by Amanda Pye
6:00-8:00 p.m. | Admission: Free

Saturday, July 6
Site-specific performances at the corner of Union & Charlotte St., The Saint John Tool Library and Visitors Shop & Gallery
Featuring The Saint John Community Movement Project, Courtney Arsenault, Julie Mytka & Melisa Boose
1:30-3:00 p.m. | Admission: Free

Saturday, July 6
Main Stage Show at BMO Studio Theatre
Nostos Dance Collective Association and Sasha French featuring Amanda Pye, Amanda LaRusic, Andrew Reed Miller and Nadia Francavilla
7:30 p.m. | Admission:  $20 General/$15 Students and Seniors
Tickets on sale at www.ticketpro.ca and at the door

Sunday, July 7
Contemporary Dance Workshop at The Studio Dance School
Jessica Lowe & Anastasia Wiebe of Nostos Collective Dance Association
11:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m. | Admission:  $10
Register by emailing connectiondanceworks@gmail.com

Featuring:

¤  Nostos Dance Collective Association (Halifax, NS & Toronto, ON)
¤  Sasha French (Fredericton, NB)
¤  Amanda LaRusic (Truro,NS)
¤  Amanda Pye (Toronto, ON)
¤  Andrew Reed Miller (Saint John, NB)
¤  Nadia Francavilla (Fredericton, NB) 
¤  Breath in MVMT / Julie Mytka & Melisa Boose (London, ON)
¤  Courtney Arsenault (Quispamsis, NB)

Full details on locations and times can be found on the Connection Dance Works website: connectiondanceworks.com/festival.

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