Membership 2021-2022: More active than ever, the RQD is there for you!
Deux solitudes dans une même présence, de et avec Ariana Pirela Sánchez © David Wong
In response to the pandemic, the RQD team has redoubled its efforts to defend the interests of the professional dance community. Whether you need training, support, or the information and resources you need for your practice, your association will always be there to support and represent you.
And to get a clearer picture of what the RQD can do for you, seven dance professionals share the support they have received over the past year.
Join today so you too can take advantage of all these benefits!
© Hélène Langevin
“The pandemic has revealed a resilient dance community that has continued to be active and, most of all, there for each other. The RQD has been there every step of the way on the journey we’ve all been forced to take by these extraordinary events. It has become a showcase for a number of initiatives set up to provide a cultural alternative for our audiences. Its database on financial aid measures has facilitated our team support. But most of all, by bringing our case to the government and by standing up for our interests and for the special characteristics of our discipline, the RQD has responded to a glaring need: giving voice to an ecosystem under threat.”
Amélie Gauthier, Executive director of Bouge de là
© Jason Frias
“The RQD dancer training support program has aided me enormously during the pandemic. I was lucky enough to have been able to continue training during these difficult times with Sarah Steben and the program Moving Beyond, online or in-person (when allowed). Being able to train isn’t always a given. Also, with the arts scene on pause due to COVID, income has increasingly dried up. But thanks to the classes reimbursements offered by the RQD, I have been able to continue to develop my dance with one less financial burden weighing me down, thus allowing me to concentrate a lot more on my art.”
Mary-Lee Brunet, Dancer
© David Ward
“At the RQD, solidarity this year has taken the form of a drop-in centre, a place where at the beginning of the pandemic you could come calling with all your cares and worries. Drawing upon the RQD has been essential with respect to public health measures and our access to creation spaces, performance venues, etc. Urgent measures taken by the organization have included financial support and workshops to help us transition to online working methods. The attention it has brought to training by bringing all the different schools to the table to discuss challenges and solutions has been beneficial for the whole community.”
Angélique Willkie, Assistant professor at Concordia University and dance artist
© Marie-Pierre Tremblay
“The RQD has played a crucial role in bringing the projects of our brand new organization, Danse Laurentides, to fruition. With its flexibility, rapid follow-up, and grasp of our specific situation, the RQD has been there at the most difficult points of this, shall we say, very particular year, a year that has plunged us into the unknown. Among others, collaborating with the RQD has allowed us to broaden the scope of the classes we offer in the Laurentides in order to provide professional dancers with access to more high-calibre advanced training activities without having to leave their home area.”
Caroline Dusseault, Choreographer, performer, and director of Danse Laurentides
© Mathieu Girard
“It is remarkable the way the RQD has been there for us over the last year. Its team members have adapted to the situation and have kept us informed about developments in the public health crisis in a clear and effective manner. It is not easy to feel relevant, what with the world and society undergoing sudden change. However, the RQD has been a reassuring presence amidst the vagaries of unexpected events, modifications, and contradictory information. Being able to come together around the knowledge and contributions of various representatives of our great community is essential. That’s why I hope that the new ways of doing things learned over the past year will represent a continuing contribution to enriching our shared experience.”
André Laprise, Director of the Académie de danse de l’Outaouais and trustee of the Fonds chorégraphique Fernand Nault
© Marjorie Guindon
“Recent events have shown us just how vulnerable we are without community support, and so the RQD is there to help build bridges between what happens at the individual level and what involves the whole community. For twenty years now, I have watched the organization evolve and have been a beneficiary of those changes; the various meetings and assemblies over the years have allowed me to broaden my view of the discipline. For example, I should mention the space accorded to a diversity of practices and the growing prominence that environmental considerations have taken on in our conversations. The RQD is our most important source of shared political leverage through which any desire for evolution in the choreographic art must pass. The slogan from a few years ago, I am the RQD is still relevant; it is a launching pad and a responsibility.”
David Rancourt, Artistic director of PPS Danse
© Vanessa Fortin
“For me, as for many other dance artists, the forced shutdown brought about by the COVID-19 crisis has given me time to think about new projects. The RQD digital cultural development agent helped me identify the best technological tools to include in one of my projects. Thanks to this support, my Lab culturel application was accepted. Now I will have the opportunity of benefiting from personalized support and financial aid to help me make my project focusing on inclusion in dance a reality.”
Ariana Pirela Sánchez, Choreographer and dancer