Joining the RQD means embracing movement and being part of a tight-knit community in which all the members, like the threads used to sew a sash, are important. It means joining our voices to create true strength in numbers. This unity is vital for the healthy and sustainable recovery of our sector.
For the past year and a half, our lives have been fraught with uncertainty, anticipation and a pressing need to put these extraordinary circumstances behind us. Our desire to create, dance and share with others grows from week to week. Managing change has become a daily challenge for the dance community. Individuals, organizations and institutions all have a role to play in addressing the issues that affect us collectively.
The RQD acts as a catalyst in this vast and complex panorama. It brings together various dance community stakeholders and defends their interests and demands. It works to give dance a greater voice, one that reflects its stature, diversity and plurality.
We are entering a new era that calls upon us to rebuild stronger foundations based on equity, justice and goodwill. New building blocks must be selected, arranged and layered so that creation can flourish and new ways of presenting dance can be developed. The RQD is recognized for its strong political representation. It acts in solidarity to support the work of its members and promote choreographic art and its place in society.
Artists, cultural workers and dance organizations—join now!
At the invitation of the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD), the artist Aïcha Bastien-N’Diaye delivers a message of hope for International Dance Day. After a year-long pandemic that has affected the lives of all Quebecers, and that has hit the arts and culture sector particularly hard, her sensitive and determined message reminds us to what extent dance is an accessible artform that brings people together and effects change.
A performer, choreographer, and teacher hailing from Wendake, Quebec, the artist Aïcha Bastien-N’Diaye combines tradition and modernity, physicality and expressivity in a wide variety of dance genres. Drawing on a wealth of cultures, practices and aesthetics, this young artist embodies the spirit of Quebec’s current dance scene, open to the world and to others.
Her enthusiasm and commitment come out in this video that was filmed at iconic locations in Quebec City, Wendake, and their surrounding areas, bringing together nature and the city in a message shot through with authenticity.
Québec Message for International Dance Day 2021 By Aïcha Bastien-N’Diaye
Dance Because it is essential. Always has been. Dance is good for us. It is a timeless remedy against aches and wounds. A living art that brings joy to young and old alike. A universal language, both authentic and powerful. Dance holds the power to galvanize a village around a single rhythm, inspire a world to unite rather than divide, and feed the soul of a whole community. It is practiced for sheer pleasure, or it can be a career. Dance makes sure movement never ceases.
Dance for oneself In a kitchen, in a studio, in the street. Move, bounce, turn, fall, get back up, improvise, shake until the bad comes out. Until the body expresses itself instinctively.
Dance together Let’s inspire each other. No barrier, no frontier, no comparison nor judgement. Let’s generate more movement, more education, more tolerance. More support for our artists, our teachers, our allies, our organizations. Let’s gather in the movement, in the possible, in the creation of the possible. In the “yes!”
Yes, dance is a sport. Yes, dance is an art. Yes, dance is cool. Yes, dance is a career path. Yes, things must change. Yes, things will move forward. Yes, you too can dance. Yes, dance is a tool to social change.
We need dance now more than ever. Every occasion is a good one. To create, share, support, celebrate dance. Let’s dance to claim the richness and importance of dance, here, in Quebec. Our home. Because more moments like this one will come, where language and words won’t be enough to state that… Whatever happens, We will dance.
Aïcha Bastien-N’Diaye A member of the Huron-Wendat nation, Aïcha’s introduction to artistic movement came through the traditional dances of Guinea while she was growing up in the community of Wendake. Instinctively creating a seamless blend between two strong cultures, she was inspired by her enthusiasm for dance’s physical and expressive qualities to pursue professional training at the École de danse de Québec. Since then, she has lived in Quebec City, where she is an active participant in the arts scene. By building connections between different dance styles, she has created a choreographic style that nullifies borders and stereotypes. A dance artist, content producer, activist, and word lover, Aïcha views art as a proactive way to spark change and reflection.
Most arts and culture organizations are holding on for now, but very high stress levels suggest that the impact of the pandemic aren’t just economic, according to the newly released results of the November 2020 National Arts and Culture Impact Survey (NACIS).
The NACIS was co-commissioned by a group of 30 national and provincial arts service organizations representing a range of artistic disciplines. The survey was open from November 3 to 23, 2020. In total, 1,273 individuals and 728 organizations from across Canada completed the survey, for a total of 2,001 responses.
Findings from the NACIS pointed to the following insights:
1. One in two organizations had positive experiences with digital programming, but many respondents indicated that going digital is not right for them.
A majority of individuals and organizations agree that digital programming is necessary (59% and 65% respectively). However almost one in two (44% and 48% respectively) indicated that they lack access to the necessary equipment for the digital pivot.
62% of organizations went digital between August and October, and 80% reported that the experience either met or exceeded their expectations.
Interestingly, respondents had mixed opinions on the role of digital programming in advancing artistic practices. And a significant proportion indicated that going digital is NOT right for them (28% of organizations and 36% of individuals).
2. Organizations are fairly optimistic, given the circumstances, while individual artists and arts workers are uncertain about their future in the arts
Respondents were much more optimistic about the ability of their own organization to recover from the impacts of COVID-19 (67%) than they are about the ability of the industry as a whole to recover (42%). This is a positive sign.
However, individual respondents anticipate an 18-month recovery period and as many as one in three are uncertain about their future in the arts.
3. Government support through the pandemic is generally positively perceived
Perceptions of government emergency support programs were in general quite positive.
Nine in ten individuals had received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and the same proportion of organizations had received the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.
About half of respondents commented on gaps in support programs such as eligibility and clarity or the need for more funding.
4. Very high stress and anxiety levels suggest that the impact of the pandemic isn’t just economic
Over three in four individuals and organizations reported very high or high levels of anxiety (76% and 79% respectively).
This is three times greater than self-reported levels of anxiety before COVID-19 (26% and 25% respectively).
Over three times as many individuals AND organizations report very high or high levels of stress and anxiety today (79%) as compared to before COVID-19 (25%).
It is always interesting to try and articulate actions that arise mostly from an instinctual sense of what is required. Good days in dramaturgical thinking resemble a flow state where we are completely immersed in the work at hand. So having this opportunity to put words to what drives my own process is akin to dramaturgy of self practice.
Each creation project has different goals, different rhythms and different minds therefore requiring different dramaturgical thinking approaches. Even though it is perhaps the most constant aspect of being a dramaturge, I will leave to the side the variability of this role as that has been nicely covered in Jessie Mill’s article published previously by the RQD.
Instead, I’d like to tackle what could be other constants in my dramaturgical process from project to project. Dramaturgy is practiced quite differently from one dramaturge to another. We don’t often have the chance to compare notes, so to speak, so I’m hoping that by naming how I’ve been working it will allow others to offer how they are working similarly and differently.
The most basic constant for me from one project to the next is the desire to be useful. One could even say that’s why the role varies so much. To be useful requires figuring out what is needed and, with all the variables noted above, what we do changes consequently in important ways.
Underlying this desire for usefulness, I can identify some consistent principles. I see them as anchoring the functioning of this usefulness. I’d like to name a few.
The most obvious is creating trust. I suspect all dramaturges prioritize this one. Trust is earned and it takes time. It means spending time together, being familiar with each others work and process styles. I think it is essential for truthful dialogue, expression of doubts and fears and deep questioning.
Equally necessary is the primacy of curiosity and listening. As a dramaturge, I cannot assume knowledge. It can be tempting to think I know what someone means without verifying with them just as it is a trap to think I know where a work is going and become blind to what it is actually doing. I see listening as an active practice of being curious about others, their ideas and their stories. It requires giving time for people to think and creating a safe space for hesitations and doubts.
Another is belief in the creation team, the people at the heart of any process. Works are the result of the people making them with everyone contributing his or her own dramaturgical work in a process. So I see part of my participation in a project is to take care that all voices are heard and that the team has a place to bring their full selves to the process. If I feel my belief in the team is not strong, I must question my ability to properly serve the needs of the project. If I feel a lacking in believe from other members of the team, it is part of my job to address this problem so these fault lines don’t destabilize the working process and undermine moving forward together.
Faith in process is another principle. No one knows where we are going. It’s a wild ride and it requires confidence that even when we lose our way, we will find the means to advance together through trial and error, reflection, occasional “eureka” moments and just plain hard work.
Finally, keeping a distance from choices made seems a necessary position. In the dramaturge role, I am in close proximity to making creative decisions but I also want to maintain a space to question and rethink a piece as new aspects appear. So I need to insure I’m not so close to choices that I become wedded to them, hindering the ability to ponder other options. It is a balancing act of stepping in and stepping out.
In addition to these foundational principles, there are some tools that seem to occur in most projects. I have grouped a number of them together into what I will name here as my process research.
For me, the first is figuring out the languages. It includes the type of vocabulary and references used to talk about ideas and the developing work. I listen for the specific swing of this vocabulary – how, by who and when it is casual, jokey, serious, reflective, forceful, mysterious, etc. Languages also refer to the body, time, space, object, visual, sound and relational languages being investigated. Exploring how my language flow and references can mesh and rebound with these types of languages is a big part of creating trust and working together. The languages of a project evolve over time and require constant attention. It is important to be in synch with the languages used but it can also be useful to shift or question them.
The second is determining the practice of a project. In what way is a group training itself, working together, playing or sharing to create a common understanding that isn’t exactly the creation but is necessary for the creation? Sometimes it’s as simple as exchanging news of the day and getting in synch while other times it can be extensive idea exchanges or a more elaborate body practice. Again, this practice can shift and evolve over time. I think that understanding the deep knowledge of a work involves recognizing these practices. Keeping track of them has proven beneficial to understanding the needs of a project and its roots. Not to mention that sometimes there are practices that get in the way of moving forward and it is useful to be able to name them and probe their continuing utility.
Questions
These researches also nourish and feed into one of the primary means of how I’m trying to be useful which is analyzing what a project is, what it is becoming and what it could become. To listen, to watch, to feel. To facilitate conversations, to be a companion but also to be a destabilizer, guarding a space for confronting alternate ideas. And this leads to asking questions. Questioning a work I see as an absolutely consistent action at the heart of dramaturgical thinking, but it is also the most variable part of the job. The questions of one work are completely different from the questions of another. Nonetheless, I suspect we could trace a history of our field by the types of questions that have been in the air in different time periods. As art making shifts, the spectrum of questions shift.
Figuring out the questions of a work and how to then put these questions into the creation space seems to me the creative task of the dramaturge: Sensing potentials, noticing paradoxes, wondering about relationships, querying about how a work fits into a bigger world picture, navigating the micro and macro dramaturgies of a work in process. This is the fun and the work.
I thought I would take a crack at naming some current question prompts that I keep in my pocket these days. This feels oddly precarious, bringing something to the front door that is usually a back door tactic, as if I’m crystallizing something that is mobile and vast. Nonetheless, I find myself wondering about one or another of them in multiple pieces though rarely in the same way. So here are some questions I may ask of a project: What is it inviting us to do?; Does it know itself too much?; Does it like where it’s living?; Is this its best time framework?; Does it require some consent questions?; Can we defend it and do we want to?.
These kinds of questions (and there are, of course, many more) can be particularly useful as a tool when I or others in the creation team feel either uncertain or too certain! They can be used to encourage cracks for different ideas or approaches to emerge. It is a way to unhook from knowing and stab into the dark. That stab in the dark sure seems to be a constant too.
Dramaturgy is inherent to art making and is shaped by the creative team through their process. The dramaturge is a sometime member of this team that facilitates questioning the emerging dramaturgy of an art project. As I look at this rather tidy listing of constants just made, I think it necessary to say this is a meta-analysis. In actual practice, they appear as untidy, spontaneous expressions of living with and responding to the work at hand.
Kathy Casey Artistic Director of Montréal Danse since 1996.
Dramaturge for all works of Montréal Danse as well as for projects outside the company.
Facilitator of dramaturgy workshops, choreographic research workshops and concept negotiation workshops in Montreal and abroad.
Montréal, November 20, 2019. After producing a comprehensive toolkit for the prevention of harassment in dance, the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD) is continuing its awareness-raising activities by publishing the graphic story Dance doesn’t mean putting up with everything!. About ten problematic situations experienced in the context of training and professional practice are presented by illustrator Sarah Arnal to facilitate the identification of abusive behaviours in this field, where the body workload, the overcoming of physical and mental limits and precariousness are important risk factors for psychological and sexual violence. The artwork offers an open and direct look look at a complex reality in the hope of encouraging organizations, institutions and individuals of all ages to develop a culture of consent. Supported financially by the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) and the Conseil des arts de Montréal, available in French and English on the RQD website, it could also have an impact in the recreational, performing arts and sport sectors.
In production since last spring, the graphic story addresses problematic situations identified by about fifty RQD members during a workshop on the ethics of professional relations: verbal and physical violence, sexism, grooming, voyeurism and others. The graphic story medium seemed particularly appropriate to the RQD to address these sensitive subjects and appeal to adults and young people alike. The illustrator, Sarah Arnal, stood out among about sixty candidates by her understanding of the subject, her sensitivity, the quality and poetry of her illustrations and by her artistic approach focused on the tension between illustrations of the practice of dance and a raw account of the violence experienced. A group of dance professionals, a lawyer and a psychosocial support worker were consulted to validate the orientations of the graphic story at the very beginning of a demanding process.
Sarah Arnal Illustrator, teacher, printmaker and graphic novelist, Sarah Arnal lives in Québec City and currently works at the junction of social sciences and graphic arts. A graduate of the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, she also directed the print publishing division of the École Supérieure d’Arts et de Design de Saint-Étienne. Among others, she illustrated La première fleur du pays sans arbres, a graphic novel written by Julien Lacombe and published by Les Requins Marteaux editors.
Regroupement québécois de la danse The RQD brings together and represents individuals and professional organizations working in dance, with the aim of promoting the advancement and visibility of choreographic art and contributing to the improvement of conditions for the practice of dance.
To develop greater individual and collective sensitivity to harassment situations and ensure healthy learning and work environments, the RQD is committed to promoting ethics in professional relationships within the professional dance community. Among other initiatives, the organization hired a professional relations officer from February 2018 to June 2019, published articles in its newsletter and press wire, invited artists to express themselves on sexism and the #Metoo movement and produced a harassment prevention kit.
Read Dance doesn’t mean putting up with everything!
How should choreographic art be defined in 2019? How can the “Western-centric” vision upon which it is based be broadened in order to bring down the systemic barriers that continue to prevent so many dance professionals from realizing their full potential? The RQD invites you to share your perspectives on these fundamental questions at the Rendez-vous annuel des membres, which takes place on the afternoon of October 26, 2019.
Presented in the form of a talking circle, the workshop will offer equal sharing of speaking time based on the principle of “embodied talk” developed by researcher Camille Renarhd. It will allow dance professionals to express themselves verbally and to put their thoughts, comments and wishes down on cards that the RQD will collect and review in order to guide future actions in favour of a more inclusive dance community.
«We must continue listening to one another, sharing and receiving these other perspectives on reality so that choreographic art can remain a living and organic art in society.»
Jamie Wright and Lük Fleury, Co-Presidents of the RQD
October 26 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique.
Open to all dance professionals. Latecomers will not be admitted.
The RQD’s Rendez-vous annuel des membres is just around the corner. The event will provide an opportunity to reflect on an exceptional year marked by much thoughtful discussion. Participants will also learn about the wide-ranging actions – past, present and future – taken to ensure that Quebec’s professional dance community can continue to flourish. We encourage you to mark Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26 on your calendars!
Back at Circuit-Est for another edition, the Annual General Meeting on Friday afternoon will give members of the RQD team a chance to report on the progress that has been made on key issues this year. You will learn about the tremendous amount of work done by the team and the RQD’s monitoring committee over the past year to develop the new strategic plan.
Several positionson the board of directors are currently vacant: This is a great opportunity to get involved and participate in the RQD’s ongoing activities, which allow it to fight to defend your interests across the entire community. Start preparing your pitch to support your candidacy!
This year, our Saturday workshops will focus on the questions, needs and issues raised by the digital shift in the dance community, as well as the decolonization of the term “choreographic art”. The day is a crucial occasion to promote group discussion, challenge perceptions, identify potential solutions and define the RQD’s mandate.
The Rendez-vous annuel is a fall event that should not be missed! Come gather together and share your ideas so that dance can continue to grow and thrive in your personal and professional lives. This collective effort is a cornerstone of the community. We are stronger together!
Jamie Wright and Lük Fleury
Co-presidents of the RQD
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Workshop on the Digital Shift in the Dance Community
Digital technologies have brought about major transformations in the dance community. In light of the issues and opportunities identified by the community, this workshop will give us the opportunity to identify courses of action for the years ahead. To help us prepare the workshop, we invite you to complete this short questionnaire.
12:30 p.m. | Lunch**
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Workshop on the Decolonization of the Term “Choreographic Art” * How should choreographic art be defined in 2019? How can the “Western-centric” vision upon which it is based be broadened in order to bring down the systemic barriers that continue to prevent so many dance professionals from realizing their full potential? The RQD invites you to share your perspectives on these fundamental questions. Presented in the form of a talking circle, the workshop will offer equal sharing of speaking time based on the principle of “embodied talk” developed by researcher Camille Renarhd. It will allow dance professionals to express themselves verbally and to put their thoughts, comments and wishes down on cards that the RQD will collect and review in order to guide future actions in favour of a more inclusive dance community.
YOUR DOCUMENTS
New: Also find them in your Member area (Espace membre)!
Do you have any questions, ideas or even apprehensions concerning digital technologies? Please feel free to share them by completing this questionnaire, which will help set the stage for the workshop on digital technologies presented at the Rendez-vous annuel des membres on Saturday October 26, by identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats posed by the digital shift.
“Being a member of the Regroupement québécois de la danse is a way to locate support, find my place and help others find their place.” Angélique Willkie, teacher and researcher.
The Regroupement québécois de la danse is a united, engaged, and generous community… Not to mention inspiring! In this video, you’ll find out about everything our members particularly appreciate about our association, as well as the numerous perks they enjoy all year long!
If you feel that you share the RDQ’s values, then share this video with your contacts!
Photo credit: Pictures from the video An RQD for each and every one! made by Claudia Chan Tak and with Ana Espinosa, André Laprise, Andrea Peña Albarracin, Angélique Willkie, Anik Bissonnette, Annie-Claude Coutu Geoffroy, Ariane Voineau, Brontë Poiré-Prest, Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, Emmanuelle Lê Phan, Fabien Piché, Ford Mckeown Larose, Ian Yaworski, Irène Galesso, Nicolas Patry and Sophie Michaud.
Montréal, November 27, 2018 – The Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD) and the Québec office of the Dancer Transition Resources Centre (DTRC) are pleased to announce the start of a process to consolidate services offered to dancers and the launch of a pilot project to provide career transition support to choreographers. The DTRC will lend its expertise and resources to carry out the mandate in collaboration with the RQD who will administer the $150,000 grant from the Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCC). The funding for these projects is part of the action plan for Québec’s cultural policy.
The first part of the project aims to consolidate, increase and promote the services offered to dancers who work in the province by the DTRC’s Québec office. It will include the creation of two new positions: communications, and member and community support coordination.
The second part plans to initiate a pilot project to provide career transition support to actors, musicians, circus performers and choreographers. Five choreographers from Québec will have the opportunity to benefit from personalized career transition support thanks to programs, services and financial support offered by the DTRC’s Québec office. The RQD and the DTRC will launch a call for participation in December 2018. Meanwhile, the MCC will conduct a study to evaluate the needs of artists working in performing arts and the types of services needed to better assist them.
The RQD represents and defends the interests of over 500 dance professionals in research, creation or repertoire and plays a leading role in the advancement of every sector of the discipline: creation, production, presentation, training and services. For almost 35 years, it has actively contributed to raising awareness and improving conditions for dancers performing on the public stage.
TheDTRC is a not for profit organisation founded in 1985 with nearly 700 members. In 2002, it opened its Québec office. The DTRC helps dancers make the necessary career transition into, within, and from the many transition phases related to their artistic, professional and personal path and gives them the necessary tools to achieve their full potential. It also supports activities that improve the socioeconomic conditions of artists across the country.
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This project was made possible with the
financial support of the government of Quebec
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