The Dance Centre Podcast

This month on The Dance Centre Podcast, Claire welcomes back dance artist and founder of Co.ERASGA, Alvin Tolentino. In this episode, Alvin shares the motivations behind creating his company, and the journey he and the company have taken over the past 25 years. Plus a look towards the future as a dance artist, choreographer, mentor and founder.

Claire and Alvin also chat about Alvin's new work, Eternal Gestures and his collaboration with three female Indigenous choreographers to bring the piece to life.

Show Notes:

Listen to Alvin's first podcast episode from November 2023: https://thedancecentrepodcast.podbean.com/e/alvin-tolentino-episode-26/

See Eternal Gestures at Scotiabank Dance Centre October 9-10, 2025: https://thedancecentre.ca/event/co-erasga-2025/

Learn more about Alvin and Co.ERASGA: https://www.companyerasgadance.ca/

Welcome back to The Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire welcomes Andrea Nann, contemporary dance artist, arts educator, and the founding Artistic Director of Dreamwalker Dance.

Together they discuss Andrea's dance journey and career over the last 40+ years, her roots in Vancouver and in the Vancouver dance community, creating new works, community building and the inception of her company, Dreamwalker Dance. 

Claire and Andrea also discuss TvT Interlink, a long term artistic exchange which this year culminates in a two-day symposium, presented in partnership between The Dance Centre and the Vancouver Art Gallery. 

Show Notes:

TvT Interlink: https://thedancecentre.ca/event/tvtlink/

Dreamwalker Dance: https://www.dreamwalkerdance.com/

Welcome back to The Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire takes on a double role as both host and Artist-in-Residence, and chats with Jeanette Kotowich, Simran Sachar, Virginia Duivenvoorden and Vanessa Goodman – the dance artists who make up re:group, an initiative she conceived for her residency this past season.

Join them as they discuss creating and participating in dance communities, how their difference perspectives help them engage with each other and ask questions, honoring the ways in which we connect through movement and how how everything always comes back to dance.

Show Notes:

Dance Central Volume 40/Issue 1: re:group: 

Welcome back to The Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire welcomes Artistic Co-Directors of Company 605, Lisa Mariko Gelley and Josh Martin. Together they share their dance journeys, their relationship with dance, and the evolution of Company 605 from a collective to where it is today.

Josh and Lisa also discuss the work they do in the Vancouver dance community, their creation process, and how their new work, Sloth Canon, came to be. 

-See Sloth Canon June 5-7 at Scotiabank Dance Centre: https://thedancecentre.ca/event/company-605-the-human-expression/

-Website: https://company605.ca/

Welcome back to the Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire is joined by dance artist, choreographer and Artistic Director of Action at a Distance, Vanessa Goodman.

Together they discuss Vanessa's journey with dance, how she make dance a communal experiences as well as her relationship with music and sound - and how to listen to dance. 

Vanessa also speaks about creating dance and sound with her collaborators, group work and creating dance for non-traditional spaces. 

Show Notes

-International Dance Day 2025: https://thedancecentre.ca/event/international-dance-day-2025/

-Claire and Vanessa's conversation in 2020 as part of our International Dance Day Virtual Edition: https://youtu.be/Y8p5z2TJdiw

Welcome back to The Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire is joined by dance artist and choreographer Gaurav Bhatti. Together they discuss how dance chose him, his journey through dance genres, starting with Bollywood to his current work in Kathak, the relationship between Kathak and Contemporary dance and the evolution of his new piece Bulleh Shah: Seeker of Light.

See Bulleh Shah: Seeker of Light - March 28-29, 2025 at Scotiabank Dance Centre: thedancecentre.ca/event/gaurav-bhatti

Welcome back to The Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire chats with Jessica Jone, principal and artistic director of the Lorita Leung Dance Academy. Together they discuss Jessica's journey with Chinese and contemporary dance, the different chapters of her life in dance and her relationship with the Dance Centre.

Jessica also shares the correlations she sees between Chinese and Contemporary dance and gives us a brief overview of Chinese dance.

Show Notes

-Lorita Leung Dance Academy: chinesedance.ca

-Stand like a Pine with a Helium Helmet: The Influences of Qi and Chan Buddhism in both Chinese Classical Dance and Modern Dance: https://www.chinesedance.ca/en/news-media/publications/%E2%80%9Cstand-like-a-pine-with-a-helium-helmet%E2%80%9D

Welcome back to The Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire chats with interdisciplinary artist, choreographer and performer Erika Mitsuhashi. Together they discuss Erika's journey with dance, evolving from a dance artist to making dance, exploring other disciplines and materiality, as well as her collaborations to create and produce dance

Erika also shares about her current project: putting together a dance work within spiritual spaces, something she will explore more of as part of her upcoming residency in Montreal as part of the Quebec BC Residency Exchange with Circuit-Est Centre Chorégraphique. 

ttps://www.erikamitsuhashi.com/

Welcome back to The Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire welcomes dance artist and choreographer Tasha Faye Evans. Together they speak about community engagement, her house posts project In The Presence of Ancestors, and the evolution of her piece Cedar Woman.

Show Notes:

Website: tashafayeevans.com

Coast Salish Design Elements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc3K-MyH3xg

Welcome back to The Dance Centre Podcast. This month Claire welcomes Anya Saugstad, dancer, choreographer and recipient of the 2023 Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award. Together they discuss Anya's dance and choreography journey, how she is inspired by nature and uses it in her work, and why she enjoys working with a team. 

Claire and Anya also talk about her piece, Paper Mountains and it's journey leading up to it's world premiere on November 23 at Scotiabank Dance Centre as part of Dance In Vancouver 2024. 

https://thedancecentre.ca/event/anya-saugstad/

https://www.anyasaugstad.com/