Looking Back Dancing Forward: Celebrating 50 years of Dancemakers

[Image Description: The black-and-white photo shows Julia Aplin and Jay Gower Taylor in an intense movement. Julia lifts the Jay, their bodies entwined. Julia has short hair, while Jay’s long hair flows with the motion]

2024 marked Dancemakers’ 50th anniversary as a company. To celebrate, in January of this year, Dancemakers welcomed 10 artist researchers to spen time with our archives at Dance Collection Danse as part of our Archival Project. The artist researchers developed projects that respond to the rich history of the company, as well as contextualize it from where we are today.

Photo by Anthony Gebrehiwot [Image Description: A room full of people are socializing in small groups of 2 or 3, surrounded by exposed brick walls and warm wood floors. In the foreground, Cara speaks to Theo who smiles mid-speech, and Carol looks at Victoria with a surprised expression.]

We screened a short media project by Tamara Jones and heard short reflections from Carol Anderson and Mairead Filgate.

Photo by Anthony Gebrehiwot [Image Description: Carol stands at a podium and speaks into a wireless mic. She wears an aqua blue sweater. To her right, Eve interprets her in ASL]

Thank you to those who joined us to look back at the years, art, work, and living that has passed, and help us imagine how we will dance forward into the future.

Photo by Anthony Gebrehiwot [Image Description: Black and white print-outs are scattered across a black tablecloth with different coloured markers strewn about. Blue lines emit from a picture of Sanjukta dancing with orange text that reads "this feels so special..."]

[Banner Image Description: Vintage film contact sheets read “KODAK 5052” and show grainy images of a group of people in black winter apparel standing at the edge of a snowy, rocky cliff.]