Roxy Menzies: Archival project
Roxy’s interest for the Archival Project is in the stories of those “behind the scenes”, in particular Arts Administration. She delves deep into the many figures in Dancemakers history who may not have ever received the credit they were due.
Roxy describes these important contributors as “unsung heroes”
“Too often, we as a dance community (and society at large) focus on the end result or the performance, only sometimes appreciating the many talents that help bring an idea to the stage. To be fair, this narrative has been changing over the last couple of decades.”
“Initially, my thoughts were that Arts administrators hold a unique and interesting perspective; there is a vast amount of knowledge about the numerous individuals they work directly with, answer to, and collaborate with, as well as an in-depth understanding of the systems in place for funding opportunities, paperwork, trends, and what else is happening in the dance community. They tend to have the “inside scoop” on the finances, temperaments, gossip, generated ideas that never made it to fruition, and their own interpretation of a piece and all that entailed for it to get onstage. In many cases, successful art would never have been successful without them.”
[Image ID: Back page of Dancemakers performance program from January 1982 at Queens University]
"While I still believe that, the research into the early beginning of Dancemakers has highlighted the complexity and intersections of this role in Toronto.
Previously researching a hidden figure within the dance world (our neighbors south of the border) who was instrumental in developing an important dance company that transcended the notions of race and political barriers has given me a different perspective. While it's common for dance artists to juggle various roles, I found a strengthened division between artistic direction and administration outside of Toronto."
[Image Description: A crowd of of people stand in a tall doorway, under a sign saying "17 THE PLACE 17". Someone in the front is crouched on one knee]
"New questions arise—is this absence of division in Toronto due to a lack of funding or a lack of knowledge in integrating the arts with administration at the time (between 35 and 50 years ago)?
This research has opened my eyes to the immense fortitude of the Dancemakers' founders and a few key individuals.
While sifting through boxes of Dancemakers files, which one might imagine being tedious, there were definitely moments of humour that showcased personality and intriguing stories."
[Image Description: Dancemakers company members rehearse for 2001 performance of the Satie Project, Choreographed by Serge Bennathan. The image shows four barefoot dancers mid-movement on a lit theatre stage, with stage lamps on the floor and equipment like lighting rigs, a piano, and a spiral staircase in the background. A few crew members observe, creating a raw, behind-the-scenes atmosphere.]