2016 InFrinGinG Dance Festival

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Thursday, July 7th, 2016
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM

Diversity is key at the 18th Annual InFrinGinG Dance Festival with an exciting celebration of cultural dance in Nanaimo, July 7 to 10.  Titled Dancing in the Belly of the Dragon, the festival runs alongside the Save-On-Foods DragonBoat Festival.

The festival features dance infused with cultures from around the globe and close to home, including a premiere by local dancer turned Ballet BC ballerina, Alexis Fletcher, contemporary Aboriginal dancers and choreographers of Raven Spirit Dance and Snuneymuxw Dancers, the voice of queer identified youth on community, gender and identity, funked out Francophone step dance and Brazilian Samba street performances. InFrinGinG truly presents a diverse look at the world of dance.

There are three feature, ticketed performances.  Opening the festival is a celebration of First Nations Dance featuring Snuneymuxw dancers and singers and Raven Spirit Dance Company - Canadian Aboriginal dance artists and choreographers who fuse Métis, Cree and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in  First Nations stories with Peruvian Quechua Aboriginal stories and their contemporary dance training.  Night two offers three dances that reflect cultural and local stories; An Action Theater™ based dance improvisation by Samantha Letourneau, Robbyn Scott, Renee Poisson, Regina Schulmann and Holly Bright, a work by MACHINENOiSY with local Queer and allied identified young adults that presents a different element of diversity called Young And Queer, Here And Now, and finallyMeagan O’Shea in We Don’t Need Another Hero, which involves local choir members and audience engagement and asks, “Do you operate from your head, your heart or your gut?” The final ticketed feature, July 9, highlights Alisoun Payne with I BE CARIBOU reflecting on the great yet vulnerable Canadian landscape and Central Vancouver Island born, Ballet BC artist, Alexis Fletcher in her work, Altar’d, which speaks to the effect of life lessons on the human spirit.

On July 5, 6:30pm, a roundtable focuses on raising awareness for competent care for the queer community and elders at HarbourFront Library, July 5.

A multitude of FREE shows run at Maffeo Sutton Park - Yayoi Hirano’s traditional Japanese dance with mask-making workshops; VooDoo Dave’s drumming circles; Zogma percussive dance company with Francophone pop-up step dances; Holly Bright and Genevieve Johnson performance of a duet based on Grant Leier and Nixie Barton’s art; a variety of talented artists from Victoria, Korea, China, Brazil and even a MerFolk SPLASH mob for everyone.   Check out our Dance Museum tent to see what inspires the artists.  The festival offers a chance for everyone to explore the joy of movement, no matter their level of experience.

Ticketed shows will be held at Harbour City Theatre and cost $20 or $50 with a festival pass to see all three. Tickets are available at the Port Theatre box office.

Festival hotspots, White Sails Brewing and the Fire House Grill, will offer a refreshing stop and discount with ticket or stub to festival attendees to gather before, between or after shows and talk dance with like-minded people.

For details and the full schedule of all the colour and diversity InFrinGinG has to offer, go to http://www.crimsoncoastdance.com/2016infringing