{"id":23775,"date":"2023-03-22T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=23775"},"modified":"2023-03-17T09:24:52","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T16:24:52","slug":"dance-theatre-of-harlem-presents-ballet-performance-with-multicultural-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2023\/03\/22\/dance-theatre-of-harlem-presents-ballet-performance-with-multicultural-roots\/","title":{"rendered":"Dance Theatre of Harlem presents ballet performance with multicultural roots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Founded in 1969, the Dance Theatre of Harlem has for over 50 years created a safe space for dance-related artists of all backgrounds to express themselves openly. On March 24 and 25, the travelling troupe will be hosted at the Royal Theatre, performing works of ballet by George Balanchine, Helen Pickett, William Forsythe, and Robert Garland.<\/p>\n

Lindsey Donnell has been with the company since 2012 as a dancer, and she loves how depthless and far-reaching the art form is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s an art form that requires so much precision and dedication that there\u2019s always so much more to fine tune. I love getting lost in that process; it feels so miraculous every time,\u201d she says. \u201cIt really connects humanity in a beautiful way, and I really feel lucky for that reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Donnell, the most exciting piece in the lineup this year is The Barre Project<\/em>, by William Forsythe, who is a top name in dance choreography and has worked directly with the Dance Theatre of Harlem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s been one of the most exciting works that we\u2019ve added to our rep this year, because we got to work with William Forsythe himself,\u201d says Donnell.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe is a choreographer who has really pushed the art form to where it is today, he\u2019s considered a choreographic genius, and having the honour of working with him, and having his eye on us in the studio, has really been a career highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donnell enjoys how dance creates a unique and captivating way for stories to enthrall audience members of all ages, and she takes the opportunity to push herself to be better.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dance Theatre of Harlem\u2019s Lindsey Donnell will be performing in town in March (photo provided).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cOne thing that I love is really being able to tell different stories, and it\u2019s so beautiful to see how dance affects others and the audience, so I like it as a personal challenge for myself, but I think actually what I really love about it is the way it makes people feel,\u201d she says. \u201cOne woman described it to me as like taking a breath of fresh air, watching dance and this beautiful art form on the stage, and she was just incredibly moved. It\u2019s like, wow, that\u2019s so cool how it can affect so many people, and people of all ages too.\u201d<\/p>\n

While ballet is traditionally European, Donnell appreciates how her studio brings people of many different cultures and histories together to experience dance in an open space that fosters interpersonal relationships and creativity.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the Dance Theatre of Harlem, we prioritize all backgrounds, so artists of colour, choreographers, composers, that kind of thing, and I think it\u2019s really beautiful to bring groups of people that are either marginalized or aren\u2019t always the centre of attention into a space where I think you do just have the freedom to be you,\u201d says Donnell. \u201cBallet is a traditionally European art form, so I think it\u2019s really beautiful to be in a space where you\u2019re encouraged to bring your cultural background into your work, and I think it makes way for a ground of creativity, and a ground of expansion, that I haven\u2019t experienced in any other place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donnell thinks that people should come to the performance to be inspired and to feel awe and wonder, and because ballet is an emotionally compelling experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they should attend in order to feel moved. I feel like going to the theatre, and especially in dance, it\u2019s a time to stop and pause and feel that awe, inspiration, and beauty,\u201d Donnell says. \u201cI think [American professor and lecturer] Bren\u00e9 Brown was saying that being in awe of something is one of the qualities in humans that keeps you alive, like if you\u2019re depressed, you don\u2019t actually feel the feeling of awe, and I think with ballet, I just think it touches your spirit and moves your soul, so I feel like that\u2019s why people should come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dance Theatre of Harlem
\n7:30 pm, Friday, March 24
\nand Saturday, March 25
\n$31 and up, Royal Theatre
\nrmts.bc.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Founded in 1969, the Dance Theatre of Harlem has for over 50 years created a safe space for dance-related artists of all backgrounds to express themselves openly. On March 24 and 25, the travelling troupe will be hosted at the Royal Theatre, performing works of ballet by George Balanchine, Helen Pickett, William Forsythe, and Robert […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,285],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-march-22-2023"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23775"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23819,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23775\/revisions\/23819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}