Our annual FORMations Jam returns with movement facilitation by OURO Collective and live music from Ben Brown and Raphaël Foisy of Music And Movement Mondays (MAMM)!
This event is free to attend. Registration is required as space is limited.
OURO Collective members Rina Pellerin, Eric Cheung, and Shana Wolfe will lead us through movement concepts influenced by OURO’s fusion of waacking, popping, and contemporary dance. While we experiment with movement through the lens of the camera, Ben and Raphaël will accompany with live improvised music (drums and bass) and guide us through music listening exercises. Participants will create and present their own short movement video by the end of the workshop.
FORMations is open to all dance backgrounds and experience levels, prioritizing participants between the ages 15 to 25.
All you need to bring is yourself, comfortable clothes to dance in, and a phone with space to record a few videos. Expect to play the role of dancer and filmmaker in this jam and see your short movement film come to life!
*you do not need access to a smart phone in order to participate*
12-1:30 PM: Movement Warm-up (Waacking, Popping, + Contemporary) and Music Listening Exercises
1:45-2:30 PM: Exploring Movement Through the Camera
2:30-3:30 PM: Creation of Films
3:30-4 PM: Presentation of Films
FACILITATORS
Musicians
Ben Brown
I am a musician and composer based in Vancouver, Canada. As a drummer, I have received a Juno Award with my group, Pugs and Crows. I am the founder of Music And Movement Mondays (MAMM) and the Conundrum series for solo drum Performance. Currently, I am researching a series of designed percussion instruments by Roxanne Nesbitt, exploring how drumming on large scale sculptures offers me a more embodied way of making music, and co-producing a short documentary film and full length album for my project Sound Sculptures.
Raphaël Foisy
Raphaël Foisy (Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyaang/Montreal) has been developing a versatile artistic practice based on improvisation and collaboration. He plays (double) bass, guitar, trumpet and sometimes electronics. As a former member of the collective La Passe and co-organizer of the series Mardis Spaghetti, and Mardis Tous Croches (2014-2016), he helped organize hundreds of concerts for musicians from all around the world. He has released albums on Notice, HAVN, Rara Avis and Arachnidisc. He is also the founder and director of the Small Scale Music label. Raphaël would like to thank and acknowledge the support of Now Society and their Trading Places residency program, which made his participation in this workshop possible.
Movement Facilitators: OURO Collective Members
PHOTO BY Abhishek Joshi
OURO is an eclectic, Vancouver-based dance collective that uses hip-hop, waacking, popping, breaking, house, and contemporary dance as the foundation for the creation and production of new work. As individual artists coming from diverse cultural and dance backgrounds, OURO sees collaboration as a catalyst for dialogue, creative innovation, and community building. United around the common goal of pushing the boundaries of how street dance-based works are created and presented, OURO is dedicated to creating performances that explore the full range of possibilities and identities the group represents. OURO operates as a true collective—each member specializes in different dance styles and acts as co-choreographers when creating new works.
Rina Pellerin
PHOTO BY Abhishek Joshi
Rina's versatility and artistry has allowed her to perform, judge, and compete across North America and Asia. She has received several scholarships and awards throughout her training, granting her the opportunity to study under pioneers of street dance and its founders. She is the co-founder and co-artistic director of OURO Collective and Konichiwaack, and is the winner of Vancouver Street Dance Festival 2012/2014/2015, Last One Stands 2014, HotMess 2023, and judged prominent street dance events such as Massive Monkees Day and Twice as Nice. Highlighted credits include Paramount+, Lululemon, Team Canada, Disney, NBC, Exxon, CW Television Network, Cox Communications, and Samsung.
Eric Cheung
PHOTO BY Abhishek Joshi
Eric Cheung is a street dance and inter-disciplinary artist based in so-called Vancouver and is a company member of Ouro Collective, partaking in the creation process of HAKO, SOTTO51, Fire06, and 7y98D (Stage / Film). Eric explores different mediums to further expand the boundaries of street dance in film, theatre, new media, fashion, and Virtual Reality (VR). Projects such as E_GO, I(n)finite, Re:1974, iye, wave, ALT, iyeism and EOM. Eric has been featured on numerous platforms and festivals, such as Nowness, Booooooom, Vimeo Staff Pick, and Aesthetica Festival.
Shana Wolfe
PHOTO BY Abhishek Joshi
Shana Wolfe is a dance artist currently based in Vancouver, Canada on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She completed the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program in 2017. She then joined Ballet BC as an apprentice for their 2017/2018 season performing “BILL” by Sharon Eyal throughout England and in Germany. In 2018 she attended Springboard Danse Montreal and since then has been freelancing with OURO Collective, The Falling Company and artists such as Cindy Mochizuki, Lisa Gelley and Justin Calvadores. She was recently a dancer for the Edmonton Opera’s Orphée+ with choreographer Nicole Von Arx.
Venue Information
Location: KW Production Studio — 111 Hastings St W, Vancouver BC, V6B 1H4
Wheelchair accessible via atrium entrance on Hastings St, wheelchair accessible washrooms.