DCD In St. John’s
DCD staff will be involved in multiple activities in St. John’s this September and we hope you can join us if you’re on The Rock.
September 19 – St. John’s Book Launch for Still With Us: Stories of HIV/AIDS and Dance in Canada. Presented in partnership with the Tommy Sexton Centre. The event will feature a conversation with Christopher House and writer, educator, actor and arts administrator Robert Chafe. Special thanks to Leanto and Sarah Stoker for donating their new space.
Limited space, so be sure to RSVP
Launch Details:
- Date – Saturday, September 19th
- Time – 3-5 pm
- Venue – Leanto, 140 Water St. (Main Level), St. John’s, NL
September 24 – Amy Bowring Lectures for the Newfoundland and Labrador Historical Society.
The Other “Distaff” Work: Patriotic Performances in St. John’s During the Great War. While the Women’s Patriotic Association (WPA) mobilized its members to produce socks, bandages, and other items of comfort for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, another contingent of these motivated and productive women chose to stage performances in order to aid the war effort. Largely under the direction of WPA member Helen Colville, a variety of dance performances and tableaux vivants were presented at St. John’s theatres and garden fêtes to boost morale and raise funds.
In this context, can we consider dance another form of distaff work?
This talk will reveal the role of dance performances in Newfoundland’s war effort, the women who staged them, and the links between female performers and the post-war suffrage movement.
Thursday, September 24th, 7:30 pm (NT) / 7:00 pm (AT)
In-Person: A1043, Memorial University. Free Parking in Lots 1A and 15B
Presented by the Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Society
Research supported by Gatherings: Archival and Oral Histories of Performance
September 23-27 – Amy Bowring and Josh Murphy at the Festival of New Dance
DCD’s Amy Bowring has been engaged as Maker-in-Residence by the Festival of New Dance. A passionate fibre artist as well as dance historian, Amy will be leading Response Labs for the festival to guide participants on using their fibre and textile skills to create new works in response to performances at the Festival. Amy will also lead the post-show chat for SaMel Tanz’s performance of Championess on Sept. 26. And Collections Assistant Josh Murphy, who is also a choreographer, performer and burlesque artist, is curating the Festival’s edition of An Evening of Odditease on Sept. 25. DCD author Kaija Pepper will be on hand at the Festival too, as a Writer-in-Residence leading her own Response Labs with interested writers and members of WritersNL. Kaija has authored three books published by DCD and edited a fourth – watch for her article on Jai Govinda and Mandala Arts and Culture Society in the upcoming issue of DCD Magazine.
For more information on workshops, performances, response labs, and how to register, visit: https://www.neighbourhooddanceworks.com/fnd2026
