{"id":46090,"date":"2025-03-14T01:55:17","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T08:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=46090"},"modified":"2025-03-13T16:37:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T23:37:50","slug":"searching-for-hope-in-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2025\/03\/14\/searching-for-hope-in-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for hope in future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Belle Spirale\u2019s dance double-bill, Universus, is at the Vancouver Playhouse March 21-22, as part of the Chutzpah! Plus Spring Edition. (photo \u00a9 Michael Slobodian)<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cAs I think many of us are right now, I am feeling sense of trepidation, endangerment and uncertainty about the future that I have honestly never felt before in this way. My faith in the future and humanity\u2019s ability to call in a future that I want (for myself and also for future generations) has been shaken to the core,\u201d Alexis Fletcher told the Independent<\/i>. \u201cAnd yet, my spirit knows that hope, togetherness, connection \u2013 they are all necessary. Indeed, they are what propel the world, evolution, the cosmos and each other forward. Everything and Nothing<\/i> asks what hope and resiliency mean to me \u2013 as a woman, as an artist, as a citizen \u2013 at this moment in history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fletcher is co-director with Sylvain Senez of Belle Spirale Dance Projects. Their March 21-22, 8 p.m., Chutzpah! Festival dance double-bill at the Vancouver Playhouse, called Universus<\/i>, also features Fernando Hernando Magadan\u2019s Statera<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The title of Belle Spirale\u2019s Everything and Nothing<\/i> comes from a poem Fletcher wrote several years ago, \u201cexploring the idea that we are at once both the entire universe and a tiny speck of almost nothingness within the vastness of that universe. That we are both \u2018everything and nothing in the same split-instant,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Acknowledging that this was a broad place from which to start, she and the dancers asked themselves, \u201cWho are the leaders of the future that we actually want? How can we create an imagination-based, artistic response to these important questions and feelings? I see so many qualities of this leadership in each and every person who is making Universus<\/i> with us,\u201d said Fletcher. \u201cI have been curious about what the archetypes, or the energetic qualities, these future leaders would embody, and how could they usher the world forward into a new and more hopeful paradigm.\u201d<\/p>\n

To explore these questions, Fletcher came to the studio with \u201cmovement phrases,\u201d she said. \u201cThe dancers then took these movements and made new sequences which combined the original phrases with their own responses to the text, images and perceptions about the subject matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also use structured improvisation to explore different states of being and allow those to inform the choreography,\u201d she added. \u201cThen, everything gets layered together and composed into different sections, working with the music, the design aspects, and how that all relates in space and time to where the audience will be. It is a truly collaborative process, with each artist contributing hugely to the final outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

This includes \u201cthe images of the natural world and the cosmos that Sylvain has so exquisitely crafted with his visual design,\u201d said Fletcher. \u201cThese images, to me, represent our shared origin point in the cosmos, reminding us that our journey is mystical as well as concrete or tangible. While this is all explored in an abstract way very open to interpretation, we hope to evoke a sense of possibility, of awe and wonder with this work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another important collaborator is Marisa Gold, who Fletcher and Senez met some time ago. \u201cImmediately, I was compelled by her stage presence and the insightful, kind, courageous way she conducts herself in the world,\u201d said Fletcher, noting that Gold has been part of Everything and Nothing<\/i> from its beginnings in 2023. As the piece has developed, Fletcher felt that a live, spoken-word element \u201ccould act as a counterpoint to the inherently more abstract and image-driven metaphor of the dancing body and the choreography.<\/p>\n

\u201cInside of this desire for text, I had a gut feeling that it wasn\u2019t supposed to be my voice or my writing,\u201d said Fletcher. \u201cI needed to bring a different voice into the mix, with different lived experience and perceptions than my own. What came out of this was expanding and amplifying Marisa\u2019s role within the work by commissioning her to create and perform original poetry and spoken word throughout Everything and Nothing<\/i>. And \u2026 she still does a phenomenal amount of dancing, and she is incredible in that too! I can\u2019t wait for everyone to share in her journey. What Marisa has created is truly special \u2013 profound and insightful. I gain something new from the text every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gold, Everything and Nothing<\/i> has a powerful message.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally,\u201d she said, \u201cthe subject matter and poetry of Everything and Nothing<\/i> align very closely to my interests as an artist and human being in a volatile world. As a collective humanity, the depth of our connection to Earth is reflected in our ability to deeply connect with ourselves and each other. This work addresses not only our inner\/personal world, it also drives home the mirroring effect and metaphor which surrounds us in nature. From my perspective, these images are incredibly supportive to the healing so needed on our planet today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scope of the work wouldn\u2019t have been possible, said Fletcher, if she and Senez weren\u2019t artists in residence at the Chutzpah! Festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been fortunate to receive residency, creation and presentation support from the Chutzpah! Festival since 2019,\u201d she said. \u201cEach of these years provided us with stage creation time, financial contributions to our projects and the opportunity to premiere new works; this relationship has been instrumental to our artistic practice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTheatre and studio residencies are critical to artists collaborating and developing their craft. In addition,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

having a presenter invest in a project from research to presentation creates an environment grounded in solidity and consistency,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really cannot over-emphasize not only how rare, but also how needed and important it is, what Chutzpah! is doing with their residency program.\u201d<\/p>\n

This season, Belle Spirale had a couple weeks on stage to rehearse and create, then a two-week, full time technical residency, where the visual and lighting design for the performance was created, so the company could mount the show at the Playhouse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe art we make together is a way of life for us, and inseparable from our relationship,\u201d said Fletcher about husband and fellow artist in residence Senez. \u201cWhile we have different strengths that make us a great team, we also share a profound kinship with regards to our artistic sensibilities and reverence for this art form.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two were with Ballet BC for many years, and started creating and producing work together in 2015.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a couple \u2013 both in our personal story of coming together and in our creative partnership \u2013 we have always made each other brave, right from the start, dreaming big and diving into creative ventures without fully realizing the scale they would eventually take,\u201d said Fletcher.<\/p>\n

\u201cTackling meaningful subjects and focusing on the humanity that touches us all, we initially began with quite intimate work,\u201d she said. But, as their exploration continued, so did their desire to integrate other creative voices alongside their own. Formally bringing Belle Spirale into being \u201cbecame a necessary next step,\u201d and the company was launched in July 2023. The not-for-profit structure allows them to create community networks and garner the support they need. \u201cThis comes in the form of our board of directors, and our partnerships with like-minded creative spirits such as our sister company Dance\/\/Novella,\u201d said Fletcher.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost importantly,\u201d she said, \u201cBelle Spirale was born from our desire to expand our ability to support a range of artistic voices through commissioning new work, creating our own work, fostering and celebrating Vancouver\u2019s exceptional freelance artists, and presenting\/producing both our own, and others\u2019, creations\u2026. We truly believe in the power of the live performing arts to bring people together, to create community and a lifeline for the spirit \u2013 a space to contemplate, reflect and be moved \u2013 during these complex times we live in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Belle Spirale performs at the Playhouse March 21-22. (photo \u00a9 Michael Slobodian)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the aspects Fletcher and Senez like most about cross-disciplinary work is the ability \u201cto reach a broader demographic of audience members,\u201d said Fletcher. \u201cEvery person feels connected, or has their heart opened, in different ways by different things. Human beings are layered and complex, and we use different mediums, such as film, set design, text and lighting design, to reflect this complexity in our stage environments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe love to create textured, visually impactful and theatrical settings which are completely immersive for the dancers,\u201d she continued. \u201cEverything is crafted to highlight the humanity, athleticism and journey of the dancing body \u2013 this human instrument is always the focus of our work\u2026. In my pieces, I work co-creatively with the dancers, with Sylvain as visual\/set\/film designer and with Belle Spirale\u2019s lighting designer Victoria Hunter Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Universus<\/i>, Fletcher also has gotten to work with Magadan \u2013 she co-created and dances in Statera<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSylvain and I both met Fernando in 2014, when he created White Act<\/i> for Ballet BC,\u201d Fletcher explained. \u201cI was an original cast member of this work and Sylvain was his rehearsal director, as well as assisted with some of the visual design. We all just clicked \u2026 and it has always been a dream of ours to work with Fernando again. When we commission work at Belle Spirale, I am fortunate to get to be one of the performers we bring together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Universus<\/i> would not exist, said Fletcher, without Belle Spirale\u2019s partnership with Chutzpah! She also noted that, thanks to the company\u2019s partnership with Vancouver International Dance Festival, they are able to offer general admission and sliding scale ticket prices, which start at $25. Visit chutzpahfestival.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Belle Spirale\u2019s dance double-bill, Universus, is at the Vancouver Playhouse March 21-22, as part of the Chutzpah! Plus Spring Edition. (photo \u00a9 Michael Slobodian) \u201cAs I think many of us are right now, I am feeling sense of trepidation, endangerment and uncertainty about the future that I have honestly never felt before in this way. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[785],"tags":[21806,23874,3403,3119,23876,387,23875,23877],"class_list":["post-46090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performing-arts","tag-alexis-fletcher","tag-belle-spirale","tag-chutzpahplus","tag-dance","tag-marisa-gold","tag-poetry","tag-sylvain-senez","tag-universus"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}