festival performance
Join us on the beautiful Imperial stage for the 12th annual SJ Contemporary Dance Festival!
The Audience members will be seated on stage with the performers, offering a unique experience for dance presentation! Limited tickets available.
Seating is General Admission.
Doors open at 7:00pm.
Featured choreographers
Meghan Mainville (NB)
Gina Grant (NB)
Marrin Jessome (NS)
with dance artists: Isaac Abriel & Leah Cousins
Jessica Lowe (NS)
with dance Artists: Sarah Hopkin & Marrin Jessome
Marcia Dysart (NB) - First City Young Company
beneath the wave
"physical expression of a range of human experiences"
MEGHAN MAINVILLE
Meghan is a contemporary dancer and choreographer, originally from New Brunswick, currently working in NB and Ottawa. She is a graduate of the Contemporary Dance Diploma Programme at The School of Dance. She has had the opportunity to show her work at various dance festivals across Eastern Canada. She is currently dancing for Tara Luz Danse, teaching creation/contemporary for Kaeja d’Dance and The School of Dance’s professional ballet programme, as well as choreographing independently. As a dance artist, Meghan is driven by challenge and new experiences, inspired by nature and the people in her surroundings.
Enchantress
"the maiden, the mother and the crone"
Dance Artists: Sarah Hopkin, Marrin Jessome, Jessica Lowe
jessica lowe
Jessica Lowe hails from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She started dance at the age of five at Dartmouth Dance Academy and Leica Hardy School of Dance. She is a graduate of York University’s (Toronto) BFA Dance Program. Throughout university, she was given many performance and choreographic opportunities and after graduating she went on to work with Toronto dance artists Julia Sasso, Carol Anderson, Susan Lee, John Ottman and Eryn Waltman. Jessica is an active member of the Nova Scotia dance community and has performed with Votive Dance, Connection Dance Works and Mocean Dance. She is co-founder and Co-Artistic Director of Nostos Collectives Dance Association, a registered non-for-profit based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and Toronto, Ontario. She is also the owner and operator of Illusion Dance Arts and administrator for suddenlyLISTEN music.
colorvision
"An exploration of the tumultuous nature of emotional toxicity. Subtle, nuanced moments are paired with dynamic partnering and virtuosic lifts."
Dance Artists: Isaac Abriel & Leah Cousins
marrin jessome
Marrin Jessome is a multi-faceted artist whose interests stretch across film, dance and music. She grew up in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia and went on to complete a BFA in Performance Dance at Ryerson University, Toronto.
The same, but not like before
"Première of new work"
gina grant
Gina Grant is a professional contemporary dancer based in Saint John, New Brunswick. After completing her formal training at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2017, Gina had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Castel Blast, Compagnie Ilotopie, As They Strike Collective, and 14 lieux. She has performed at the Fashion & Design Festival in Montreal as well as Ill-Abilities’s Tenth Anniversary Show founded by Luca “Lazylegs” Patuelli. Throughout 2018, Gina was a volunteer assistant for adapted dance classes at the National Centre for Dance Therapy, and decided to pursue formal training with Parkinson en mouvement, a non-profit organization which aims to provide dance-movement classes for people with Parkinson’s Disease. Gina has also worked in numerous dance films throughout her career, and enjoys exploring the relationship between subject and camera. Most recently, Gina had the pleasure of participating in a residency for Connection Dance Works, alongside dancer Chris Van Green and choreographed by Sarah Johnson Power. Gina finds inspiration through her teaching practice, her writing, and through exploring other methods of movement.
photos by Naomi Peters @naomi.studio.nb
cadence
First City Young Company
Marcia Dysart
First City Young Company is a pre-professional development and performance based company under the direction of Marcia Dysart. With 16 members aged 15 - 27 years, dancers experience regular workshops and intensives from invited guest artists as well as development opportunities outside of Saint John. The company performs in non competitive showcases including professional shows, festivals and events in the city of Saint John and throughout the Maritimes. They perform choreography created by First City faculty and guest dance artists and host Breathe Dance, a celebration of the artistry of dance that takes place on International Dance Day.
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