Joe Ink is part of The Scotiabank Dance Centre’s and the Canadian Music Centre’s presentation of  10X10X10 – ten choreographers collaborating with ten composers, creating ten ten-minute performances. Working with Marcus Goddard, Joe Laughlin will be choreographing a piece featuring dancers Tara Dyberg and Katherine Cowie.

This event will be a ground breaking production on several levels, marking the first production collaboration between the Dance Centre and the CMC which will provoke new dialogue between these two integral Vancouver arts centres. The 10 Associate Composers from the CMC and 10 Choreographers from the Dance Centre artists will have a wonderful chance to develop their work in direct collaboration with each other. The event also marks the 10th anniversary of the move to Davie Street for both the Vancouver Dance Centre and the BC Regional Centre of the Canadian Music Centre. The audience will be given the opportunity ample opportunity to explore the creative/collaborative process.

Date: Open House Sept 17, 2011 & Performances Oct 13 – 15, 2011
Location: ScotiaBank Dance Centre, 677 Davie Street, Vancouver

For more details, visit the CelebrateVancouver125 website or the ScotiaBank Dance Centre website

Saturday July 9th, 2-5pm

Come one, come all! Move It! invites participants back into their bodies, to everyone’s first language: movement.

This multi-generational community performance is a culmination of a series of on-going workshops that commenced earlier this year. Move It! combines non-professional movers to explore the processes of dance and movement.

Anyone can join! From toddlers to grandmothers and everyone in between, community members of all ages and abilities come together to be inspired, empowered and motivated to move their bodies through dance making.

These workshops leading up to the performance run:
June 27th – 30th, July 4 – 8th 11am-1pm
at The Firehall Arts Centre.
Everyone welcome! Free for all! Everyone dance!

For more information, please visit the Move It! page, or call The Firehall Arts Centre at 604.689.0691

Thursday,  April 21, 7:30pm
At the Roundhouse Community Performance Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews (Davie and Pacific)
$5 Minimum Donation at the door

As part of the Roundhouse Community Dancers residency program, Jacci Collins, senior facilitator of Move It! has choreographed a piece  to be showcased in LINK , an annual performance series of community dance in Vancouver.

Visit our Move It! page, for more information.

Firehall Arts Centre
280 East Cordova St, Vancouver BC

This much anticipated premiere of the full-length piece, dusk,  has the dance world taking notice.

“What makes the choreography so interesting is the way bodies melt and entwine in the duets, and carve space in the solos. At every given moment, there is an arresting image that catches the eye.”
-Paula Citron, Globe and Mail, July 2010

Dusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening.
It is the end of civil twilight.
In between the appearance of night and disappearance of light our perception may alter in a world of changing visibility. In the declining light we reconcile the memory of what was with the reality of what is.

Aug 22,  2pm performance
FREE
At Ron Basford Park, Granville Island.
As part of New Works’ All Over the Map series.

Move It! is everybody’s chance to groove! This performance will invite, empower, and motivate the audience back into their bodies through movement and dance making.All ages and abilities, all shapes and sizes, shake a leg, get down and funky.

For more information please visit the Move it page.

As part of the Dancing on the Edge Festival
July 12 & 13 – 7pm

At the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova St
To purchase tickets and for more information please visit
www.dancingontheedge.org

The first piece, Move It, is drawn with a large group of community dancers and the second, Dusk, is a series of movement studies created with professional dancers.

The human body wants to dance. Move it celebrates this by connecting a multi-generational group of people who come together and re-imagine their bodies in space.

Dusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening. This is the beginning of a full length work based on experiences surrounding declining light, physical transition and the memory of what was in relation to the reality of what is.

June 7-11 from 10-12pm
June 14-18 from 10-12pm
FREE
280 E. Cordova St at the Firehall Studio
Information and Registration: 604-689-0691
www.firehallartscentre.ca

Led by Joe Ink Artistic Director, Joe Laughlin and Move It! Facilitator, Jacci Collins, the workshop will culminate in a performance by the Move It! community dancers during this year’s Dancing on the Edge Festival in July.

The workshop is open to all ages; however, anyone 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.

For more information about Move It!, please click here.

This Move It! is made possible through the support of the City of Vancouver Great Beginnings Program, The Dancing on the Edge Festival and the Firehall Arts Centre as part of the Dancing in the Streets project.

Dusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening. It is the end of civil twilight.

This is the beginning stage of a longer work concerned with themes surrounding  darkness, shadows, limited visibility, and the fall of night

Dancers: Tara Dyberg, Michelle Cheung, Caroline Farqhuar, Samantha Gray(Apprentice)

Performances: EDAM, Vancouver BC,  December 2009

Joe Laughlin choreographs new work with Ballet British Columbia in collaboration with the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program in  Surfacing.

November, 2009

(in)habitat explores how we define our sense of place in the world and the importance of home as sanctuary. How does our physical environment shape our behaviour and impact our relationships? Shelter is a basic human need; it’s also an expression of our hopes, our dreams and even our deepest fears.

Performances: Firehall Arts Centre, as part of the Dance in Vancouver Festival Oct 2009

Read what Georgia Straight, Vancouver had to say.

So does Joe Ink!

Feb 16th, 7:00 pm
Roundhouse Community Centre

An Interactive Performance for all ages!

Shake a leg, get down and get funky with The Move It Show! – a magical interactive performance that connects audiences in a hands-on, full-body arts experience. The audience literally steps onto the stage in this live show and becomes featured as guest artists; to be whirled and twirled and inspired into movement by a marvelous program led by two of our most talented dancers. This energetic and humorous show promotes healthy self-image, cooperation and creativity. Every body is a dancer in The Move It Show!

The Move It Show! is partnered with the Roundhouse Arts Centre, the Looking Glass Foundation, Host a City Happening and Cultural Olympiad.

Tickets are FREE and we are hoping that all and everyone can come out for this. Get the whole family down. Its going to be a lot of fun. Please contact info@joeink.ca or 604-893-8807 for large groups or info. No reservations required, but we can save spots.

“Taut sexuality and aching sadness, with well placed aggression…complex duets and trios convey tortuous negotiations in the struggle for supremecy: these masters of intrigue [the dancers] didn’t withdraw without a fight…a stunning piece of work.”

-Louise Phillips, The Vancouver Courier

The ingenuity, invention and beauty of the Baroque era reflected the theatricality and spatialization of power. As the body carves itself into an edifice of fleeting perfection so too do great empires crumble. Only this time, it’s chamber ballet disrupted.

-Janet Smith, The Georgia Straight

Sleeping Booty finds three fairy tale ballerinas at the crossroads of girlish naiveté, Stepford wife-hood, and happily-ever-after. An irreverent tale a little more twisted than Disney or the Brothers Grimm might have us believe. Commissioned for the 20th anniversary of Dancing on the Edge.

Electro-Visual Hi-Tech Dance

“…an ever shifting Rorschach test; combined with Laughlin’s energy-abundant steps, they have an impact that’s as hallucinatory as it is hypnotic…the science behind Grace is truly at the forefront, both in terms of computer-generated effects and their use in dance…Grace fuses it wholly and seamlessly throughout…this is no conventional dance duet.”
- Gail Johnson, The Georgia Straight

“Faust and Frankenstein would love it!”
-Louise Phillips, The Vancouver Courier

In a distant galaxy, a newly minted human creation in search of a soul. A clash of technology and dance, when movement becomes sound becomes light becomes image becomes life.

Winner of 2006 Isadora Award for Excellence in Choreography.

. . . movement becomes sound becomes light becomes image becomes life . . .

THE STORY

In search of the Soul.
A Scientist.
A Laboratory.
A Life.

Cloistered in a distant galaxy, a cyber scientist clashes with her captive, a newly minted human subject.

Photos

(Media: links to high resolution photos)

High Resolution Photos

• joeink-grace04.tif (Signature promotional image for GRACE – 7,712kb)
• joeink-grace01.jpg (1,085kb)
• joeink-grace02.tif (7,712kb)
• joeink-grace03.tif (1,031kb)
• joeink-grace05.tif (7,712kb)

Photos by Chris Randle

“Dance and technology combine in this otherworldly skewed conversation, with an impact as hallucinatory as it is hypnotic.”
“Faust and Frankenstein would love it!”
“Target audience: Adventurous dance fans and new media enthusiasts”

Credits

Co-created by Joe Laughlin and jamie griffiths
Performed by either Joe Laughlin (dancer) or Sarah Williams (dancer) and jamie griffiths (visualist)
Original Electronic Music Score: Leonard J. Paul
Lighting Design: James Proudfoot
Wearable Light Sculptures: Diana Burgoyne

Quotes

The List (Allan Radcliffe) August 9 – 16, 2005
“4-stars – The visual impact of the show is breathtaking”

The Scotsman (Kelly Apter) – August 11, 2005
“Energetic, experimental and exciting”

The Sunday Herald - August 21. 2005
“Eye-popping digital constellations” . . . “Technology . . . is the real star here”

Three Weeks Daily – August 25, 2005
“This ‘new media duet’ is extremely impressive . . . more x-rated than x-files . . . ‘Grace’ is likely to make sparks fly for new media enthusiasts”

The Vancouver Sun – Oct 9th 2004
Deborah Meyers

“Grace is a technological game, but it’s also an other-worldly, at times disturbingly skewed conversation”

“… an embryonic ultrasound come to life… its complex, shifting visuals are frequently beautiful, all grainy black and white, grey-blue and violet.”

“… a graphic illustration of the power of the body as (a) medium…”

The Georgia Straight – September 30th 2004
Gail Johnson

“… this is no conventional dance duet.”

“(Joe) spins on hyper speed behind a black scrim, Griffiths – sharing the stage from her vantage point on a rolling computer lab – manipulates video images of her partner … an ever shifting Rorschach test; combined with Laughlin’s energy-abundant steps, they have an impact that’s as hallucinatory as it is hypnotic.”

“.. the science behind Grace is truly at the forefront, both in terms of computer-generated effects and their use in dance…. Grace fuses it wholly and seamlessly throughout”

“Target audience: adventurous dance fans and computer geeks.”
The Georgia Straight – October 14th 2004
Gail Johnson

“What is most striking is the duo’s seamless integration of high-tech graphics and contemporary dance.”

“the effects of this computerized wizardry are as entrancing as they are disturbing, and wildly diverse.”

“In another knockout scene, Laughlin shuffles back and forth against the screen, partnering with the frantic lines of a seismograph.”

“The Joe Ink Artistic Director maintains integrity in his choreography throughout.”

“Leonard J. Paul’s original atmospheric score is a lively mix of street and break dance, funk and classical ballet.”

The Gleaner – Oct 15th 2004
(Langara College) Marcia Downham

“Grace is a culturally divine performance using both dance & technology.”

“An inspiring form of artistic and poetic dance given a twist with new-age technology.”

“It’s OUT OF THIS WORLD!”
The Vancouver Courier – October 13th 2004
Louise Phillips

“Faust & Frankenstein would love it!”

“As the newly minted human, curious and filled with wonder, Laughlin dances while hypnotic colors pulse on screen and scrim like seismic needle tracks.”

“It doesn’t get more high-tech than this…”
The Peak (SFU) – October 11th 2004
Sarah Caulfield

“… a collaborative dance piece between organic movement and technological frolics – (and it) does well in its foray into the new world of interactive arts”

“GRACE revives the (this) exploration of moving images, bringing back the childlike curiousity that we have lost over the years.”

“… the images rarely overwhelmed his performance, adding more to it.”

“… a simple twirl set off … a hurricane.”

“Laughlin’s talents as both a dancer and choreographer are evident throughout, particularly when he expresses himself with his full self. Griffiths’ visuals provide a fascinating compliment to the performance. “

“GRACE allows us to see dance through the natural movement of the body, as well as presenting us with a new approach, finding ‘dance’ in other forms.”
The Westender – October 14th 2004
Leanne Campbell

“Joe Laughlin has always stood apart; his niche in the dance world is very much of his own creation, and the only constant in his work is his refusal to conform.”

“Grace is… an examination of life’s deepest questions through technology.”

‘Grace is the polar opposite of tutus and pointe shoes…”
The Vancouver Sun – October 6th 2004
Kevin Griffin

“The intimacy is startling.”
Xtra West – September 30th 2004
C.E. Gatchalian

“… two renowned queer artists take the attributes of their respective media to create an eccentric and mesmerizing new whole.”

“…Left was as wickedly sophisticated as you might expect from the veteran dancer and choreographer. Dressed in white ruffs, feet daintily crossed at the ankles, Laughlin contemplated a teacup. The cup became a symbol, an adversary, an oracle and a crown. Laughlin played fussy courtier, shy plotter, and finally, an instrument of destruction. Then he dived into the saucer with the air of a man who has come to terms with life.”
- The Courier

Joe Ink continued to surprise in this gently melancholic, evocative solo (or duet, whichever way you want to look at it) about a man and a teacup.

An international collaboration with the South African dance company Moving Into Dance Mophatong. A mesmerizing work of great artistic, social and political significance, the piece was inspired by the dancers’ own stories and experiences.

“…mind-blowing…the dancers pushed themselves to the limit, and beyond…the work’s hard core moments made the quieter ones all the more poignant” – Gail Johnson, The Georgia Straight

Humorous and emotionally compelling, The Body Remembers is a highly kinetic look at the mechanics of moving and the material life of the human body.

Another work involving scaffolding, Swing Theory premiered in the great hall of the National Gallery of Canada. Four dancers negotiate the unyielding metal framework, accompanied by photographic images, an original score and a live jazz band.

An amused and amusing look at social conventions. L’Etiquette was created for the Banff Festival Ballet.