Variety adds spice to the NaAC portfolio and fosters community with the Calgary arts scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A variety show and a dance party class are bridging the gap between disability arts and the Calgary arts scene. In fact, for the National accessArts Centre (NaAC), they\u2019re two pieces of an ever-expanding puzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five members of the NaAC\u2019s Dance Ensemble\u2014Kathy M. Austin, Meg Ohsada, James Silcock, JorDen Tyson, and Dommix Round \u2014conceptualized a TV variety show called Puzzle Pieces<\/em> and performed it live at Princess Island Park in September during Calgary Pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NaAC had never attempted the variety show format, but it\u2019s one that Ashley Brodeur, Manager, Performing Arts with the NaAC, says could be a launchpad for more performances like it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve started offering these opportunities to our artists, and our goal is to make them the norm and keep that consistency going,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And who wouldn\u2019t want to see more performances like the one from Austin Kats\u2014Kathy M. Austin\u2019s drag persona\u2014who belted out her version of \u201cNo More Mr. Nice Guy\u201d in a Puzzle Pieces musical number? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was awesome to see her bring that personality to life and add that layer of herself to the song,\u201d recalls Ashley, adding that Kathy\u2019s dialogue also included audio description, something she\u2019s been perfecting since the DDD\u2014Dance and Disability Digital project\u2014in 2022. \u201cIt\u2019s been wonderful to see Kathy bring those skills to her performances to make them more accessible for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, Kathy is just one piece of the entertaining puzzle that came together at Calgary Pride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese five very different artists have an amazing stage presence and a collaborative work ethic,\u201d explains Ashley. \u201cThey bring to the stage something that honors their individuality while creating a wonderfully cohesive piece.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In preparation for their Calgary Pride debut, the Puzzle Pieces performers met for a few weeks over the summer in creative residency to write and develop the show. Originality inspired them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to present something that had been done before. We wanted to honor the space that we were performing in,\u201d notes Ashley. With Pride driving their creativity, Ashley says they wove in some ideas from the NaAC\u2019s Queer Accessible Arts Cabaret (QaAC) which included fashion and performance, drag, burlesque, and cabaret to produce a one-of-a-kind crowd-pleaser. \u201cI was backstage, but I could hear everybody cheering and we heard some terrific comments after the show,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s another celebration in the works at the NaAC and it\u2019s about having a good time while building confidence. Celebration: Dance Party is a movement class that explores social dance in all its awkward glory. Ashley and NaAC Instructor Chawna co-lead the class which explores Latin styles, line dancing, hip hop, freestyle, and even some great party moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s not just about perfecting dance steps, says Ashley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSocial dance explores themes of connection, community, personal style, and partnering. There\u2019s so much in social dance that provides freedom of expression. You can learn certain moves, but there\u2019s always leeway to personalize your movement.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s great about this class is that it wraps with a dance party rather than a dance performance. It\u2019s a good way to appeal to participants who love dancing without the pressure of an audience, and it\u2019s a class the NaAC would like to run more regularly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSocial dance can be scary, but it also offers the element of personal expression,\u201d says Ashley. \u201cThere are no rules and no boundaries and it\u2019s exciting to see what happens in those classes. Dancing brings people together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Celebration: Dance Party was so well received that Ashley and NaAC Artist Rachel Harding were invited to teach a workshop called Let\u2019s Dance to Celebrate! at the Ups and Downs Teen and Young Adult Conference in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe can adapt this class to serve whoever is in the room,\u201d explains Ashley. \u201cIt was such a beautiful experience to bring that class to a community that we don’t see all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the next year, Ashley says the NaAC looks forward to bringing more performing arts\u2014including music, film, and dance\u2014to new audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re breaking down boundaries, increasing our visibility and making sure that we’re in the same spaces as every other artist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that\u2019s one heck of a reason to jump up and dance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ashley Brodeur, Manager, Performing Arts with the NaAC, shares how a variety TV show and a dance party are bridging the gap between disability arts and the Calgary arts scene. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[39,18],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4725"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accessarts.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Connecting the Puzzle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dance Like Nobody is Watching<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Community Connection<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n