It was hot and humid in the autonomous region of Macau that nestles on the south coast of China. Dancers from the DSdanse troupe, ages 15 to 29, who learn their technique at Dominique’s School of Dance in Gibsons spent ten, hard-working, whirlwind days there, attending a festival of dance as guests of a Macau cultural organization. The Macau International Youth Dance Festival 2018 included 27 dance groups from all over the world.
“Once we arrived,” said artistic director Dominique Hutchinson, “we were no longer DSdanse, we were Canada, and we rallied behind our flag.”
Rehearsals started right away with no time to get over jet lag or the heat. The dancers weren’t sure what to expect so they had prepared three pieces from their repertoire – one of them was a loggers dance performed in lumbermen’s jackets to the music of Canadian violinist Jaron Freeman-Fox. Many of the international dance troupes were folkloric in style, so the lumberjack piece came closest to representing Canadian folklore. One piece was for the parade – a lively dance through the streets involving all the dance troupes and hundreds of Macau citizens as audience.
“The girls rocked!” Hutchinson said. “They felt like superstars.”
Along with workshops and rehearsals, the troupe had a chance to hang out with their Belgian friends of Cie Phfase that they had first met while on exchanges. In 2015, the Sunshine Coast Youth Dance Asso-ciation sponsored the dancers to visit the battlefields of France and Belgium to dance at commemorative performances. In turn the Belgians performed in Gibsons. It was a huge undertaking but it fit with the dance school’s mission.
“We want to share dance in a non-competitive and supportive environment,” Hutchinson said. The Macau Festival was not a competition; it was an exhibition that allowed dancers to meet and learn from others and be invited to festivals in other countries.
Though wealthy Macau is a playground for casinos, it wasn’t like Las Vegas, Hutchinson said. The Portuguese colonizers had left their graceful architecture and the Chinese influence was also apparent. Despite the heat and hard work, they would go back again in a minute.
