"You can't rush inspiration," thought dancer and choreographer Dominique Hutchinson just before a series of coincidental events led her to a new feature piece for the latest dance production of DSDanse, opening on April 23. The Gibsons dancer already has a reputation for dynamic, creative shows that often blend a few mediums. Last year's Heartstrings used the fiddle music of a young Coast String Fiddlers' breakaway group to highlight the dance pieces. The previous year's Reflexion show was also exciting. Hutchinson sought a new focus for DSDanse, a group of 15 women between the ages of 15 and 53 who dance together in a supportive, challenging, non-competitive dance program. The group has been popular and has admitted many new women recently. One of those who applied was a local artist, Una Bachinski, who was grappling with chemotherapy for her breast cancer. While this relationship was percolating in Hutchinson's mind, a friend introduced her to an unusual piece of music sung in Sanskrit. The more she listened, the more the words appeared to say "un amour," almost like "a love" when spoken in Hutchinson's native French language. It also sounded like Una's name, the breast cancer survivor. The rush of creative inspiration was immediate.
"Within five minutes, the whole dance piece Un Amour was in my head," she says. Soon after, she received permission from New Zealand composer Diva Primal to use the music in the program. Events snowballed. She needed a prelude piece before jumping into such an intense theme as breast cancer, so she invited those who had survived the illness to meet with her in advance of the dance project to summarize their experiences. Coast Cable cameraman and video artist Steve Sleep would film their statements and this would be projected onto the stage before the dance. Eleven women stepped forward to tell their stories. "I met with them," Hutchinson says. "First we talked and they shared, then I tried to focus what they would say on camera. They had only 15 seconds to give their message." Most of the survivors now felt themselves cancer free. Others had not yet seen the end of the road, but their message to other women was overwhelmingly one of prevention. The women spoke about the love they felt from their families and their community; they spoke about transformation, their own spirituality and even about humour. The underlying notion that Hutchinson captures in dance is of seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses, or "Je vois la vie en rose," as she calls the show. It's all about the power of positive visions. Nonetheless, after the day of filming, Hutchinson felt as if she had been "meat tenderized" from the experience. She moved on to choreographing the dance that will accompany the 12-minute film clip. The vision continued to evolve. Sponsors contacted her to give their support: Howe Sound Pharmacy and Morrey Mazda in North Vancouver.
The three performances on April 23 and 24 will allow audiences many ways to contribute to breast cancer research. Sunday matinée proceeds will be donated to several cancer organizations. In addition, people can buy luminaries, memory candles, to be used in the future Relay for Life fundraising event. Artwork will be on display and a print will be raffled. Some of the art is by artist Lee Croy, who has painted the imagery of a cancer patient's focusing sessions. In a poignant touch, there will also be three paintings by Una Bachinski. In addition to the piece about breast cancer, there will be 12 other numbers during the show, some danced by guest artists such as April Newton-Mason who has danced with Ballet Alberta, City Contemporary Dance Company in Hong Kong, Judith Marcuse and the Anna Wyman Dance companies. In addition, Heidi Riggs will perform. She has danced with the National Ballet of Canada, Alberta Ballet and appeared in a Phantom of the Opera production. Musician Chelsea Sleep will once again provide music as she did for last year's Heartstrings. Tickets for $15 are available through Coast Books in Gibsons and Talewind Books in Sechelt. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Playhouse on April 23 and 24 with a 3:30 matinée on April 24.
