Kelly Tyerman's Contemporary Designs in Choreography

Since my introduction to Isadora Duncan, I was eager to try some Modern dance at the Victoria School of Contemporary Dance. When I arrived for my adult beginners class, instructor Kelly Tyerman was whipping some elementary girls into shape. “Keep your knees up and change places!” Kelly shouted and then laughs.

Kelly was more relaxed working with the adults, as she lead us through a variety of warm-ups. We twisted and writhed on the floor like new-born animals, stretching our backs and arms. I thoroughly enjoyed this warm-up. Most dance classes have similar warm-up exercises, but because of all the unusual movements used in Contemporary dance it is important to stretch. It reminded me of dance classes I’d taken as a child where we were encouraged to imitate the movements of horses or giraffes. Contemporary dance is very organic: elemental. Each movement reminds me an object pushing through wind or water.

Kelly is a full-time dance teacher who teaches thirteen classes a week, so she constantly seeks new inspiration. “If it's just yourself and the same movement all the time it gets boring, and right now I've got 40 pieces on the go, so if you don't use your dancers for inspiration it's easy to get stuck,” she said.

We practiced swinging our arms like pendulums, loosely flapping them against our bodies. The eight of us took turns leaping across the room with a combination of toe steps and jumps. There is constant momentum in each combination, swinging our arms or legs around us to propel the movement. Kelly loves the freedom to create movements, and freedom from the ballet dance syllabus she followed as a child. She is sometimes overwhelmed by the endless possibilities this form can contribute to dance. “In contemporary dance you can create anything you want,” said Kelly. “Still after 27 years of dancing, there is so much more that I can do.”

As I watched her work with the class, she sculpted her choreography to her students body shapes, trying different positions within their small groups. Part of the inspiration for this piece were the costumes that Kelly pictured when she listened to the music. She pictured everyone as wearing straight jackets with long sleeves, and throughout she uses these as a theme: dancers struggling to escape and pulling on each other. Kelly said that for a Contemporary dancer, inspiration is everywhere if you’re willing to look. “You can take any gesture or pedestrian type of movement and make it into something.” said Kelly “Like talking on the phone.”

Currently Kelly is working on a piece with one of her classes called The City, where they adapt everyday city movements into dance. It is this openness and fluidity to Contemporary that makes it a great dance for people of all skill levels. “I think that there's this real stigma around dance that you had to start it when you were a kid or you can never do it, and it's just not true,” said Kelly. “I know what it's like to go somewhere where you're new, you're kinda scared, and you make so many excuses not to go, but as soon as you come, you'll be so happy that you did.”

I certainly had fun with Contemporary, although my leaping skills left something to be desired. It brought together some of the philosophies that are arising throughout dance, as cultural fusions become the norm. Contemporary seems to be on the pulse of whatever culture is influencing the dance and their observations of modern life.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any video of Kelly teaching, but this is a guest choreographer working with Victoria Contemporary Dance's youth group.

The Inspiration of Paola Blanton

Paola Blanton stands in front of the room every inch of her what you'd imagine a dancer to be: lean, toned limbs and torso, exemplary posture, neatly gathered pony tail. She gazes towards the corner of the room and gracefully unfurls her arm straight out--to the finger tips. “Dance with your intent, from your solar plexus. I'm an Isadora Duncan dancer.”

Paola's passion for dance took her from being a high school humanities teacher, to an international dance guru. She has danced on every populated continent, and her expressive style of Raqs Shaqi Orentale belly dance has kept her workshop choreographies in demand all over the world. Currently she runs a dance school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

At the invitation of Asmira, Paola is in Victoria to teach a series of workshops and exercise classes to local belly dancers. The first choreography I learn with her is called the Temple Priestess, and our movements remind me of the goddess poses I'd seen used by Wiccans to celebrate Solstice. The arms either gather energy toward the dancer or rise up in supplication. We learn the universal gesture: arms gather and cross near the feet, sweep up the body and uncross as they rise over the head. I immediately feel more powerful, focusing on opening my chest with this gesture. She describes the difference between a feminine elongated open hand and the masculine hand pinched together at the finger tips. “See, feel, then move towards what you want,” says Paola. She deftly spins in the direction she is reaching.

As she teaches, Paola continues to mention her studies of Isadora Duncan technique. Paola has studied several times with at the Isadora Duncan School of Dance in New York. Also an accomplished writer, she has published several articles including, What Isadora Duncan Can Give Belly Dance, in The Gilded Serpent.

In Duncan technique, we learn first to cast our sight, follow through with the plexus/heart center, and then deploy a motion or gesture. The limbs serve the intent and intelligence, not the other way around, especially when it comes to hands. Hands try to control everything we do....Whether we type at a computer, chop vegetables, mow the lawn, grade papers, or crochet sweaters....The tendency is to lead with the hand. Duncan tells us, lead with the sight, follow through with the plexus, and finish with the hand or arm or whatever body part we are deploying.

This technique reminds me of the creative process of writing a story. The best Middle Eastern dancers are the ones who describe the emotion of the music. With each choreography I learn from Paola, I learn a story, and a new dance vocabulary to speak through the music. Isadora Duncan believed in letting inner emotions propel movements and transcend technique and form.



Isadora Duncan (1878- 1927) rebelled against the Victorian society of her lifetime. She cast off her corset in favour of flowing tunics, and combed the ancient ruins of Greece and Rome for dance postures of worship. Isadora’s dance philosophy was personal expression and she is credited with first inventing modern dance. Her inspirations were Nature and Greek myth, so it’s no wonder Paola fell in love with Isadora’s philosophy on a trip to Delphi, Greece. Paola now performs with the idea of expressing dance subjectively; to share expression and emotion rather than only symbolical gesture. “She shook up my entire world,” said Paola.

On the last day of exercise classes, we gather in a circle with a candle in the middle of the room. Paola leads us in a swaying of our hips as we kneel facing each other. There is a warm quiet to the room as we carefully sway and stretch, our limbs weaving through each other. Paola writes that there is no one true history of belly dance, a dance that takes it’s form from each region, each dancer and her experiences. But there is something essential we all can share when we let go and just dance ourselves.

Kickin it with Brooke Kilgore at Vibe Street Dance

A gaggle of teenagers hittin' it hard greeted me as I walked into Vibe Street Dance's hip hop sessions at Euro Dance Studios. In the characteristic way of adolescents, the mostly female group of about twenty students clustered chatting at mach speeds when the music was off; but as soon as the beat dropped this eclectic gathering became a cohesive group. I could tell from the concentration and attitude they but into the moves that these girls loved their hip hop. I was about to find out that hip-hop dance was all about the attitude.

I decided to drop-in with an open class where there was various levels of dancers. I didn't feel out of place for my skill level, but fashion-wise I stuck out like a sore thumb. Evidently, sweats are the way to go for a hip hop session and I had made the uncomfortable choice to wear cords. No one made me feel uncomfortable, I was just self-conscious. I didn't quite feel cool enough.

Missy, our instructor, pulled out a new piece of choreography for us to try. The warm-up was short and everyone was eager to get dancing. Hip hop is a combination of locks and smooth movement, which theoretically and somewhat technically is similar to the muscle isolation in belly dance, but the speed and precision challenged me. Each movement, whether soft or hard, requires complete commitment to look good. I carefully studied Brooke Kilgore, the founder of Vibe Street Dance, to try copy some hip hop attitude.

At 24 years-old, Brooke is a home-grown Victoria entrepreneur. With a little push from family and friends Brooke opened Vibe Street in January of 2006, Victoria's first and only hip-hop company. Since she was not studio trained from childhood Brooke had her doubts about being able to make it in the dance profession. But what started as a teaching a few classes part-time at recreational facilities after she graduated from high school, grew with student demand into a full time job. And she always knew that she wasn't interested in a 9 to 5.

Even though she is now a dance professional, Brooke has never felt that connected to the Victoria dance community. While growing up she felt like she was always more “funky” then the local prevailing ballet culture. Also her family couldn't afford pricey dance classes, something Brooke hasn't forgotten with her own school. She offers special arrangements for students whose family's can't afford the full price.

When Brooke was younger there weren't any hip hop schools in Victoria, so she learned her moves by watching Janet Jackson, Usher or Aaliyah VHS tapes and mimicking the choreography. Brooke said it could be a labourious process, “play/pause—see what exactly their hands were doing there--/rewind.”

Since the Canadian hip-hop dance scene is still growing, Brooke often travels for dance training and workshops. She was in L.A. last summer, Montreal and Toronto this spring, and she is constantly on the lookout for conventions with world renowned choreographers. She even studied with Shane Sparks of So You Think You Can Dance fame. Sparks was a choreographer whose hands on approach really helped Brooke learn by repositioning her entire body. “He uses every milli-count of a beat, so there is no resting between counts,” said Brooke. “He moves on fast, so it's do or die.”

I tried to keep up with the quick lifts and drops of Missy's choreography. Hip hop choreography is unstructured, there are no specific terms to describe movement. Hip hop has a certain funk to it and is not as “uppity” as the Jazz Funk that is taught as hip hop at many dance academies. Brooke says most movements in hip hop should be “danced into the ground” with bent knees. “Real hip-hop in my opinion starts from the bounce,” described Brooke. “You've got your head bobbin' like 'yeah, this is a good track'...its almost like it's in you.”

Brooke draws a lot of her influences from the music of Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Ali & Gipp, Lil'wayne, Ice Cube and other “ghetto-grime” hip-hop. But now Brooke is looking to local influences for her choreography. “I've been asked to choreograph a music video for a local band,” said Brooke, but she couldn't discuss the details for contractual reasons.

The pop, the lock, the angles and slides of Missy's choreography filled the room with movement. She used the momentum of one last swooping move to turn us around, then bounce up into the air, releasing our fist like an explosion at chest level.

There's no doubt that Victoria will hear more about Vibe Street Dance in the future, with its fresh, young crew. As I walked away from my hip hop class there was a bounce in my step that wasn't there before, and I felt just a little bit cooler.

Afro-Columbian Mixes with Danny Mosquera Lemos

Last year while researching a story, I discovered Moon Dance Dynamic Art's Afro-Colombian class taught by Danny Mosquera Lemos. This is definitely one of the classes that I've been meaning to drop-in to for a while. As far as local fusion dance classes go, this one is truelly unique, and is more of an idea than a standardized dance form.

Immediately Danny's arm and neck movements started and the class began. He was obiviously eager to get warm and and into the choreography. A group of at least 15 women of all skill levels enthusiastically followed the expansive movements, and I was glad that I had taken the beginner West African class the week before. The class graciously drilled some basic combinations for the benefit of another drop-in student and I. Quite a few of the women were obviously skilled in African dance and enamored with Danny's style, frequently asking him about subtleties in his movements.

This class is really all about Danny's style. According to one of the regular live drummers, Tim, there isn't any defined "Afro-Columbian" style; it's just Danny's background in Contemporary African, applied to more Spanish influenced traditional Columbian rhythmes.

The rhythms played in class by the three drummers were complex, and the layers of beats tripped up us dancers more than once. I'm not sure that I ever got the quick pattern of beats just right, but I managed to keep up by following the other students. Danny never stopped moving, bouncing on his heels as he consulted with the drummers on his choreography.

Danny was always a dancer. He made an attempt at studying computers at a unversity in Bogota, but he admits that's not where his talents were. "Everyone kept telling me 'When you dance, you look good," said Danny.

He started to train professionally in Contemporary Dance, but it wasn't his passion. When he saw a performance by a local Contemporary African school run by Rafael Palacio, Danny knew he'd found his dance form and immediately approached Raf for an apprenticeship.

"Contemporary African is less rigid than Traditional African," said Danny. I noticed that he used more level changes, bringing some of the collapse and expand movements of Contemporary, blending them with the hopping foot taps of African dance.


As a dancer with Sankofa, Danny spent seven years ttouring Central America, Europe and Australia. But he met his wife Melissa in Bogota, and that is what drew him to Canada. They now live in Shanigan Lake.

This is a video describing what Sankofa as an organization does on an international level.



Now, once again, Danny is a student, this time acquiring his prerequisites for a career in nursing. With a baby daughter at home, his dance performances have been put on the back burner for now. In fact, he seemed so busy I felt grateful that he still had time to teach a class in Victoria.

This class left me sore and I really tested my body. At one point near the end while we were doing floorwork (something I don't have much practice at), my leg started to cramp. But judging from the skill level of the other dancers, I did a pretty good job just keeping up. If you're looking for a challenge and you want to try something that you probably won't find anywhere else, then contact Moon Dance Dynamic Arts and try a drop-in. I dare you!

West African Dance Rhythms with Ilana Moon

Still photography by Kelly Marshall

Dum, da da, dum, da da, the four drummers pound their rhythm. Ilana Moon, owner of Dancing Moon Multicultural Arts, bobs her red ponytail up and down with each skipping jump in time to the beat. Her heels kick up behind her, as she thrusts herself and nine months worth of baby belly as high off the ground as possible. Her dignified, but humorous dancing attitude is complimented by her pregnancy: a powerful dance for a strong woman.

Watching Ilana, I could imagine her in Guinea, sharing a celebratory dance with a group of mothers. Though not a large woman, Ilana has a big presence and the self-possession of a dancer who has performed most of her life.

Since early childhood Ilana Moon was involved in what she calls the "ballet" dance culture, also training in jazz and modern. But it wasn't until she was sixteen that she found her passion for African dance. "She was a big woman, but she could really move." This teacher inspired Ilana by showing her that you could be a good dancer at any size. Sometimes with African dance, bigger is better. "It's all about more," says Ilana. “And it's all about sticking that butt out."

Ten women and a man hop around me in the Thursday night beginners West African dance class. All sizes, shapes and ages enjoy the movements of Guinea and Sub-Saharan Africa. The more experienced dancers lead the advance, charging from one end of the hardwood to the other. I try to keep up somewhere in the back, allowing the size and strength of these women's movements to challenge me. Jump higher, swing your arms wider. "It's like you're a bird. Fly!" Ilana calls to us.

She grabs a djembe for a moment and begins to pound out a beat with her palms. Ilana is also a professional drummer and marimba player, so she conducts the four drummers throughout the class.

We've only just started the hour and a half long class and I'm already sweating. West African dance is very aerobic because you are always trying to make the movements fuller. After many years of training with the small controlled arm movements of belly dance, I feel liberated to swing my arms in the air above my head. Though most of the footsteps are light touches on the ground, the posture and footwork are very grounding. Many movements require a bent-legged, straight-backed posture, that contrasts with the elevated arm movements.

And always the bobbing of the head. To bob my head properly is going to be something that I have to practice. In class, Ilana warns to start off slow with the head tosses. “It's a cultural thing really, our necks just aren't as strong.”

It is common in Africa to carry quite heavy loads on your head. Since we rarely carry things this way in the Western Canada, our necks are too weak for the full head movement. Ilana showed the class a neck strengthening exercise to do at home.

Judging from the experienced dancers in the class, the neck isn't the only thing strengthened in African dance. Toned arms, legs and stamina are all rewards for really pushing yourself with this dance form. If I ever need to lose some weight I'll definitely try African dance again.

Ilana and Dancing Moon's troupe, A Etoile D'Afrique, have a busy performance schedule. Besides private bookings and summer festivals, they also do school tours. They will be performing on February 28, at the Garth Homer Centre as part of a show put on by the African Heritage Society to celebrate Black History Month.

It's Time to Get Moving

Do you love to dance but you're a little shy? Have you ever told yourself that you would try a dance class but have never gotten around to it? Well, I've decided that I'm not going to put it off anymore. I'm going to take a variety of classes with just some of Victoria's many dance companies. This experiment may come at the price of my pride, but I'm sure I'll have a few more snazzy steps by the end.

Just so that everyone understands, I am not a professional dancer. I've always loved to dance (especially any sort of spinning in circles) but it is purely for my enjoyment and hopefully my audience's as well. I started dance when I was four, but quit when I was 15 because I never seemed to excel. As my ballet teacher told me when I was nine, "You have a wonderful point, but no self-discipline!"

For the last four years I've been taking classes and dancing with Asmira's School of Oriental Dance. I had briefly studied belly dance as a teenager in Tofino and I knew that I wanted to try it again. But I put it off for years. Finally, I got sick of saying 'I should' and just signed up.


This is a video of Asmira's Spring Fling last year.



During the summers I dance at a number of local festivals with Asmira's school. This allowed me to watch countless performances by a variety of dance companies from Victoria and abroad. I'd watch Flamenco, African and Polynesian dance, thinking "I'll take a class in that someday." Well, once again it's time for me to act!

Not only will I be throwing myself into the Victoria dance scene, I will also profile the interesting individuals that keep this city hoppin' and shakin'.
So, dance with me, Victoria!

Since I'm starting with who I know, this next video is At the Gates of the Citadel performed by Laura Wirtanen and Laura Scotten of Laura Belly Dance. They are both in Asmira's troupe, and perform solo or with other troupes around Victoria.