Audience Location:
Renfrew Ravine (west of the community centre in the park near East 22nd and Renfrew)
Date and Time:
June 24, 2017 at 9am, Pacific Time Zone
Water Locale:
Still Creek, Renfrew Ravine
Choreographer(s):
Amy Kiara Ruth ~
A life-long interest in movement has led me to become a kinesiologist and somatic movement educator. I explore what it means to be an embodied being, living in relationship to seasonal rhythms & tides while living & working in an urban setting.
In support of this inquiry, for many years my personal practice has included sensory awareness, perceptual, and movement explorations that are grounded in the approaches of Continuum and Continuum Montage (of Susan Harper), as well as in the Body and Earth work (of Caryn McHose and Andrea Olsen).
Participating in Global Water Dances offered me an opportunity to convene a community movement ceremony to share my love of movement, my appreciation of the poetry of life, and to sense more deeply our interconnection with water.
History of Site and Related Water Issues:
The city of Vancouver exists on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples. There were over 50 streams on this land – these were covered over/ put into culverts as the city was developed.
Still Creek is one of the remaining freely-flowing streams in Vancouver. The surrounding area, Renfrew Ravine, was treated as an unofficial dumping ground. Through the stewardship of the Still Moon Arts Society, Renfrew Community Centre, and others, the Ravine and the creek have been cleaned up. As a result, for the past several years, salmon have returned to this urban stream.
Music:
The sounds of the Creek and the ambient sounds of the Renfrew Park neighborhood. We will also sing a folk song: “The River is Flowing”
The Performance:
a community movement ceremony to honour water in one of the few, freely-flowing streams in Vancouver.
Environmental Impact:
The recovery of Still Creek demonstrates how care and attention can support a vibrant natural environment in an urban setting.
Directions to the Site of Performance:
Renfrew Ravine at the northeast corner of East 22nd Avenue and Renfrew Street.
Email for more information:
How can I get involved?
If you would like to participate in the co-creation of the event as a community dancer, please contact Amy or check out our website for information about practice sessions at Renfrew Ravine in May and June.
Local Website:
https://vancouverwaterdances.wordpress.com/
Other resources and links:
The Still Moon Arts Society has been the primary stewards of Still Creek and Renfrew Ravine: http://stillmoon.org/