Dance Canvas returns to the Ferst Center with 'Introducing the Next Generation'

March 24th, 2022

Dance Canvas. (Courtesy of Dance Canvas)

The pioneering 20th-century choreographer George Balanchine once said, “Dance is music made visible.” Dance Canvas explores the conceptual layers of the art form in their work and initiatives. They will showcase works of new artists this weekend at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center, and premiere three new dance films tonight as part of their new “Dance Canvas: on Film” program. City Lights host Lois Reitzes spoke with Dance Canvas artistic director Angela Harris and their professional program manager Dana Woodruff, along with dancer/choreographer Atarius Armstrong about this weekend’s activities.

Interview Highlights:

About the “Introducing the Next Generation” performances:

“Each year we select 8-10 new choreographers, this year we have eight choreographers that are presenting contemporary new works. We have one hip-hop choreography pair that’s presenting a new work,” said Harris. She continued, “We provide the choreographers resources to help them develop their pieces for the stage, but they get to premiere them for Atlanta audiences. We’re excited to see the six months of work finally come to life on stage.”

About Atarius Armstrong’s work, “Cabbage in the Concrete”:

“It was based off of my grandfather, who just so happened to grow a cabbage in his concrete driveway. It made me think about the connection to my family, and our personal lineage, and how we as individuals have this natural ability to grow through strange environments and strange places,” said Armstrong. He continued, “So, the piece is all about reconnecting to family lineage and the healing of generational trauma.”

About “Dance Canvas: On Film”:

“This is our brand new program that we’re offering this year. We have three wonderful artists, who will be presenting new films– Chantené Doss, Veronica Silk, and Dana Sokolowski. They’ve been working all these months on their films and we brought in advisors to work with them and offer them mentorship. It’s been really exciting to watch these projects grow,” said Woodruff.

More information about “Introducing the Next Generation” can be found here.