Below we have a guest blog from Amy Harrison, Managing Director of RIOULT Dance NY and an American Corner delegate to the 2014 CINARS Biennale in Montréal, Canada.
CINARS is more than a marketplace.
I was struck by how we and our peers talk about our work often using the same terms to describe vastly different aesthetics.
We need to dispel the myth that American dance remains a pale copy of past traditions and show how many American dance companies have forged ahead artistically without betraying our roots. And this only represents one segment of American dance. There is a thriving avant garde.
Collaboration and exchange are two words I heard again and again. While grass roots projects are possible many of our international colleagues have support from ministries and governments that support such projects. How do we reciprocate?
Multicultural vs inter cultural. This distinction was made by Gino Tapia from the Festival International Santiago a Mil. Again, the notion of exchange emerges.
While CINARS is a great way to meet and connect with others who care about live performance and see work that has yet to reach our shores, I tried to make time to reflect on why we do what we do, how we do it, and it’s impact on those who experience it firsthand.
American Dance Abroad 
Leave a Reply