Forget what you know about modern dance.
And if that's nothing, be prepared to learn something about it Sept. 14 to 17 with Crimson Coast Dance Society's seventh annual InFrinGinG Dance Festival. Featuring performances -- both free and ticketed, photo exhibits, workshops and classes downtown and around the city, the festival is a great introduction of dance to the city, says organizer Holly Bright.
"It's a chance to celebrate contemporary dance," she said. "There's a lot of dance in the community and it's an opportunity to connect the Nanaimo dance community with the national dance community."
Throughout the weekend, classes and workshops will be available to everyone, regardless of skill or ability.
For the first time a class will be offered for those with physical disabilities, as well as a number of classes for children, experienced dancers and non-dancers. There's also free yoga in Maffeo Sutton Park.
"It doesn't matter what your skill level is, it's a really jam-packed weekend," Bright said. "And that's what festivals do for a city. Nanaimo wants to be known as the city of festivals and this supports that and it does create a really exciting atmosphere for those strongly involved in the dance centre."
Young dancers from a variety of Nanaimo dance schools will be choreographing dances under the mentorship of their teachers which will be adjudicated by some of the visiting guest artists, including headliner Margie Gillis of Montreal.
"They're going to give the dancers feedback, which is really exciting," Bright said. "They'll get ideas of how it worked, what was strong and highlighting the positive aspects of what the young, emerging choreographers have introduced into their pieces."
These dances will be performed in a variety of locations throughout Nanaimo's downtown as part of the festival's Art in Motion component. Bright said bringing dance to the public is a good way to introduce it to new people.
"It's nice to take dance outside the theatrical experience because you end up touching an accidental audience because sometimes people don't know it's happening and they end up walking into it and it always creates this wonderful experience," she said. "Those kind of things are what we hope will result."
In addition to out of town performers, Bright will perform with Suddenly Dance Theatre based out of Victoria, in keystone, an exploration into psychic and physical integration and 91原创's Cori Caulfield presents Portrait Solos.
Those performances, along with Gillis', will be performed at the Port Theatre in what Bright calls 'backstage at the Port.'
Viewers enter from the back door, walk through the wings and on to the stage, like the performers do. They will view the shows from the orchestra pit, which will be raised and covered with chairs.
"It's close enough that you get to experience every sinew and emotion but you're far enough away you don't get sweat on you when they turn really fast," Bright said, with a laugh. "It creates what's called a 'black box' theatre experience and it intensifies the emotion."
A wrap up show will be held Sept. 17, a free family event taking place at Maffeo Sutton Park, featuring the Flam Chen Dance Company and the Carpetbag Brigade Stilt Company from the U.S. working along with local company Ignited Passions and people from the community. The performance starts at 6:30 p.m.
With something for nearly everyone, Bright said it's not surprising InFrinGinG has grown over its seven years.
The first year it was held in a Nanaimo dance studio with six artists performing over the weekend. This year there are 23 visiting artists, 21 local artists and about 10 workshops and six performances.
For more information check out the Crimson Coast Dance Society website at crimsoncoastdance.org.
A schedule of events will be available at the Port Theatre.