PHOTOS : MICHAEL SLOBODIAN , COURTESY BALLET BC
Above , left : Artists of Ballet BC in Emily
Molnar ’ s RITE
Top , right : Rachel
Meyer and Scott Fowler dance Twenty Eight Thousand Waves by resident choreographer Cayetano Soto
Above , right : Racheal Prince , Alexander Burton and Daniel
Marshalsay dance Jorma Elo ’ s I and I Am You
She cites Alleyne , along with Stuttgart ’ s William Forsythe and seminal solo artist Margie Gillis , as major influences on her work . Even as a young dancer , Molnar knew she would “ tread a path exploring a bigger responsibility , one to a larger public … to where all this was going . I was always curious about the overarching idea of what we were doing , how things got cast , how we developed potential . Performing was always a part of a much larger idea for me .”
Molnar the ballerina is now a clear-visioned artistic director and choreographer , who still trains with her dancers , as “ a kind of learning , partly to check in , partly as a meditation , to transmit , sample , the ideas we ’ re collectively talking about .”
Under her leadership , the company is creationbased and produces primarily new work . Collaboration is again part of the management style . She considers “ the process of making work as important as the work itself . We view everything as a work in progress . We talk a lot about [ how ] you build a skill as you ’ re taking risks . I ’ m trying to allow for everyone to lead in some way , so that they feel relevant themselves .”
“ For me , the most important thing is human potential , and dance is such a phenomenal vehicle .”
Ballet BC has grown to 17 dancers , augmented by apprentices from the Arts Umbrella training program . The season too has expanded , from 28 to 46 weeks , to 3 shows per season , touring 8 weeks per year .
Where Alleyne-era full-length , narrative ballets encouraged “ signature ” dancers — Molnar , Crystal Pite , Gail Skrela , Patti Hines and John Ottman among them — the company has returned to its ensemble format . Ballet BC works with choreographers who are defining a new movement “ voice ” and are eager to set pieces on the collective , “ creating more equality in the work . Each dancer is given a chance to be
relevant . Everybody is participating and the art is the most important thing .
“ All the choreographers have a connection to classical roots , but a very passionate approach and a very distinct voice . They make art not just for art ’ s sake : they respect how Ballet BC makes work ; they care about how the discussion happens in studio , how it works on stage , how an audience sees their work .” Europe has always held a “ slight lead ” in the emerging language of choreography , and Molnar attracts front runners such as Spain ’ s Cayetano Soto ( currently Ballet BC resident choreographer ), France ’ s Medhi Walerski , Belgium ’ s Stijn Celis , Finland ’ s Jorma Elo and Israel ’ s Sharon Eyal .
“ I have choreographers who are very well-known around the world , who are committed to working with us because they ’ ve heard about the company abroad ; they know this is a place where they can collaborate and invest in their work . And dancers are approaching me from around the world .”
Molnar has high expectations for Ballet BC . “ I want us to be the company that breaks out a new choreographer no one knows about .”
“ I know that we have one of the strongest dance communities in the country ,” adds Molnar , who ponders “ how we can articulate large ideas inside of dance . How are we making dance relevant to the conversation that ’ s going on in society today ?”
She sees having a company diverse in size and height as “ an abstraction of something very political , but we ’ re not making a piece where everybody ’ s protesting something specifically .”
Today , Vancouver ; tomorrow , the world . Future plans include a tour to New York , and to the Birmingham Dance Festival ; there is talk of touring to Tel Aviv and Belgrade . “ My vision for the company right now is to be even more of an ambassador for Vancouver and Canada .”
26 ESSENTIAL VANCOUVER 2016 / 17