2020 Vancouver International Dance Festival:Olivia Shaffer

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Cost: Free

Senescence sheds light on the unglamorous yet ubiquitous final stage of life when there is often an unravelling of our autonomy. Emerging from the experience of caregiving for my father, who had dementia and Parkinson’s disease, the work reflects the metamorphosis that occurs as essential features of one’s selfhood are stripped away. Dance, poetic spoken word, and electronic and live music are woven together with humour and pathos. Created by Olivia Shaffer, in collaboration with composer/performer Alex Mah and dramaturge Chick Snipper.
Olivia Shaffer is a choreographer, performing artist, and movement teacher, based on the unceded Coast Salish territories, also known as Vancouver, BC. She creates living, embodied dance that reflects facets of the human condition. She harnesses dance as a metaphor for our ever-seeking nature, while experiencing perpetual transience. For over a decade, Olivia has worked as a freelance performer and improvisor, interpreting the work of choreographers Peter Bingham/EDAM Dance, Helen Walkley, Alvin Tolentino/Co. ERASGA, Delia Brett & Daelik/MACHiNENOiSY, and many other inspiring artists. Olivia teaches workshops at institutions for professional, pre-professional, and community dancers, and has taught in Europe, the United States, and Asia.

Artists:
Choreographer / Performer: Olivia Shaffer
Composer / Performer: Alex Mah
Dramaturge + Mentor: Chick Snipper
Voice and Theatre Coach: Raïna von Waldenburg
Lighting Designer: Jessica Han
Costume Designer: Sasha Schaepe
Images by Yvonne Chew Photography
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