I'm Sarah, a freelance dance artist in Ottawa, Ontario. I’ve asked award winning francophone choreographer Sylvie Desrosiers to create a duet for dancer Calder White and myself with a score by internationally renowned cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne. I am confident that this piece will lead to exciting new performance opportunities both in Canada and abroad.

Traditionally, dance projects such as this rely on government support to operate. I have applied twice for funding from the Canada Council for the Arts for this project and was unsuccessful both times. An overall lack of funds at the CCA has led to only about 13% of applications receiving funding. As a result, it is a very challenging time to make projects happen in Canada. Canadian artists are all having to think of new ways to generate funds for projects that don’t rely solely on government funding, as those sources have become increasingly unreliable.

A presenter who believes in our work (Ottawa Dance Directive), has offered us a performance engagement in the fall, giving us November as a deadline to have the piece completed. We are forging ahead with rehearsals starting up again later this month.

If you are curious about what comprises a budget for a project such as this, here is a general idea:

Artist fees (hourly rehearsal rate for dancers and musician, choreographer’s creation fee, royalty fees for the choreography and music being performed)

Technical fees (lighting designer, photographer, videographer)

Travel costs (dance artist Calder White lives in Vancouver and our rehearsals and performances are in Ottawa)

Studio space (in this case generously donated by Ottawa Dance Directive)

Technical residency (in this case generously donated by Ottawa Dance Directive)

Costumes (we have cut these from the budget in this case)

Administrative fees (grant writing, social media, scheduling, communications - we have also cut this from the budget in this case)

You can see we have slashed costs wherever possible - our fundraising goal is only based on the non-negotiable costs of getting this project to the finish line, not including $5000 that we are hoping to receive from the Ontario Arts Council.

Any donation of any size will have a big impact in helping us see this project through. I am so grateful for any and all support from our community!

As a HUGE thank you, we will be hosting a free showing of our creative process on July 31st to anyone who has donated to our project. Stay tuned for more details!

About the work:

IMPASSE -a new duet by Sylvie Desrosiers for dancers Sarah Hopkin and Calder White with music by Raphael Weinroth-Browne.

After an initial week of creation that I self-funded last summer, it was clear that there is magic in this combination of artists. What emerged was emotionally cathartic choreography that focuses on togetherness as a means to carry on through adversity. Through Sylvie’s movements we embody the feeling of striving and braving the storm together. This work feels urgent and important - a reminder to be persistent and tenacious in the midst of global instability. Despite the darkness, there is always humanity, and there is always hope - this piece will highlight that contrast; light verses shadow, chaos verses harmony. The choreography is taking shape as both highly physical and athletic, and at times soft, slow, and intentional. The piece will be made more potent by its musical score composed by Raphael, whose music exudes emotion, grit, and an unwavering determination to deliver a message of perseverance.