OURO Collective

Conceived in collaboration with street dance virtuoso RubberLegz and the innovative minds of OURO Collective, 7y98D unites two dynamic voices to develop a timely piece inspired by The Climate Clock, a thought-provoking public art installation by artists Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd.The work features a series of solos, duets, trios, and group choreographic sequences showcasing intricate connections between bodies as the movement interweaves and develops in complexity. Dancers create moving tableaux that represent the cyclical nature of the earth as they continually transform and deconstruct our perception of time and space.

Choreographer: Rauf 'RubberLegz' Yasit, in collaboration with OURO Collective.

OURO Collective creates and produces new dance works in so-called Vancouver, on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Using hip-hop, waacking, breaking, popping, house, and contemporary dance techniques as their foundation, each street dancer has trained with the pioneers or original founders of their respective dance styles and brings specific knowledge to the group aesthetic.OURO was founded by Cristina Bucci, Rina Pellerin, Maiko Miyauchi, Dean Placzek, and Mark Siller in 2014. The collective has produced over ten works and is launching OUROFEST, a festival celebrating Canada's street dance community and the collective's 10th anniversary in 2024.OURO's work has been presented at Vancouver's Dancing on the Edge Festival, Vancouver Street Dance Festival, Vancouver International Dance Festival, Seattle International Dance Festival, Guelph Dance Festival, Dance In Vancouver, Dance Allsorts, CypherFest International Street Dance Festival, and profiled by CBC Arts documentary series Exhibitionists. The collective has collaborated with numerous local outreach programs, including the Share Dance Outreach Program, the Immigrant Services Society, and The Power of Dance and has toured to Japan in 2019, 2018, and 2017. In 2020, OURO received Dance Victoria's Chrystal Dance Prize to collaborate with Rauf 'RubberLegz' Yasit to create a short film and full-length dance work entitled 7y98D. The short film premiered on NOWNESS and has been screened at Lago Film Fest (Italy), Mignolo International Screendance Festival (USA), Cinedans Festival (Netherlands), TANZAHOi International Festival for Dance (Germany), and Greensboro Dance Film Festival (USA).

Rauf 'RubberLegz' Yasit is a Los Angeles-based choreographer, director, dancer and visual artist who was born and raised in Germany. As a self-taught B-Boy, he began perfecting his skills and growing his passion in 1998. He gained international respect for his unique style. He has worked extensively with William Forsythe, National Opera of Paris, USC, CalArts, LACMA, ZKM Center for Media and Art Karlsruhe, Malou Airaudo, MuDA, Nike RT, Burberry, GAP, Arashi, Puma, Replay, Sadlers Wells, Flying Steps, Red Bull, Muscle Milk, Moderat, Sony, Sonos, Fiat, WAD MAG, Tumi, HP, Pandora, Pfadfinderei, PACT Zoll Verein, ArtFactory International, CNDC Angers, Loyola Maramount University, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef and Arpels, Maison de la Danse, La Biennale de Lyon, Juli Dans, TAP Theatre and Auditorium of Poitiers, La Filature Scene Nationale Mulhouse, Théâtre de Liège, MC2:, Bodytraffic, Jacob Jonas The Company, Renegade Theatre Herne, Malou Airaudo, Andy Hines, Jessica Young, Justin Daashur Hopkins, Elliott Sellers, OURO Collective, Modus Operandi, Whim W’Him, Torino Danza, Pottporus, Urban Arts Ensemble Ruhr, OSCA, University of Central Oklahoma, Kalamta Dance Festival, Teatro Municipal Do Porto and more.
Choreographer | Creator name + bio:

Composer: Owen Belton

Owen Belton lives in Vancouver, Canada and graduated from Simon Fraser University with a degree in Fine and Performing Art. His studies included acoustic, electroacoustic and computer music composition, film sound and dance. He has been writing music for dance for the last 25 years and been working with many different choreographers including Crystal Pite, Matjash Mrozewski, Goyo Montero and Edgar Zendejas. Dance companies he has created scores for include The Stuttgart Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Nederlands Dans Theatre, Ballet Nuremberg, The Royal Ballet, The Paris Opera and Kidd Pivot. Owen also creates sound design and composition for theatre and has scored several short films, tv movies and documentaries, as well as Uninterrupted, a large outdoor projection installation that was presented throughout the summer of 2017 in Vancouver. In 2009, Owen won a Dora Mavor Moore award for best original score for Emergence, which was created with Crystal Pite for the National Ballet of Canada

Lighting Designer: James Proudfoot

From Edinburgh, Scotland, where he received his initial theatre training James has been living in Vancouver since 1993. Specialising in the realm of dance lighting, James has contributed designs for dance works to many companies, including: Lola Dance, Company 605, Co. Erasga, Wen Wei Dance, Joe Ink, EDAM, The Contingency Plan, battery opera, Kinesis Dance, Ballet BC, Move The Company, Restless Productions, Holy Body Tattoo, Dumb Instrument, MACHiNE NOiSY, Anatomica Dance, Tara Cheyenne Performance, Les Productions Figlio, Karen Jamieson, Trial & Eros, Rachel Meyer, Action at a Distance, Out Innerspace, Helen Walkley, Ballet Jazz Montréal, Justine A. Chambers, and plastic orchid factory

Performers:

Cristina Bucci has been enriching the Vancouver arts community for over two decades, leaving her indelible mark as a choreographer, performer, educator, producer, and mentor. Her career has taken her around the globe, with commissions from the Lamondance Company, Dancing on the Edge, Yarita Yu Ballet, and KMA Dance/Orchestra (Japan). She is a registered holistic nutritionist focusing on dancer wellness and is currently working on a new solo work and group project entitled, Inizi. In 2014, she co-founded OURO Collective to advance the public’s appreciation of street dance culture and has spearheaded numerous outreach and youth initiatives.

Eric Cheung is a street dance and inter-disciplinary artist based in so-called Vancouver and is a company member of Ouro Collective, partaking in the creation process of HAKO, SOTTO51, Fire06, and 7y98D (Stage / Film). Eric has cultivated a singular approach to movement with his base and specialization in Popping, incorporating outside influences and other dance styles recognised nationally and internationally. Eric explores different mediums to further expand the boundaries of street dance in film, theatre, new media, fashion, and Virtual Reality (VR). Projects such as E_GO, I(n)finite,iye, Re:1974, Liminal, Diverge, Null, and more.

Ash Cornette (Complex): Starting in 1998, Complex is a long-time artist in the B-boy world and has been placing the North West on the map ever since. His detailed footwork, flow, and strong foundation in breaking have allowed him to share his craft across North America, Asia, and Europe. He is a member of Dance Broomz and Hoodz, a decorated battler, and a strong performer. He has won titles, such as Massive Monkees Footwork Champion and Vancouver Street Dance Festival Breaking Champion. He has performed for events and companies, such as Takashi Murakami Birthday Bash, Lululemon, L’Oréal, and Leica Geosystems.

Rina Pellerin’s versatility and artistry has allowed her to perform, judge, and compete across North America and Asia. She has received several scholarships and awards throughout her training, granting her the opportunity to study under pioneers of street dance and its founders. She is the co-founder and co-artistic director of OURO Collective and Konichiwaack, and is the winner of Vancouver Street Dance Festival 2012/2014/2015, Last One Stands 2014, HotMess 2023, and judged prominent street dance events such as Massive Monkees Day and Twice as Nice. Highlighted credits include Paramount+, Lululemon, Team Canada, Disney, NBC, Exxon, CW Television Network, Cox Communications, and Samsung.

Shana 愛 Wolfe is currently based in so-called Vancouver, working as a freelance dance artist with local companies such as OURO Collective, The Falling Company and Company 605 as well as with artists such as Cindy Mochizuki, Justin Calvadores, Lisa Mariko Gelley and Anya Saugstad. Through these artists she has been able to perform at Dancing on the Edge, Dance Deck, Guelph Dance Festival, Hold On Let Go, Left of Push, the Edam Performance Series, BC Movement Arts Society and with the Edmonton Opera.

Kinui Oiwa (Understudy) is a Japanese contemporary dance artist currently based in Vancouver. Kinui trained at the PNSD Rosella Hightower in France; she completed her dance studies with a dance diploma through the Cannes Junior Ballet Company. In 2018, Kinui joined Balletto di Roma in Italy; touring Europe, she has performed numerous works by Davide Bombana, Itamar Serussi, Fabrizio Monteverde, and Andrea Costanzo Martini. Kinui has worked on dance motion capture, commercial, and music video projects and has collaborated with OCIN and Lululemon. In 2022, Kinui joined OURO Collective.