Jacqueline Ethier and Sarah Hopkin

"My maternal grandmother was a suffragist, a woman fully engaged in the first wave of feminism that won most Canadian women the vote by 1940 – shamefully, Inuit women did not achieve suffrage until 1950 and indigenous women until 1960. Born in 1952, history swept me up in the second wave of feminism, in which access to the pill and legal abortion allowed women to chart their own futures, bolstered by the landmark writings of Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and Germaine Greer, and informed by the indispensible handbook, Our Bodies Our Selves. A fourth wave of feminism, #metoo, began tearing back the curtain on the sexual abuse of girls and women that is so deeply entrenched in our society. Wave after wave, through advances and setbacks the cathartic struggle to advance women’s rights continues.

Now that I am long past menopause, Simone de Beauvoir would describe me as being beyond ‘the grip of the species’ and from this vantage point I have a profound appreciation for the pivotal moments that changed the course of my life. since then arose out of the retrospect of age. I have insights now that I wish I could share with my younger self. There are conversations about love, sexuality, loss, and old age that I would dearly love to have had with my late mother. There are truths about my life that I have never confided and need to find the courage to share and discuss. I offer this dance as an invitation for conversations among women."

Choreographer: Peggy Baker

Born in Edmonton in 1952, Peggy Baker is one of Canada’s most celebrated and influential dance artists, respected as a performer in the work of esteemed Canadian and American creators; as an educator in conservatory dance programs throughout North America; as a champion of live music for dance; and as a choreographer of poetic and visually striking works for her Toronto based company, Peggy Baker Dance Projects (1990 – 2023). Her work has been presented in theatres, galleries, public spaces and on media screens across Canada and the U.S., as well as Mexico, Argentina, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Korea, and Japan. Among her many honours: the Order of Canada, the Governor General’s Award, the Premier’s Award, the Carsen Prize, and Honorary Doctorates from York University and the University of Calgary. A 2023 inductee into the Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame, Ms. Baker continues to teach, create, and collaborate as an independent artist.

Composer - Debashis Sinha

A stalwart and consistent presence in the Canadian sound world for over 2 decades, Debashis Sinha has realized many award-winning projects in radiophonic art, sound art, theatre, dance, and music across Canada and internationally, including a long partnership with Peggy Baker Dance Projects, where he has worked with Ms Baker for many years creating original music for a multitude of shows. His live sound practice on the concert stage has led to appearances at sound art and electronic music festivals around the world, and he has released records independently and on Gustaff, Archipel and Establishment. He is currently an assistant professor at The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University.
https://debsinha.com

Lighting Designer: Gabriel Cropley

Gabriel Cropley is a Toronto based lighting designer and three-time Dora Mavor Moore award nominee. Recent credits include Cendrillon for University of Toronto Opera (Elgin Theatre), Wakati for NAfro Dance Productions (Winnipeg), home for RAW Taiko Drummers, December Dances for Dance Arts Institute, RISE: Fall Dances for TMU Performance Dance, Empty Space Empty Time for Ottawa Dance Directive (Southam Hall, NAC), and Magic of Assembly for Toronto Dance Theatre. Gabriel has had the privilege of collaborating with the City of Toronto/Nuit Blanche, Ballet Creole, Victoria Mata Productions & Aluna Theatre, Coal Mine Theatre, dance: made in canada | fait au canada, Bicycle Opera, CanAsian Dance, dreamwalker dance, University of Toronto Opera, Sampradaya Dance Creations, Dancemakers, Humber Theatre, BoucharDanse, Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre, pounds per square inch performance, Avinoam Silverman Dance, Little Pear Garden Dance Company, Toronto Heritage Dance, Capitol Theatre Port Hope, Newton Moraes Dance Theatre, York Dance Ensemble, TOES for Dance, Danny Grossman, Sook-Yin Lee & Jennifer Goodwin, Theatre Gargantua, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Hamilton Children’s Choir, Tracey Norman, Forcier StageWorks, JDdance, Art of Time Ensemble, the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and more.
gabrielcropley.ca

Performers:

Jacqueline Ethier
Sudbury native Jacqueline Ethier is a dance artist, teacher, mother and business woman. After graduating from the Contemporary Dance Programme at The School of Dance in 1999, she worked extensively with Anik Bouvrette (Tara Luz Danse) from 1999-2011. Jacqueline has performed the works of Sylvie Desrosiers (DORSALE danse) between 1999 and 2019. She has commissioned new works by Peggy Baker, a solo in 2008 and a duet with Sarah Hopkin in 2018. Based in Ottawa, Jacqueline is currently a collaborator with Take Up Space (Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson) and a company member with Compagnie odd (Yvonne Coutts).

Sarah Hopkin
Sarah Hopkin is a freelance dance artist from Nova Scotia. Since moving home to the Maritimes in 2021, Sarah has danced for Votive Dance, Mocean Dance, Phin Performing Arts, and Nostos Collectives, as well as traveling back to Ottawa to continue dancing for the Ottawa Dance Directive. When living in Ottawa Sarah danced for the Ottawa Dance Directive, TAKE UP SPACE, and for choreographers Peggy Baker, Allison Burns, Cathy Kyle Fenton, Nicola Fridgen, Jordan Samonas, and Jocelyn Todd. Sarah also danced as a Junior Company Member with Toronto Dance Theatre in their 2015-2016 season. Sarah has choreographed and performed in many events including the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and Ottawa’s Dark Horse Dance Projects. Sarah is an alumna of Halifax Dance and Toronto Metropolitan University’s Performance Dance Program.