Belle Spirale Dance Projects | Dancing on the Edge

Described by Stir Magazine as “dreamlike and enigmatic,” and “a feat of complex choreography, imagery, lighting and monumental set pieces coming together,” assemble is a multidisciplinary solo performance choreographed and performed by Alexis Fletcher. Formerly a principal artist with Ballet BC and hailed as "honed and intensely expressive," Alexis leads you through rich theatrical stage environments with sets, projections and visual design by Co-Director Sylvain Senez, complemented by the captivating lighting design of Victoria Hunter Bell. Evocatively set to musical scores by Sigur Rós and Dustin O’Halloran, this full-length performance is a poetic exploration which encourages audiences to reflect on their own stories and experiences surrounding intergenerational memory, loss, and the resilient capacity of the human spirit to voyage inward.

Presented in association with Belle Spirale Dance Projects.

Belle Spirale Dance Projects is an arts organization led by Artistic Directors Alexis Fletcher and Sylvain Senez. It is based in Vancouver, Canada, on the unceded Indigenous territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

Sylvain is a former soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, danced with Judith Marcuse Dance Projects, then went on to be a principal artist and rehearsal director for 30 years at Ballet BC. Alexis danced as a principal artist with Ballet BC for 14 years, subsequently becoming a guest artist and rehearsal assistant as well as artist in residence before pursuing her independent career in 2020.

In 2016 we began co-creating independent mainstage works with Alexis as choreographer/performer and Sylvain as visual designer. To date, we have created and produced 9 original works with a diverse group of collaborators and co-creators. We currently hold the position of Artists in Residence at Chutzpah! Festival, and our work has been generously supported Dance Victoria, Ballet BC, Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Presentation House Theatre, New Works, Vernon Performing Arts Centre, The Gordon Smith Foundation, Dancing on the Edge, InFrinGing Festival, Shadbolt Centre and Dance: Made in/fait au Canada. Belle Spirale is honoured to be a 2023/24 recipient of the prestigious Chrystal Dance Prize. It has also been a joy to develop, since 2015, our community-minded, grassroots presentation platform, The Dance Deck, which has become a beloved staple of the summer scene in Vancouver.

Belle Spirale is a platform for the work of many artists; through our collaborative processes we produce our own creations as well as commission original works by both emerging and established choreographers. We collaborate with exceptional dance artists and designers from the local, national and international independent community for all of these projects in order to continue building our diverse repertoire of poetic, relevant and engaging contemporary dance works. We believe in a hands-on and heart-centred approach to art making that supports the development of both our own creations as well as the work of other like-minded creative spirits. Our works strive to create a powerful and tangible connection with our audience, and we believe dance to be a distinct and powerful tool for connection, communication and togetherness.

https://bellespirale.ca/

Choreographer and Performer: Alexis Fletcher

I am a dance artist, creator and producer based in Vancouver, Canada. After dancing with Ballet BC for 14 years I then became a guest artist and Artist in Residence with the Company before moving fully into my independent career in 2020. Myself and my husband, Sylvain Senez, are the founders and Artistic Directors of Belle Spirale Dance Projects. The Company is a 2023/24 recipient of The Chrystal Dance Prize and holds the position of Artist in Residence at Chutzpah! Festival. It has been generously supported by Dance Victoria, Ballet BC, Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Presentation House Theatre, New Works, Vernon Performing Arts Centre, The Gordon Smith Foundation, Dancing on the Edge, InFrinGing Festival, Shadbolt Centre and Dance: Made in/fait au Canada. As a freelancer, I have most recently performed with Re:Naissance Opera, zoe | juniper, and Wen Wei Dance. Belle Spirale is a platform for the work of many artists; through our collaborative processes we produce our own creations as well as commission original works by both emerging and established choreographers. We collaborate with exceptional dance artists and designers from the local, national and international independent community for all of these projects in order to continue building our diverse repertoire of poetic, relevant and engaging contemporary dance works. We believe in a hands-on and heart-centred approach to art making that supports the development of both our own creations as well as the work of other like-minded creative spirits. Belle Spirale also produces The Dance Deck, an outdoor, site-specific and multidisciplinary performance space and series at Sylvain’s and my home in East Vancouver. This platform is dedicated solely to the work of other artists in our community. I am fascinated by how exploring the movement potential of the human body becomes a way of accessing the inner landscapes of our spirits and psyches, and this is the primary motivation behind my physical practice and choreographic interests. I believe that dance is a unique vehicle with which to share, research, and discuss our humanity, and a powerful and distinct tool for communication and connection. I acknowledge, with gratitude, my privilege to be working and creating on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples.

Co-Creator, Visual, Set and Film Designer: Sylvain Senez

Sylvain Senez has been active on the professional Canadian dance scene for over 45 years. He danced as a soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Judith Marcuse Dance Company, Coleman Lemieux Company and a principal artist at Ballet BC. Sylvain also appeared in The Strange Adventure of Myself, a full-length solo created for him by Serge Bennathan.

During his 9 seasons with Les Grands Ballets, Sylvain toured internationally and was original cast in many new creations, with highlights including James Kudelka’s In Paradisum and also the title role in Kudelka’s Dracula.

From 1991 to 2016 he worked with Ballet British Columbia as a dancer, Ballet Master and Rehearsal Director where he has had the privilege of working and assisting for the remounts and creations of many internationally renowned choreographers. With Ballet BC he danced lead roles in works by John Alleyne, William Forsythe, Serge Bennathan, and Jiri Kylian among others.

Sylvain is a stager/repetiteur for Medhi Walerski’s ballets, has assisted him for a number of his creations, and was original cast in the role of Father Capulet in Walerski’s Romeo and Juliet creation for Ballet BC.

He has choreographed for the Ballet BC choreographic workshop, Dancing on the Edge and the Vancouver Opera. He is an accomplished ballet teacher and rehearsal director having worked with The State Ballet of Georgia in Tiblisi, Ballet Kelowna, Charlotte Ballet, Tokyo’s K-Ballet, Arts Umbrella, Harbour Dance, Lamondance, Danse a la carte and Modus Operandi.

As a photographer specializing in dance and portraiture, he has continued to pursue and expand this artistic interest by exploring videography, film and stage design. He worked on Rachel Meyer’s productions of Quartet, Transverse Orientation and Mama… do we die when we sleep?

His stage design of Alexis Fletcher’s light in the rafters led him to collaborate with the stunning art work of Tiko Kerr. He also designed and built the set for Fletcher’s full length solo assemble and her full length duet with Arash Khakpour All my being is a dark verse.

Composer: Sigur Rós, Dustin O'Halloran and Victoria Hunter Bell

Lighting Designer: Victoria Hunter Bell

Victoria Hunter Bell: Victoria (V) is a Vancouver based scenographer (lighting, sound, set, and projection designer), technical director and Studio 58 graduate. Victoria is an ADC and IATSE 118 member, and a strong proponent for union membership and their justified authority. She is also a Stir recognized "Game Changer" in this year's fall arts guide.

She was born in Cheam, England, and immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, with her family as a child. She grew up in the East Van arts scene and was a member of quite a few artistic collective in her teens. Being an Anarchist and a trans woman she has deep ties to the politics inherent to creating art, especially live performance. Much of the work she features in focuses on contentious issues present today or that the ramifications of which are still felt, be that personal or global. Coming into her own as an artist and an adult in the Vancouver East side she has a specific focus on the issues that affect that area; poverty, BIPOC and LGBTQ2IA+ rights, Land back, gentrification and rise of authoritarianism in retaliation to these movements for equity.

She sees her work as focusing on the depth in shadow and its necessity to show detail in the light. Working between vibrant colours and muted tones, while using Physical structure to fully infuse her designs into the world of the piece. Using physical structures on stage with the performance creates a more literal connection to the lights, she very specifically doesn't want to just work in the grid "above" the performance, she is entangled with the performance as a whole, not just its outward final presentation. She wishes her designs to be objects wielded by and into the metaphor of the text.

https://victoriabell-design.com