AN ANXIOUS AGENDA
Photo Credit: Steven Wilson
Olivia MacLean
An Anxious Agenda is a 30-minute contemporary dance work that combines hip-hop dance, music, and DJ arts to explore the complexities of her disability, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).
Credits
AN ANXIOUS AGENDA
OLIVIA MACLEAN
THE WOODS HIP HOP COMPANY
AN ANXIOUS AGENDA
An Anxious Agenda is a 30-minute contemporary dance work that combines hip-hop dance, music, and DJ arts to explore the complexities of her disability, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). MacLean uses hip-hop culture as a backdrop to narrate her experiences with SPD, which have shaped her life since her teenage years. The performance features a complex soundtrack of 20 songs and samples, carefully mixed and produced by Brandon Skeete (DJ Skeeter B), which amplifies the sensory layers and disruptions associated with SPD. The work began in 2021 in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, with an in-progress presentation at Kinetic’s Open Studio Series. It was further developed through Votive Dance’s 2024 Play Explore Research (PER) Program and The Woods Hip-Hop Dance Company’s 2024/25 Choreographic Mentorship Program. A new iteration of the work was presented at Bus Stop Theatre’s StART Festival in August 2024.
OLIVIA MACLEAN
Olivia MacLean is a professional dance artist, educator, and caregiver based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. Specializing in hip-hop and commercial jazz, she blends classical and street dance styles in her work. Olivia has performed as a backup and commercial dancer for local drag and arts performers, collaborating with organizations like YAAS Halifax, and has appeared at events such as the Atlantic Pride Festival, Nocturne, and Unity Charity Festival. With over 10 years of experience as a dance educator, she teaches at Halifax Dance, Onset Hip Hop Company, and Omnia Dance Studios. Olivia’s artistic work has been featured at the Kinetics Open Studio Series, Halifax Pride Festival, Nocturne, and the Halifax Fringe Festival. Passionate about creating inclusive and supportive spaces, Olivia continues to inspire and connect her community through her performances and teaching.
WOODS HIP HOP COMAPNY
The Woods is Atlantic Canada’s first and only professional Hip-Hop Dance Company (est. 2010), and we continue to thrive in our 15th season. We spur the growth of our community, our art, professional development, and employment of professional artists, as well as new businesses in dance schools that our current and past company members lead. Commitment to growth and education is the only way to create a sustainable community. Our creations raise the visibility of marginalized voices, persons, and stories. We tell accessible stories so we can meet audiences where they are: we aim to bring Hip-Hop to a fine art realm, and we continue to get this fine art to pedestrian spaces, where Hip-Hop can touch its roots. The Woods was the first Hip-Hop Dance Company to be presented by Live Art Dance Productions (LAD) in 2014, and twice more, in 2016 and 2018.
In 2020, we turned our focus and dedicated effort to support the reinvigoration of the Black Lives Matter movement by prioritizing creative and production leadership of Black persons. Choreographer, Rehearsal Assistant, and Woods Company Member, Olivia MacLean is the second recipient of a choreographic mentorship with The Woods, supported by Artistic Director Alexis Cormier, and the piece presented at Coastal Currents will be the outcome of this initiative. The Woods started their choreographic mentorship program in 2022 with mentee I’thandi Munro, to whom Arts Nova Scotia awarded the Emerging Artist Recognition Award.