Winner of the 2021 DMCA

The amount of this year’s award has increased from $2,000 to $5,000. The DMCA is the largest non-governmental award for dance creation in Atlantic Canada. These funds have been raised through dedicated fundraising on the part of Live Art Dance, a sizeable donation by film maker and environmental activist, Neal Livingston and a partnership with Dance Nova Scotia. The 2021 award will go to support the creation of Ruralesque, which Candice Pike describes as “…a dance work at the intersection of contemporary dance, burlesque, and embodied experiences of Newfoundland culture.”

“It’s an honour to receive this award from Live Art Dance in the legacy of Diane Moore. Like Diane, I feel strongly about the relevance and importance of Dance being made in Atlantic Canada. I feel a sense of responsibility to live and work here and to make space and opportunities for others to do the same. This award will allow me to continue to do this work with an amazing team of Newfoundland and Labrador artists including Josh Murphy, Hilary Knee, and Lois Brown.”

“Live Art Dance is proud to offer this annual award in memory of our founder, Diane Moore,” said Artistic Director Randy Glynn. “And we are thrilled that we have been able to more than double the value of the award in these truly vexing times. Each year the quantity and calibre of the applications we receive indicate what a vibrant, creative and growing dance community we have in Atlantic Canada – and we are delighted to be a part of it.”

Candice describes Ruralesque as a choreographic creation project that takes her artistic work to a new place by building on initiatives and ideas that she has recently been exploring. These include rural aesthetics; site specific choreography, and the interwoven processes of creation and community.

“I am deeply motivated to explore unique and relevant approaches to dance-making in nonurban areas that respect local communities, and to discover how what emerges is different from current Canadian contemporary dance aesthetics. I’m particularly excited to do this through Ruralesque which address several deep and rich questions around identity, belonging, the body, and the links between tradition and contemporaneity.”