Week 7 Assignment
(In Three Parts)
Due: Friday, May 8th, 1pm
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I want to Introduce to you another one of my favorite choreographers, who produces dance not only for the stage, but many of his works are a product of dance on film.
Part One: Meet the Artistic Director/Choreographer of the RUBBERBANDance Group, Victor Quijada.
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In 2002, he founded RUBBERBAND, throwing himself into deconstructing the choreographic principles he had learned by blending them with the raw ideology of his street dance origins. His creations – numerous short works and 14 full-length productions – are distinguished by a powerful theatricality, the energy of improvisation, and certain codes of film language, the whole sculpted with an incomparable precision of movement.
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For several years now, Victor has taught the RUBBERBAND Method throughout the world in workshops and internships for many dance companies, dance schools, and universities, as well as on a yearly basis in RBDG’s workshop for professional dancers; at the Académie du Domaine Forget in Charlevoix every summer; and in his classes at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the University of Southern California (USC). As guest choreographer, he has created new works for dance and circus companies; notably in return commissions for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Scottish Dance Theatre.
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Besides his stage productions, Victor has been involved in almost a dozen dance films, as director, choreographer, or dramaturge. His short film, Hasta La Próxima, was a finalist at the American Choreography Awards in 2004. He also choreographed the music videos Man I Used to Be by k-os, La garde by Alexandre Désilets, and Elton John’s Blue Wonderful. His Gravity of Center – The Movie won Best Experimental Short at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival of 2012, among other awards, and was shown at several exhibitions and national and international festivals.
In the area of peer recognition, Victor Quijada was artist-in-residence at Usine C (2004) and at Place des Arts (2007-2011), and has won many awards, including Britain’s National Dance Award for Outstanding Modern Repertory (2003), the Bonnie Bird North American Award (2003, U.K.), the Peter Darrell Choreography Award (2003, U.K.), the International Touring Award of the Canadian Dance Alliance (2012), and two awards from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA (Choreography Fellowship, 2010; Work in Progress Residency, 2016).
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In December 2017, Victor Quijada received the award for cultural diversity at the Prix de la danse de Montréal and was, in 2019, one of the finalists for the 34th Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal.
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Part Two: Watch these two mini-documentaries of Victor and others describing his dance form.
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Part Three:Write a reflective essay on the dance film piece below entitled Gravity of Center and what you learned about Victor’s movement style. Enjoy it, think about it, allow yourself to feel a message (any message) within it, and write how this inspires you... Perhaps, it strikes you and moves you creatively, or it simply makes you think about life and our current journey we are all on. If you attended the Jacob’s Pillow Talk on Wednesday, the speaker from Montreal, Anna Plamondom is featured in this film. Cool!
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Writing Instructions:
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Create it on a "Doc" layout
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Use MLA format
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Write a minimum of one page (you can write more)
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Email it to me by Friday, April 24th, 1pm
NOTE: (Please keep in mind that this is separate from your Self-Assessment Written Summary
also due on Friday, April 24th, 1pm.)
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Gravity of Center
by Victor Quijada and the RUBBERBANDance Group
In 17 years, Victor Quijada and RUBBERBAND have not only redefined breakdance codes within an institutional context and enlivened the Quebec dance scene, but have opened the way for new creators fascinated by this dance form. Armed with a technique he conceived for dancers, the RUBBERBAND Method – an electrifying vocabulary combining the energy of Hip Hop, the refinement of classical ballet, and the angular quality of contemporary dance – and some 40 creations and collaborations in Canada and abroad behind him, Victor Quijada has always continued to evolve and innovate throughout his prolific career.
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Born and raised in Los Angeles, the child of Mexican parents, Victor first danced in the b-boying circles and hip-hop clubs of his native city. He trained with Rudy Perez from 1994 to 1996, then moved to New York City to join THARP! After spending three years with that company and following a stint with Ballets Tech, in 1999, he came to Montreal to join Les Grands Ballets canadiens in 2000.
