August 2014
AGM/Board Comings and Goings

This year’s AGM brought new and formal change to Free Flow Dance Theatre Company. The Board formalized a Strategic Plan and Bylaws in preparation for our application for charitable status.

We welcome Christa Watson to our board of directors. Christa brings with her a love of music (choir, flute, saxophone, and piano) and dance. Christa is the Acting Director, Business Development for the Saskatchewan Government’s Ministry of the Economy. When she is not travelling the province for work Christa can be found taking every kind of dance class; you never know where you will see Christa cutting a rug. Please visit our members’ page to see her full biography.

With a new director starting, four senior directors have completed their terms. We bid a fond farewell to Denis McBain, Dorion Brady and Ric Stephens. All have been longstanding supporters of Free Flow and their financial, legal, and IT knowledge have helped us grow as a non-profit agency, and made it possible to apply for charitable status. Our Artistic Director and founder Jackie Latendresse has also hung up her director’s cap to focus more on the operations and creative direction of the dance company. We wish all of our former directors the best and thank them profusely for their contribution to the arts.

Jen Neudorf is taking a leave of absence to spend some much needed time with her family. We will miss Jen while she is gone. Maria Zimmerman has stepped in to replace Jen for the next few months.

Maria Zimmerman was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She has always had a love of dance and a passion for creating her own pieces and choreography from a young age. Her first exposure to studio dance was through the Centennial Dance Academy program. From there she moved on to Bedford Road’s dance program participating in a variety of classes and forms of dance in addition to competing on Bedford’s competitive dance team (called a Pom Squad), where her love for the sport led her to become a captain in her senior year. She has been coaching the team since her graduation. Maria has also danced with the local hip-hop company Def SOL, and fell into the hands of Jackie through an intro level burlesque class about a year ago. Maria is very grateful and excited for the opportunity to be dancing with such a creative and boundary-pushing company!

Fundraising

Our Indiegogo campaign has wrapped up and the perks are ready for pick up. Thank you to all of our donors online and off, Chris Woods from Woods Body Goods for the generous donation of handmade lip balms, and Jack Latendresse for funding the Feed the Dancers Dinner perk.

Our bottle drive has almost wrapped up but that does not mean that we are done fundraising. Free Flow Dance Theatre is always working to raise funds to bring new dance and events to Saskatoon. You can help us by attending our events and inviting your friends, having a drink or two from our concession, feeding change to our piggy bank at the dance centre, or donating bottles for deposit returns.

Performances

Our first Works in Progress showing was a great success. We featured new contemporary dance works by Erica Jacks, Kyle Syverson, Deanne Underwood and Free Flow Dance. Free Flow Dance presented Movement Interruptus in (C)ell Minor, an audience participation piece involving cell phones and social media. You can pARTicipate by following us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/movementinterruptus or on Twitter at FreeFlow@DanceTheatreCo.

Back Alley Antics partnered with Street Meet this year and the turnout was fantastic. Nearly 100 people showed up for the guided tour of art and performances in the back alleys of Riversdale. Thanks to our guest performers Circus of Life, Chrysalis Theatre, Daniel Toth, Karen Pugh, Desert Beats and Mike Mirlin. Free Flow Dance also presented a first draft of “Pods”. “Pods” is a new work with dancers in colourful costumes on mini trampolines. We look forward to sharing it again in the near future so keep in touch and we will post on Facebook and Twitter.

Upcoming Events

Salsa Saskatoon’s Birthday Celebration
Dance on the Saskatchewan at the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan tent August 18th
Fireworks Festival on Saturday, August, 30th at 6pm
Free Flow Dance Theatre Class Registration September 10th 7-9pm
Works in Progress 2nd showing Saturday September 28th
Nuit Blanche Saturday Sept 28th