FORAY

Residences at Morrow 910 Richards October 2023 – January 2024

On the unceded, ancestral and occupied territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations

Foray is a program of creative residences at Morrow, for lead artists Tin Gamboa, Juolin Lee and Tomoyo Yamada, alongside mentors Lee Su-Feh, Natalie Tin Yin Gan (顏婷妍), Kay Barnes and collaborators Shion Skye Carter, Ashvini Sundaram, Alexandra Caprara, Ariane Vanessa and Jennifer Aoki

Tin, Juolin, and Tomoyo are each provided 90 studio hours & 6k+. At the end of each 3-week residence, diD hosts each artist in an informal public sharing followed by conversation. Please join in witnessing and celebrating their discoveries! Registration for public showings is open 2 weeks prior. To RSVP please email to let us know you are attending. Accessibility Info

A few words from Artistic Director, Ziyian Kwan, about Foray’s impetus and directions:

Since May 2021, dID has programmed 24 paid residences for equity deserving artists from across forms. It feels timely to offer this series of residences that specifically contributes to a legacy of Asian contemporary dance artists who identify as women and/or gender non-binary.

Tin, Juolin and Tomoyo are among many admirable emerging artists whom I know to be exceptionally generous in fulfilling myriad supporting roles to help their colleagues create and produce work. So with Foray, I wanted to centre their authorship and inquiries – to offer gifts of space and cash within a roomy pocket of agency and time. I understand this gift to be a luxury that every artist deserves, including and especially emerging artists whom at the onset of their careers, need assurances that their work is valued and that the path ahead will open to meaningful opportunities.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS AND THEIR FORAYS INTO CREATIVE WORK AT MORROW

Tomoyo Yamada

Informal Sharing:

Nov 12, 2023 | 5pm

From Tomoyo: The Hug is inspired by an embrace I had with a U.S. veteran in 2015. This experience led to creating a performative poem, which was shared digitally through The Dance Cafe (The Response, 2020) and performed live at the 2021 VOAF.

The poem takes root in findings of intergenerational trauma, aftermath of war and conflicts, and the feeling of guilt inspired primarily by the aforementioned encounter with a war veteran from a historically belligerent enemy. This solo work is part of a larger series called The Hug Project, which delves into historic events. By taking an open and inviting approach to address some challenges our society is challenged today, the aim is to further understand the complex situation we have living in our diverse community.

I feel the urgency to conduct this research now because living in a multi-racial community here in Canada, we are all being challenged to face our historic past to seek ways to heal, to support the healing of those we wronged, and to improve as a society and coexist together.

Joining Tomoyo in residence:

Tomoyo Yamada is an interdisciplinary artist in performance art and choreography. Born in Japan and educated in the United States, she has spent most of her life traveling between North America and Japan, negotiating distinct cultural identities. Her practice is influenced by her ongoing research into identity politics and her self-reflexive interrogation of transnational cultural differences. She recently completed her Master of Fine Arts degree at Simon Fraser University in Interdisciplinary Arts.

Tomoyo has been presenting works in various festivals such as Dance Cafe, International Dance Day at the Dance Centre, Open Stage, Dancing on the Edge Festival, Vines Art Festival, and REVERBdance Festival. Her interdisciplinary works include Uchi, Stuck in 2020, yane ura, Emergency, kikoeteimasuka, and Femme Façade, which have been performed and recreated in Japan, Canada and the United States. She co-produces Clala Dance Project alongside artists Charlotte Telfer-Wan and Sam Mason.

Tin Gamboa

Informal Sharing:

Dec 10, 2023 | 5pm

From Tin: During my Foray residency I will continue researching breath, voice, body, agency, and space, with the mentorship of Lee Su-Feh. I formally started this research in Koryolab 2023, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines with 2 Filipina dancers/collaborators and Philippine audiences. This time with a culturally diverse team, I look forward to revisiting old questions and finding new ones around:

Joining Tin in residence:

Tin Gamboa is a Filipina dance artist who primarily resides on MST territories (Vancouver). She is focused on cultivating a cross-cultural arts practice between both places she calls home, Canada and the Philippines. She recently completed her MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at SFU, taught as part-time faculty at De La Salle Benilde College, and created and performed a new piece at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Koryolab 2023. She is excited to be working with various circles within the arts and culture umbrella such as: Dumb Instrument Dance, Margarida Maiciera, FakeKnot (Ralph Escamillan), and Raven Spirit Dance. Devoted to being a lifelong student and artist, Tin is hopeful about the echoes that ripple from collective and thoughtful art-making.

Juolin Lee

Informal Sharing

Jan 5 , 2024 | 6pm

From Juolin: I am curious about the space between forgetting and remembering, the space between the living and deceased. I’m not sure that I believe the Tenth Palace Hall is what awaits us after death, but I found the story of Mong Po Tang, The Soup of Forgetfulness (孟婆湯), deeply intriguing and romantic. The myth explains a process of reincarnation and how each spirit can get to their next journey free from past retribution and free from the bind of old relationships.

Stumbling across the dark and scary undertones of this myth again as an adult, I fall in love with it helplessly. Through the Foray residency, I hope to develop a shade of colour to paint this story with— an access point to unpack the feelings that come up within me when reading the story of Mong Po Tang. I wonder if dance can hold and communicate the unspeakable, complex sensations that arise when we are moved by something beyond our understanding.

Joining Juolin in residence:

Mentor: **Natalie Tin Yin Gan (顏婷妍)**
Photo: Stephanie Gan

Juolin Lee is a Taiwanese-Canadian emerging dance artist who is fascinated by the transformative power of dance. Juolin feels fortunate to live, learn and create on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She completed her training in Modus Operandi Contemporary Dance program in June 2021 under the direction of Tiffany Tregarthen, David Raymond and Kate Franklin. Juolin has a deep love and respect for the dance community she’s immersed in. She has the pleasure to work with Natalie TY Gan, Ziyian Kwan, Arash Khakpour, Emmalena Fredriksson, and Zahra Shahab among other artists who she admires. Dance to Juolin is a portal to indescribable emotions and complex, swerving stories. Through openness and curiosity she wishes to continuously unpack her idea of self and her relationship with the world.