Dance group helps young talent with help from Victoria Foundation

Helping aspiring dancers develop their talents has long been a goal of the Suddenly Dance Theater Company, and the Victoria Foundation has been key to achieving this goal.

David Ferguson, who runs the troupe with Miles Lowry, said it started in 1992, when there was no one organizing dance events in the city.

He said the foundation has been a big supporter and has been particularly helpful in funding the group’s Fountain of Youth program.

He said that the program, which has been operating since 2007, has an important function.

“It’s basically about supporting dance artists under the age of 26 to create new and diverse choreographic voices,” Ferguson said. “It gets the new generation creatively active.”

Funding from the foundation usually comes to points where the community is considering expanding the program, he said.

“The amazing thing about the Victoria Foundation is that they are one of the easiest and most relatable funders to work with,” he said. “They have this mantra: Connect people who care with causes that matter. I really think they hit the nail on the head with this one.

Ferguson said the foundation understands the challenges faced by nonprofits like Suddenly Dance Theater Company.

The foundation’s donations range from about $18,000 to $30,000, he said.

Other funders include the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council and Capital Regional District.

The society puts on as many as four productions a year and has performed at nearly every local venue throughout its long history, Ferguson said.

He said he was a teenager when he helped start the group.

She said she could have gone to Toronto to pursue her passion for dance, but decided to stay where her family and friends were.

“Victoria deserved to have a contemporary dance company,” Ferguson said.

Although the group stages many productions featuring the works of others, “we are fundamentally a creative company,” he said.

“Making art is our focus.”

The troupe has recently been collaborating with dancers in South Korea for a film production.

“We make dance films that are shown at film festivals around the world,” Ferguson said. “Some of our films have been shown on television in Canada.”

He said the films were a way to make the group’s work more widely seen.

Ferguson said the Victoria Foundation also helped with film work and the money it provided went towards the purchase of a video projector.

He said the projector would provide the opportunity to show performances outside, on the street, for example.

Reaching such people in new places is a positive step, Ferguson said.

He said the plan is to do this through the Fountain of Youth program offerings.

“It gives young people the opportunity to interact with the city and be seen immediately, which is very attractive.”

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