So much dance to experience!

DanceHouse is closing its 15th Anniversary season on May 5 and 6 with Dada Masilo (South Africa) in The Sacrifice. With The Sacrifice, Masilo explores the minimalism and connection with nature and animals of Tswana dance through the lens of Pina Bausch’s interpretation of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Masilo, who grew up in South Africa in a Xhosa environment, and rose to the highest heights of European ballet, explores her own origins with her trademark combination of traditional, contemporary, and classical dance. The Sacrifice is an exploration of the pain and suffering humans can inflict on each other. What must we sacrifice? How can we start again differently? Is sacrifice essential for change? On the stage, four musicians and 10 dancers form a community whose humour and rituals make cruelty bearable—just. Check out a teaser video of the work here and a review of the work in the Guardian here. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Tix

Friday, April 7, check out the Clala Dance Project Uchi (work in progress showing)/Kaia Shukin. The evening will feature two contemporary dance works by Clala Dance Project and guest artist Kaia Shukin. Performances followed by light refreshments and drinks! The Beaumont Studios, 7:30 pm Tix. Part of the proceeds will go to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre because we believe that everyone should have a place to call ‘home’.

Wednesday -Saturday, April 12-15, Caroline Shaw and Vanessa Goodman perform their work Graveyards and Gardens, an unforgettable performance installation conceived, created and performed by composer Caroline Shaw and choreographer Vanessa Goodman. Co-presented with Music on Main. A stage is filled with lights and cables, plants and turntables. Things begin an array of sounds—some come from tape decks, some from a record player, some from old Edison wax recordings. This auditory wash slowly diminishes until only one part is left; the energy then shifts, and dance mixes with music until they become one. In partnership with Woodwards Cultural Programs. At the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 7:30 pm. Tix

Thursday-Saturday April 13-15, the Dance Centre Global Dance Connections series presents Hillel Kogan’s We Love Arabs. The work dives into the toughest of questions – how can we co-exist within conflict? Somewhere in Tel Aviv, a Jewish choreographer enlists an Arab dancer to help create a work that will carry a message of peace. But as the work progresses, power struggles ensue; bodies resist control. Skewering choreographic fads, unconscious bias and misplaced good intentions, the piece unfolds as a corrosively funny takedown of politics, ethnic stereotypes, and contemporary dance itself. Hillel Kogan is one of Israel’s most successful choreographers, blending biting political and social commentary with a highly physical movement language, and this award-winning work has been a hit on stages all over the world. Check out a teaser! At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8 pm. Post-show talk back April 14 (French), April 15 (English). Tix

Friday, 14 April, New Works presents MERGE, an evening of dance that will leave you breathless! This one-night-only program features work by Naishi Wang from Toronto, along side new work from Nyla Carpentier and Modus Operandi performing work by Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond. Grab your tickets now! At the Roundhouse Performance Centre, 7:30 pm Note, tickets are priced on sliding scale of $8 – $33 based on a “Pay What It’s Worth” (PWIW) model where you are encouraged to give in gratitude for the perceived value you will receive. Please note, no one will be turned away due to financial need. Learn More & Get Tickets

Last conversations of the New Works Spring series of Share Dance: In Practice are April 23 and April 30. The series fosters broader conversations around teaching as creative practice and is envisioned as a space to hold our collective questions, build a community of colleagues, and activate the conversations that will carry us forward from here. This series is co-led by In Practice Facilitators Lisa Mariko Gelley and Carolina Bergonzoni, alongside guest facilitators, and includes two online conversations, and two in-person conversations. Check out the full schedule of conversations and join us! 3:15-6:15pm | In person at Q7 studios 77 E 7th Ave, Vancouver, BC Learn More & Sign Up

From the Dancer Transition Resource Centre: April 23 You’re invited to Industry Connect Vancouver! – A micro-conference event for emerging dance artists. Welcome to your dance career! Welcome to YOUR community. Guest speaker Marissa Wong, invited artists and community leaders, casual atmosphere, informal conversation. Strengthen your connections with the dance community, cultivate networking skills, build professional contacts and gain valuable career-development advice. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 1 – 4 pm. Registration

At Morrow during the month of May, check out the Asian Heritage Month at Morrow. Expect intimate sharings of poetry, movement, music, film, visual art and interactive offerings of rest and nourishment featuring work by artists Kage, Ziyian Kwan, Alger Ji-Liang, Juolin Lee, Sauha Lee, Anjela Magpantay, Monica Ogden, Joyce Rosario, Sujit Vaidya, Anjalica Solomon, Johnny Trinh and Sarah Wong. Ahmm’s events are at once resistance and celebration, embracing the work of Asian Canadian artists who from a space of community, sing their work to shore. For more info