About Arts Umbrella Dance Company
Sophisticated, dedicated, and inspired. The Arts Umbrella Dance Company (AUDC) is a pre-professional repertory company based in Vancouver, BC. The company rehearses and performs new, innovative works by leading North American and European choreographers.
AUDC consists of more than 60 dancers, select members of the Arts Umbrella Professional Training Program and Post-Secondary Programs. These dancers train, rehearse, and perform in two ensembles: Senior (Ages 16-22) and Apprentice (Ages 12-16).
Our broad-based performance and touring opportunities, along with rigorous technical training, prepares AUDC members for dance education at the university level or a career with professional dance companies. Dancers from AUDC are lauded for their professionalism and dedication, going on to join companies across North America and Europe, including Ballet BC, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (New York City), Noord Nederlandse Dans, and Dresden Semperoper Ballet.
What is most extraordinary about the Arts Umbrella Dance Company is the roster of international choreographers that come to Vancouver to create new works on the dancers. This insight of the work that is being done on the international stage is rare, even for most professional companies, and yet is being brought to Vancouver and presented by our company. The caliber of the performance is applauded by dance artists from around the world.
—Artemis Gordon, Artistic Director
World-Renowned Choreographers
AUDC performs work by world-renowned choreographers such as James Kudelka, Crystal Pite, Emily Molnar, Sharon Eyal, Johan Inger, Tom Weinberger, Cayetano Soto, Lesley Telford, and Aszure Barton, among many others.
Artistic Director Artemis Gordon, along with the Arts Umbrella Dance faculty and guest artists and choreographers, instill a sense of commitment, discipline, and creativity in the dancers.
I appreciate that many of our visiting artists and choreographers have a very strong balletic base, but are doing something completely innovative, cutting edge, and exciting. At Arts Umbrella we do not delineate between a classical ballet dancer and a modern dancer. Instead, we are trying to create a hybrid that takes the best of both forms and creates something unique.
—Artemis Gordon, Artistic Director
Performances and Tours
AUDC performs across Metro Vancouver throughout the season, culminating in Season Finale each May – three extraordinary performances at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre.
The company has also toured to Montreal, Toronto, New York, Japan, and Holland and participated in exchanges and collaborations with groups such as Yokohama Ballet in Japan, Noord Nederlandse Dans Studio Group in the Netherlands, Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble, and École supérieure de ballet contemporain de Montréal.
Arts Umbrella Dance Company is supported by:
