Hannah Drover – Kittiwake RBC Emerging Choreographer in Residence
Headshot by Stacey McDonald; All other photos by emerging photographer Brandon Bennett-Ryan.
October 7, 2021 – Guest Choreographer Session
One of the features of the RBC-Kittiwake Emerging Choreographer-in-Residence Program is the opportunity for Hannah to connect with guest choreographer mentors. Dance artist and educator, Syreeta Hector, of Toronto, is the first. Syreeta was in St. John’s for Neighbourhood Dance Works’ 30th annual Festival of New Dance, in which she performed her “Black Ballerina” solo creation. Hannah attended one of Syreeta’s open workshops and then the two got together one-on-one to discuss creation processes, techniques, tips and for Syreeta to share some of her career experiences.
September 22, 2021 – Music Selection
Hannah and Martin spent some time today with Kittiwake’s Music Consultant, Vernon Regehr who is on faculty at Memorial University’s School of Music, where he conducts the School’s chamber orchestra. The three discussed the pieces that the orchestra will learn and perform throughout this academic year. After a thorough review of all the works and with advice from Martin, Hannah has selected the piece that she will use for creating her new dance work.
July 26, 2021 – Program Launch
Kittiwake’s Artistic Director and primary choreographer will serve as the main mentor for the Emerging Choreographer program. He and Hannah will spend a couple of hours together weekly, sharing ideas and approaches and creation goals. Martin has more than twenty choreographic credits to his name, dating back twenty years, including twelve works set on Kittiwake dancers. He remains the only creator of full-length story ballets in Newfoundland and Labrador and he is happy to share his experiences with Hannah. (Photo credit: Brandon Bennett-Ryan)
July 10, 2021 – Announcement
Through a generous gift from The RBC Foundation, Kittiwake has established the RBC Emerging Choreographer program. The RBC Emerging Artists Project is a multi-year funding commitment dedicated to supporting the careers and development of emerging artists, through mentoring programs, education, and providing access and exposure to new audiences. We are very happy to announce that Hannah Drover will be the inaugural Emerging Choreographer in Residence for Kittiwake Dance Theatre. Over the next ten months, Hannah will engage in mentoring with at least four established choreographers – some living here and some coming from the mainland. She will create a new dance piece in this time, which will be set to music that is being learned by the School of Music at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The premiere will be in the spring of 2022 with members of the chamber orchestra performing and of course, Kittiwake dancers. On behalf of Kittiwake, a big thank you to the RBC Foundation.