From the journey we’ve shared and cultivated since 2020, the relationship built on sharing, caring, and trust has been one of the greatest rewards during the pandemic. The continuing meetings have forged a solid foundation of trust. It’s unbelievable that it took three years of waiting to finally meet some friends I’ve known for years in person. Along the way, there was companionship and sharing amidst the initial difficulties of the pandemic. I still remember Taiwan’s situation back then – almost no pandemic, no lock-downs, and everything was going as usual. There was a sense of pride and enthusiasm domestically, with unprecedented prosperity in domestic tourism. Meanwhile, Canada had various preventive measures like lock-downs and quarantines. Suddenly, we were under Level 3 alert, while Canada’s situation eased and opened up.
In the face of the pandemic’s realities, both governments have provided support and assistance to various industries. Whether effective or not, immediate or futuristic, all were aimed to pave the way for a brighter post-pandemic future. It seems like everything during the pandemic was just a transitional phase, and we’re ready to push further beyond it.
Day after day, each day feels like it’s been ages since the last. My schedule is packed with events happening in various dance and theater venues across Toronto.
Many times of self-introductions every day. While listening to others’ introductions and understanding my place within the community, I have developed different versions of introducing myself.
What I’ve observed is that in this community of performance and dance, there’s a mutual passion and support for one and another that sets it apart from mainstream markets and curatorial directions.
There’s a greater emphasis on mutual care within this ecosystem, and a concerted effort to support minority groups. Sometimes it’s collective, sometimes individually, as we strive to find our own voices. It’s all about how you see yourself.
It’s more about deeply engaging, performers experiencing, rather than comparing who’s doing something newer or better. It’s all about experimentation.
In the day-to-day hustle, with other participating artists, we delve into the core and fringes of the performing arts community. Through their sharing of their own artistic communities, we’ve gained access to a realm that’s both central and peripheral. What’s striking about this group is that they’re not just practitioners within the same circle of art. They demonstrate a greater bravery, contemporary relevance, and a heightened sense of social responsibility in their artistic endeavors.
Gratitude, love, and sharing seem to be clear defining traits. Due to scarce resources, different roles within the artistic environment consciously share their resources, cherishing the opportunity for their voices to be heard and listening to others. There’s a shared resource pool and a breaking down of boundaries, or rather, a permeation and fluidity.
From large institutions to community arts, the communities formed within them blend and intermingle with each other.
“The most impressive aspect was the opportunity for collaboration and the potential for reuse in the spaces we visited. Many of the art institutions we explored were multifunctional, undergoing conscious transformations within existing spaces, thereby preserving their historical significance.
The practice of land acknowledgment before performances was particularly noteworthy. It involved the organizers or artists paying respects to the local history of the area, prompting us to reflect on our relationship with the land and each other throughout history. It served as a reminder of our transient existence in the grand narrative of time.”