- Expressions 2012: Arts Umbrella Dance Company Season Finale, May 25 at 8 p.m., and May 26 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., at the Vancouver Playhouse. Tickets: $15/$20/$25/$30, phone 604-684-2787 or visit www.ticketstonight.ca. Info: www. artsumbrella.com.
SCOTT Fowler is on his way.
The 18-year-old Deep Cove dancer, a member of The Arts Umbrella Dance Company's senior company, has just been offered an apprenticeship with Ballet BC for their upcoming 2012-2013 season.
"It feels really good for sure," says Fowler, one of six Arts Umbrella dancers who've recently received apprenticeship contracts in professional companies.
Prior to making the move, Fowler is set to take the stage in Expressions 2012: The Arts Umbrella Dance Company Season Finale, May 25 and 26 at the Vancouver Playhouse. The performances, by students in the Arts Umbrella's professional training program and under the artistic direction of Artemis Gordon, will feature choreography by James Kudelka, Aszure Barton, Cherice Barton, Lesley Telford, Stephen Shropshire, Simone Orlando and Wen Wei Wang.
"They've all worked with us throughout the course of the year," says Fowler, who will be featured in all but one of the works on the program.
"The challenge of it will be stamina, and keeping myself going and keeping up my energy, but also being able to switch between the modes of the dances because they all have a lot of intent in them and different moods," he says.
Dance is not just about physical ability as a certain mental state is also required for a work to be effective.
"While I'm changing through costumes, I have to put on a different head for each dance," he says.
Expressions 2012's mix of contemporary dance and ballet, extensive costumes, variety of music and level of professionalism will make it a performance to remember, he says.
Fowler has been studying dance since age nine at Arts Umbrella.
"It was just me and four other guys who started in the first boys-only program with Edmond Kilpatrick, and four out of five of us have made it into the professional world, which is pretty cool," he says.
Fowler entered The Arts Umbrella's professional program at age 11 and has continued to move up the company ranks, maintaining a dedicated dance regime. Some major performances he's been part of over the years include Ballet BC's Peter Pan, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games opening ceremonies, and two local productions of Alberta Ballet's The Nutcracker.
"I think Arts Umbrella is the best school," he says. "I don't think there's any other better school for getting me to the point that I am right now, just in terms of all the shows and experiences I've had, and all the time and work that it's made me put into dance and the challenges it's given me has probably prepared me the best for the upcoming year."
Fowler is looking forward to joining Ballet BC and working with artistic director Emily Molnar.
"I've had her as a director in junior company, in my earlier years," he says. "I've worked with her since I was quite young. Knowing her now and being in a professional company with her as the artistic director is really, really exciting."
