LAMONDANCE - VANCOUVER
Davi Rodrigues has been with Lamondance since its inception in 2008, serving as both a dancer and guest choreographer. In 2009, Lara Barclay and Mônica Proença invited him to join the directorship of the program as well as to become a resident choreographer. Today, Davi is the Artistic Director of the company.
Lamondance is a unique training and performance dance company founded in Vancouver in 2009 by Lara Barclay and Mônica Proença. It is dedicated to training aspiring young dancers who aim for professional careers in dance. By exposing students to a range of choreographic experiences, Lamondance provides a supportive environment where their potential can be fully explored. The program aims to create “thinking dancers” who can apply their knowledge, commitment, versatility, and skill. It allows them to embrace and experience the daily life of a professional dancer.
Former Lamondancers have gone on to join international companies in Brazil, Germany, and Austria, such as São Paulo Cia de Dança, Divinadança São Paulo, Theatre Nordhausen, Theater Osnabrück, Halle Opera House, Grazer Oper, among others. In 2010, Lamondance performed in the closing gala for the TansArt Festival in Nordhausen, Germany. The company has also had the pleasure of bringing three full evening works to Brazil in 2008, 2010, and 2013, performing “Red,” “You, Me and Them,” and “Human.”
Along with guest instructors and choreographers, this collaboration provides an enriching experience that makes Lamondance a unique and distinguished dance program in Vancouver.
Cia Criatividança was a project that lasted 16 years, directed and choreographed by David Rodrigues. The company was established in Brasília and was present in other cities in Brazil. The work of the company was known for its boldness and creativity. The company never had a permanent venue. In the final years of operation, Criatividança was established within the Universidade Católica de Brasília (UCB) as part of the project "Culture on Campus." During its 16 years, the company created eight shows with a unique identity, which were presented to thousands of people, as well as several choreographies for festivals and events to which the company was invited to perform.
Concerned with social issues, the artistic director of the company, Davi Rodrigues, allowed audience members to receive a 50% discount on tickets if they donated nonperishable food. This initiative enabled the company to bring dance to all levels of society and helped institutions and nursing homes by donating the food collected during the shows.
Without any funding, the company survived through the dedication and love for art from the director, dancers, and volunteers. Criatividança received recognition for its work throughout Brazil and in the cities of Bogotá and Madrid, Spain, where they were invited to perform at the Contemporary Dance Festival promoted by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Additionally, some of their repertoire was reassembled in Vancouver, Canada. The company concluded its work when artistic director and choreographer Davi Rodrigues moved to Vancouver in 2008, where he has lived since.
In 2009 the company got reunited to perform "Bambula - A Love story".