Christa, Susan and me in the foreground circa 2003 / Photo by Rhya Tamasauskas

I have these two incredible friends, Susan and Christa. I met Susan a million years ago in dance school, where we took it upon ourselves to educate Whistler snowboarders about the wonders of contemporary dance. I met Christa through Susan just before the snowboarding education project, and then again when I arrived in Vancouver, mystified by how much it rained, and more mystified that the skirt I had sewn out of pillowcases was see-through from the rainy bike ride over. Sigh, so long ago…

I have known these brilliantly creative and driven women for over a decade (!) and this year, we are celebrating the first anniversary of our strange and magical editing collective, the Virtual Editing Group, more affectionately known as the Veggie Vag (more on the nomenclature here…!)

They are my own personal cheerleading team, astute editors, creative comrades and dear friends. They pick me up and dust me off when I need it, tell me to put my big girl pants on when I need it and hold my heart for me when it’s too heavy to carry myself. And they edit the shit out of my grants. God bless their track changes!!

We’ve even hired (and by hired, I might mean collectively imagined!) an assistant – Dane, who knows exactly when you need an almond milk latte, and just how to pour the perfect amount of go-get-em-tiger scotch. He makes sure grants go out on time. He’s a miracle worker, that Dane. (And he’s on twitter…!!)

Susan has written the most wonderful Ode to the Ladies of the VV. It made me teary and pee my pants laughing. It is the most wonderful collaborative creation, keeping us tight despite the too many kilometres and busy-ness that creeps in.

Three cheers to dear friends and fiercely creative souls. Kindred spirits indeed!

Long live the VV!

I love words. And I love embroidering. So when my favourite almost-four-year-old started writing his name for the first time, I knew I had to commemorate the event.

The mom of said name-writing-four-year-old and I have known each other since the good ol’ days of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre – that would be 14 years ago (wha?!?) – and she’s been blogging up a storm.

Susan Kendal and Lindsay Zier-Vogel showing off the costume dolls just before the premiere of our work Edith and Eliza, part of the Series 8:08 Season Finale, May 2006. Photo: Andrea Roberts.

I had forgotten about all of our choreographic and crafty shenanigans and it was so much fun to revisit my very first piece of professional choreography (I still wear one of those dresses!) and the costume dolls she made to commemorate what would be my last piece of choreography. Oh, the memories…!

ps: don’t we look so wee in that pic?!

I am so, so excited to be a part of the newest edition of Branch magazine. It’s one incredible publication! Rhya and I collaborated on a submission – integrating poems (mine) and illustrations (hers). It was such an inspiring process and we are thrilled to bits to be included with such incredible writers and artists (including Susan Musgrave!!)

Peter Chu of Kidd Pivot in a dress rehearsal of "Dark Matters" / Photo by Christopher Duggan

I’ve seen heaps of dance in my time, but a few weeks ago, I saw one of the most incredible shows I’ve ever seen. It actually took my breath away the moment before the lights came up for intermission, and it took me at least half of intermission to get it back. And I had full body goosebumps through most of the second half. Truly stunning.

It was “Dark Matters” created by Crystal Pite, and performed by her company, Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM.

Though I love words, dance and words are a tricky combo – there’s something so language-defying about movement. Especially movement that is as visceral and powerful as Crystal Pite’s work.

I have pages of scribblings I did in the dark during the show, but none of them really matter. For two hours, it felt like we were witnessing someone’s imagination at work.

It was masterful choreographically. It was both so highly physical and so very narrative (does it get much better than that?!?)

The set was so fully realized – and had moving parts (rare in the Canadian contemporary dance world, it seems!) I wasn’t completely sold on all of costumes (crushed velvet pants? really?) but oh, the puppet in the first act was brilliantly rendered. This non-human creature was so physically articulate.

I am still thinking about what makes an inanimate object move human-ly (the tilt of the head, the articulation of a foot, stepping), and what makes a human move like a puppet (the initiation of movement, followed by suspension, and the collapsing of the backs of the knees…)

It felt like an honour to witness that piece. Really and truly.

(And you can watch a bit of it here!)