April 27, 2007 -

Tickets on Sale May 3rd 2007

OTTAWA, ON -- The Canada Dance Festival (CDF) is proud to announce that Montreal's Rubberbandance Group (RBDG) is set to ignite the spirit of HIP HOP 360 – a national hip hop convergence where the street meets the stage – with its performance on June 20th, 2007. RBDG is renowned for its ability to fuse the urban energetic chaos of bboying (breakdancing) together with the disciplined technique of contemporary ballet. The intricate balance between both ingredients culminates in a perfect union of street and stage performance.

The artistic choice to produce an event like HIP HOP 360 moves the CDF out of familiar waters. Artistic Director, Brian Webb, is passionately determined to promote and celebrate the place of bboying/bgirling in the contemporary dance repertoire. Presenting RBDG as the event's headliner underscores the degree to which the bboy/hip hop movement influences today's world of contemporary dance.

RBDG's Artistic Director and Choreographer, Victor Quijada, studied classical dance technique under some of the most prestigious mentors and institutions in North America, including Twyla Tharp, Eliot Feld and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. However, the centre of his movement is deeply rooted in street dance. What sets Quijada apart as an artist and a revolutionary is his ability to blend together ballet and bboying in an examination of artistic convention and human interaction. RBDG's worldly reputation and countless awards prove that the boundaries and stereotypes it challenges were meant to be stretched.

Rubberbandance Group last appeared at the National Arts Centre to a sold out audience during the 2006 Canada Dance Festival. This year, on Wednesday, June 20th, audiences will be rocked by the dynamic physicality of breakdance while simultaneously experiencing the hypnotic grace of ballet as the company performs Elastic Perspective. The Canada Dance Festival is excited to have Rubberbandance Group serve as the artistic bridge for HIP HOP 360, uniting aficionados of concert dance with the street culture that will be celebrated at the National Arts Centre and on the streets of Ottawa and Gatineau during the rest of the week.

"Quijada will try anything – and succeed!"
"…breakdance and ballet together in pure ebullience…"
Victor Swoboda, The Gazette

"A fascinating work, marrying the hair-trigger responses and edgy demeanor of Quijada's breakdance roots with the poise and theatricality of his subsequent contemporary and ballet careers."
Ellie Carr, Dance Europe

Rubberbandance Group History

Rubberbandance Group is a collection of world-class dancers from contemporary and breakdance backgrounds that unite to investigate human relationships through an innovative mix of hip hop dynamics and contemporary classicism. Presenting choreographic works that affect and engage the audience, this extraordinary group articulates the perfect marriage between explosive hip hop physicality and the subtle profoundness of contemporary storytelling. A combination of the narrative, the spectacular, and freedom of breakdance, with the abstraction, nuances, and technique of contemporary dance result in a true hybrid of dance forms.

Since its inception, RBDG has been a sought-after guest at both Hip Hop and Contemporary dance festivals throughout North America, Europe, and recently in Japan as a Canadian representative at EXPO 2005. A well-known member of the Montreal dance community and resident company (2003/2004) of Usine C, Rubberbandance Group is best known for the innovative site-specific work Slicing Static (Best Dance Production of 2004 – Hour Montreal). Other highlights from 2004 include performances at the Fall for Dance Festival at City Center in New York, Breakin' Convention at Sadler's Wells in London, ACT Festival '04 at the Rotterdamse Schouwsberg in Holland, and URB Festivaali at Kiasma in Helsinki, Finland.

RBDG made its official debut at Espace Tangente in May 2002 with Tender Loving Care (winner - Printemps de la Danse), and returned to Tangente later that Fall with Hasta La Proxima (Best Dance Performance of 2002 – La Presse), and returned once again in March 2003 with the full evening work Metabolism. Rubberbandance performed at New York City Central Park Summerstage 2002 and 2003, and at the Hip Hop Theater Festivals in New York, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. RBDG has toured throughout Québec with Elastic Perspective (winner - Prix Coup de Pouce - Vue Sur La Reléve 2003), and across Canada with Reflections on Movement Particles which was created in residency at Danse En Vol Festival in Brussels and commissioned by the CanDance Exchange Tour. RBDG has been featured in several music videos, documentaries, television specials, and also produced the film adaptation of Hasta La Proxima (finalist - 2004 American Choreography Awards /Short Film).

Rubberbandance Group performs in the Theatre of the National Arts Centre on Wednesday June 20 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets on sale May 3rd 2007. Tickets are $37.50/$42.50 for adults and $22.50 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Receive a $5 discount for tickets purchased before May 19th. Packages of all four HIP HOP 360 shows (including Rubberbandance) are available at a 20% discount exclusively at the NAC box office on May 3rd 2007. Tickets are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at (613) 755-1111 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca

For additional information, visit the Canada Dance Festival website at www.canadadance.ca

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Media Relations
Jamie Hodgins,
613.947.7000, ext. 743
jhodgins@nac-cna.ca

Canada Dance Festival
P.O. Box 1376, Station B
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5R4

Victor Quijada
Artistic Director and Choreographer

The remarkable path of Artistic Director / Choreographer Victor Quijada began in the Hip Hop clubs of Los Angeles. His introduction to formal dance and theatre at L.A. County High School for the Arts brought questions concerning the possibilities and potential of the Hip Hop art form. A protégé of Judson Church pioneer Rudy Perez, Quijada adapted post modernism to his Hip Hop ideals. During three years of working with dance icon Twyla Tharp, he applied choreographic know-how to those ideals. Strongly attracted to the classical ballet technique, he worked with Eliot Feld and later joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, experiences that further influenced and re-shaped his long-standing relationship with Hip Hop. In 2002, after years of exploring dance and theatre from urban, classical and contemporary angles, he formed Rubberbandance Group. His work with RBDG examines humanity and human relationships through a unique fusion of these dance and theater styles.

In 2003 Quijada received both the Bonnie Bird North American Award and the Peter Darrell Choreography Award (UK). He has created work for Peter Boal & Company (NYC), Transitions Dance Company (London), Chamber Dance Project (NYC), and notably Self Observation Without Judgement for Scottish Dance Theatre, which won the 2004 National Dance Award for Best Modern Repertory. A finalist in the 2004 American Choreography Awards for Hasta La Proxima, his work was also featured in the K-OS music video Man I Used To Be, which won the 2005 Much Music Video Award for Best Rap Video.