Diversity in the performing arts took centre stage at UTSC over the weekend, when the group Cultural Pluralism in Performing Arts Movement Ontario hosted a conference at UTSC, with talks, workshops, and performances.
“CPPAMO is a movement of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists working with presenters to empower the performing arts communities of Ontario,” according to the group’s website. UTSC funds the group.
On Friday, a panel of four addressed the triumphs and troubles of staging artistic expressions of diverse communities. The panel was chaired by Kathleen Sharpe, president of Canadian Conference of the Arts. The town hall was followed by a dance solo. Kevin Ormsby’s performance, called “Kashedance,” mixed traditional Afro-Caribbean chorography with contemporary movements and ballet.
“The barriers are not artistic, [they’re] infrastructural,” said Santee Smith, artistic director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. Speaking on the challenge of going mainstream as a Canadian Aboriginal artist, Smith noted inequalities in funding, and lack of access to training, exposure, and networking. “The pressure to conform to preconceived notions of Aboriginal art is also restricting,” she added.
“As a contemporary artist, I carry forward culture. My dance is not folkloric [or] preservation; it is continuity.”
Ajay Heble, artistic director of the Guelph Jazz Festival, talked about “interculturalisation of jazz,” which he defined as artists from different backgrounds coming together to create meaningful music. “Our work is more than programming,” he said. “It is an opportunity to recast histories […] of marginalized people.”
Charles Smith, artistic director of CPPAMO and a lecturer at UTSC, sees encouraging signs on campus. “I am totally amazed that when I walk into a classroom, about 80 per cent of students are of colour,” said Smith. “That changes how we talk about cultural diversity.” He added that students are in touch with their backgrounds and bring their artistic perspectives to UTSC.
Johnny Wu, a third-year arts management student, agreed that UTSC has artists capable of representing diverse backgrounds. “We have the people but we lack space,” he said. “Art needs space to create things.” Wu also said he hopes the north campus instructional centre will provide space for art when the building is completed.
