By Leah Gerstenlauer.

Josh Beamish is on the move — again. The industrious young choreographer, who recently completed a triple-stop teaching tour in South Africa and India, has traveled the world with his work, and will likely circle the globe more than once again before he reaches the age of 30. But this spring, Beamish will stay stateside as he prepares for the premiere of two new pieces created in collaboration with some of North America’s most revered ballet dancers. The road from small-town Canada to a Manhattan rehearsal studio with New York City Ballet principal Wendy Whelan was certainly less than straight. But Beamish seems to embrace the unpredictability of a career that has been surprising much of the dance community — and the choreographer himself — since he was in his teens.

“I started off making almost urban hip-hop influenced contemporary dance pieces,” he relates. “I was young, and I figured this was just a temporary thing — I was going to go dance for Janet Jackson in Los Angeles. But I got my first commission on a ballet company when I was 19, and that work was, at the time, my most well-received piece. It peaked my interest in making more of a focus on ballet.”

Beamish formed MOVE: the company in Vancouver at the age of 17, establishing the perfect forum in which to experiment with different ideas and styles of movement. Though he developed most of his balletic work through external commissions from groups such as Canada’s Ballet Kelowna, the School of American Ballet (in conjunction with the New York Choreographic Institute), and the University of Missouri, Beamish has enjoyed recent opportunities to bring his creations back to MOVE: the company — and to bring the restructured company to its new home base, New York City.

“Originally, I wanted to have a full-time company in Vancouver, to have all the resources to train my dancers every day, and to give them health care and benefits… But I wasn’t given enough grants and support to build that there,” he laments. “So when two projects with Wendy [Whelan] came up, and I got my three-year 0-1 Visa, I elected to put having a full-time company on hold.”

Josh Beamish and Wendy Whelan work together in the studio. Photo courtesy of Josh Beamish.

Today, his group of dancers operates as a rotating collection of guest artists from other companies around the continent. This format allows Beamish to focus more on the creative process and less on the logistics of sustaining a year-round business. Difficult as it was for him to leave behind the city of his professional beginnings and his initial vision for MOVE: the company, he knew that he could not continue to challenge himself and grow as an artist while attempting to provide a consistent sense of stability for his dancers.

Beamish’s latest project, a new full-length ballet called Pierced, brought him into rehearsal studios throughout North America to work with top-tier artists such as Whelan, her fellow NYCB principal Robert Fairchild, Pacific Northwest Ballet principal Carla Korbes, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet principal Jo-Ann Sundermeier. “I’ve been developing this piece since August, 2011, and it’s turning out to be very interesting,” he says of Pierced, which is scheduled to debut at the American Dance Institute in Rockville, Maryland on May 18^th and 19^th. “It’s a full-length ballet with no narrative, and with a movement vocabulary that is juxtaposed against the classical technique of the dancers. In the past couple of years, I’ve figured out how to retain an aesthetic of classical technique while incorporating intricate limb coordination and rhythmic challenges that are usually only seen in contemporary dance.”

The pioneering dance-maker’s creative instincts have proven quite powerful so far, drawing the notice and praise of critics and other artists alike. Whelan showed her appreciation for Beamish’s ingenuity when she invited him to choreograph a pas de deux for her first self-produced show, Restless Creature, set to open at Jacob’s Pillow this August.  This yet to be named piece, which will preview at the Guggenheim on April 14^th and 15^th, will join the creations of three other male choreographers — each enlisted to craft a duet specifically for himself and Whelan — on an international tour to take place over the course of the next two years.

“It’s really exciting to be using her in two very different contexts — classical and contemporary — in my work. It’s quite fun,” he glows. “Of course, when you’re hiring dancers who are under contract with another company, you have to be their second priority. Sometimes, I don’t know if we’re going to rehearse until the day before, but it’s worth it to work with artists of such high caliber.”

For Beamish, it is this “work” — time spent in the studio imagining, experimenting, refining — rather than the presentation of a finished product that propels him through scheduling hurdles and the many other obstacles a freelance career in the arts world inevitably poses. A choreographer to the core, he declares that he “never wanted to be a dancer. It didn’t interest me at all. I like choreographing way more than I like dancing, and I like dancing in the studio a lot more than performing. Many dancers live for being on the stage, but for me, that’s a necessary byproduct of the process in order for people to see what I do.”

With his ever-growing all-star roster of dancers and his endless drive to create, Beamish will undoubtedly have plenty of eyes on his work for years to come.

Photo (top): Josh Beamish. Photo by David Cooper.

By Katherine Moore

Established in 1978 and currently under the direction of Chan Han Goh, the former Prima Ballerina of the National Ballet of Canada, the Goh Ballet Academy is one of the premier dance institutions in Vancouver for ballet. With wide-ranging educational programming and performances, Goh Ballet plays an integral part in Vancouver’s dance scene, as well as in the international ballet community.

Not only does Goh Ballet provide high-caliber, classical ballet training for ages 4 and up, but they also offer educational outreach classes and performances throughout the Vancouver area. These programs help educate and create a solid, family-oriented audience for Goh Ballet’s biggest production of the year, The Nutcracker, which they just presented during the Christmas season.

Artistic Director Goh said, “The Nutcracker is a family-oriented production; we aim to make the show appealing to the whole family. The show is full of classical ballet for dance enthusiasts, heart-warming comedy and acting, and delightful costumes and scenery, so this production really suits all ages.”

Goh Ballet Academy's "The Nutcracker" 2011

In addition to being family-friendly, Goh’s production of The Nutracker is both professional and collaborative. Using over 200 performers of all ages, Goh brings together ballet dancers, gymnasts, magicians, acrobats, ballroom dancers, and even untrained people to create a magical performance with full sets, costumes, and lighting.

This past production, Goh Ballet brought guest dancers Michele Wiles and Corey Stearns from ABT into the mix. Goh felt fortunate to have principal dancers from New York City in their production.

“They bring top-class performance to our stage and inspire our entire performance team, ” she said.

Goh Ballet’s commitment to professionalism and cultural exchange does not end with The Nutcracker. It extends throughout the year with the training of young ballet students, especially through their comprehensive 4-week International Summer Intensive.

Every summer, Goh Ballet attracts diverse students from all over the world, including the USA, China, Japan, and Brazil, in addition to local students in Vancouver and other parts of Canada. While the program focuses primarily on classical ballet technique and partnering, Goh Ballet also believes it is important for dance students to gain exposure to other dance and movement forms, such as contemporary, musical theater, and pilates, in order to succeed in the dance world.

Similarly, Goh Ballet brings in an internationally-renowned faculty to teach during the intensive, making it an alluring program to young dancers. Emily Grace Simpson, a former participant of the summer intensive, said that this, in conjunction with the variety of dance styles taught, was instrumental in her decision to attend the intensive.

“[The] teachers are sought after around the world, and many of them are dancers that students look up to and admire. This inspires young dancers to keep going until they are able to achieve their own dreams,” Simpson said.

Students’ dreams are clearly at the forefront of Goh Ballet’s mission as they educate students in their Academy and the Goh Ballet Youth Company, which just returned from a tour in China. International exposure is a crucial element to a Goh Ballet professional education, and Goh even encourages students to do international exchanges in other programs to gain this experience.

“Our goal is to give students the tools and knowledge to become the best dancers they can be,” said Goh.
 
For students and audiences alike, Goh Ballet supports classical ballet at its best: high-caliber dance performance and training within a culturally-enriched, global community.

Photos: David Cooper Photography, courtesy of the Goh Ballet.