NBS Students Shine in Jera Wolfe's "Arise" at Fall For Dance North

Congratulations to all 146 students who performed in Jera Wolfe’s Arise at the Fall for Dance North Festival last month! Arise was part of FFDN's mixed Signature Programme, presented alongside Softly Losing, Softly Gaining by Dianne Montgomery, Kau Hea A Hiiaka by Kaleo Trinidad and Zipangu, a short film by NBS Alum Michael Greyeyes. With three performances at Meridian Hall, which seats 3191 people, this event allowed thousands of members of the public to see our young dancers shine.

The reception of the performances was overwhelmingly positive, receiving standing ovations and rave reviews from audience members. Arise explores how collaboration and support for one another enables us to rise up and face challenges in our lives, and our students truly embodied this theme throughout the process of preparing for these performances—from Arise's world premiere at NBS' Spring Showcase in 2019, to the stage at this year's FFDN. We are proud that NBS students had the opportunity to present this powerful work and share their talent and passion with such a wide audience.

“Some of the smallest dancers from the first production are now the leads...I think that speaks to the work that the students do and how diligent and motivated they are. These dancers from day one have been such an incredible group to work with. It’s been such a blessing, I feel like I’m the luckiest choreographer.” - Jera Wolfe, speaking to the Globe and Mail

Read more about Jera Wolfe's journey with dance and the process behind Arise in this Globe and Mail feature.





Photos courtesy of Fall for Dance North, by Bruce Zinger.