Performing in her hometown

NICOLE NOZICK

At the young age of 21, Rebecca Margolick is living the dream. The Vancouver-born-and-bred freelance dancer and member of the Sidra Bell Dance Company currently calls New York home, having moved there in 2009 to attend New York University’s bachelor of fine arts dance program. This month, Margolick returns to her hometown to participate in Chutzpah! The Lisa Nemetz International Showcase of Jewish Performing Arts, where she will grace the stage in two very different productions: a new piece by Sidra Bell, Nudity, and Barak Marshall’s eight-minute duet, Zion.

“There are five of us in Sidra’s Company,” Margolick told the Independent in an e-mail interview. “We began working on Nudity this past August ... and it was a very intimate rehearsal process. Nudity is a very emotional and vulnerable piece, and I attribute that to the safety and freedom Sidra gives us to explore and, in return, we put our trust in her.

“Barak Marshall’s process was very different,” continued Margolick, explaining that Marshall created Zion in 1999, and hadn’t touched the work since. “We had a week together with him and the incredible Lara Barclay to put it together again. Working with Barak has been really fun and a wonderful challenge because of the short amount of time we had to learn very intricate, fast and wonderfully detailed choreography. I’ll be performing with James Gnam, an established and incredibly talented dancer/choreographer in the city. I’ll admit that, before the process started, I was very nervous about working with such established artists. However, as soon as we were all in the studio together, that went away for me. Barak, Lara and James were so welcoming, easy going and just amazing to work with.”

Margolick has been dancing all her life, training at Arts Umbrella from the age of six until she was 18.

“I have always wanted to be a dancer – I simply can’t imagine my life without it. It was always about the joy of moving,” she recalled. “I think back to being young and running around the studio, bouncing off the walls and not caring what anyone else is thinking ... this is something I try not to lose sight of as I’ve gotten older.... I love how [dance] feels and how it makes others feel. It’s universal and essential to society, now more than ever. If you look at different cultures in the world and all their dances, it’s about expression, community, spirituality.... Most importantly, it’s about coming together.... As a dancer, no matter where, you need to be flexible and open to change, and that’s what I love about my job. I love trying to move differently, or having to find something new in you and bring it out. I really like to observe and listen to what people are showing and saying to me; honesty in the studio is also very important to me.

“Music is a huge part of my life as well,” she added, noting, “I’m almost always dancing in my head whenever I’m listening to music. It often goes too far, when I suddenly notice I’m twitching in my seat on the subway and the person across from me is staring.”

Margolick’s mother, Mary-Louise Albert, is the artistic and managing director of the Chutzpah! Festival. Albert is a highly regarded former professional dancer, as are other members of Margolick’s family. “Between my mom and both my aunts being very successful dancers, I’m not at all surprised [that dance has] found its way into my life,” said Margolick. “My mother’s background in dance has helped me feel secure in accepting dance as a career.... Most importantly, she understands the struggle but also the reward of doing what you love. My parents have always supported my choice to become a dancer, which is something I’m ever grateful for. They also sacrificed a lot to send me to NYU, so that says a lot.”

Albert is understandably proud of her daughter’s achievements and delighted to be hosting her at Chutzpah! “It is very special to have Rebecca in this year’s festival,” Albert told the Independent, also highlighting the number of other talented local and international dancers and choreographers participating in the festival. With regard to the former, Albert noted, “All of this year’s dance shows are in honor of the late Lisa Nemetz, who was a beautiful local dancer, and to remind us all of this through our 2013 dance programming, as we have many local dancers participating this year.

“And, of course, having Rebecca performing is a treat,” Albert admitted. “She is a testament to hard work and dedication and has an understanding of professionalism and humility beyond her years.... I am very proud and very blessed.”

Margolick is thrilled to be performing in her hometown. “This will be my first time performing professionally [in Vancouver]. I’m very excited.... The dance scene here is definitely growing. There are a lot of new faces, young talent popping up.... [Vancouver] has a lot to offer.... I’m also looking forward to showing off the city to the other dancers. We get to be here for a week before our show, and I know everyone is really looking forward to being here.”

While Margolick loves Vancouver (“I think about those mountains almost every day”), New York has many more professional opportunities and learning experiences for the young dancer.

“My favorite thing about living [in New York] is the options this city has to offer and the freedom that comes along with those options. Of course, it’s difficult leading the unpredictable life of a dancer, but I think this is the perfect city for it. I can take class anytime I want, I can easily explore other styles and other art forms. The sheer volume of art and culture in this city keeps you inspired and never bored.... If I do feel like I’m in a stasis, I know it’s just because I’m not exploring enough. I love [New York] because it’s full of wonderfully crazy people, and it gives you freedom to express yourself however you choose. I rarely feel judged here.”

Nicole Nozick is a Vancouver freelance writer and director of the Cherie Smith JCCGV Jewish Book Festival.

Dance at Chutzpah!

The Chutzpah! Festival opens Thursday, Feb. 7, 8 p.m., at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre with Lesley Telford and Itzik Galili in works featuring a world and a Canadian première, respectively: Brittle Failure by Vancouver-born Telford with Japanese scenographer Yoko Seyama and When You See God ... Tell Him by Israeli choreographer Galili. Filling out the program is new and remounted work by Vancouver’s The 605 Collective in their first Chutzpah! appearance.

There are two other Telford-Galili-605 Collective shows during the festival (Feb. 9, 9 p.m.; and Feb. 10, 7 p.m., with post-show talkback), which also features music, theatre and comedy performances.

Regarding the other dance offerings, AMP features Canadian premières from New York choreographer Sidra Bell and Benjamin Levy of San Francisco-based LEVYdance, with shows on Feb. 16 and 18, 8 p.m., and Feb. 17, 7 p.m., which has a talkback post-show.

And, returning to the festival after highly successful shows at 2011 Chutzpah! is Israel’s Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, on Feb. 20-21, 8 p.m.; Feb. 23, 8 p.m., with a talkback; and Feb. 24, 2 p.m. Their 2013 show opens with Zion, created originally for the Batsheva Ensemble by Israeli American choreographer Barak Marshall, remounted with Vancouver’s James Gnam and Rebecca Margolick.

Tickets for Chutzpah! can be purchased online at chutzpahfestival.com and ticketstonight.ca, by phone at the Chutzpah! box office (604-257-5145) or Tickets Tonight (604-684-2787), or in person at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.

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