What the press says:
“She is the strength; she is the sinew, the presence. Her tenacity fills the room and she is tough to the core.”
Photo: Claire French
Sjahari Hollands, Plank Magazine, November 26, 2008 www.plankmagazine.ca
As an interpreter I am inspired by theatricality and somatic techniques that allow me to tap into a greater sense of presence, honesty and awareness in my work. As a performer I use improvisation as a way into being present on stage, and engaging consistently at a high level of curiosity with the present moment. As a creator I have a passion and commitment to create multidisciplinary dance works that provoke questions, connect people, and push the nature of dance making.
An independent dance artist based in Vancouver since 2005, Laura Hicks is actively working in the realms of interpretation, creation, collaboration, and facilitation. Laura is a performer with strong interests in dancetheatre, improvisation, contact improvisation and multidisciplinary work.
Laura graduated from Claude Watson School for the Arts and the Toronto Ballet Ensemble Professional School in Toronto. She went on to study dance at the University of Calgary and the Alberta School of Ballet and she began her professional career working in Montreal for a small company called Eluzion in 2004. She then moved to Vancouver where she graduated from Main Dance Bridging Program in 2005. Since 2005 Laura has focused her professional development on somatic, improvisation, and theatrical techniques. She has studied intesively with Peter Bingham (contact improvisation), Helen Walkley (Laban Bartinieff Fundamentals), and Linda Putnam (Growtowsky) among others.
Most recently Laura was seen performing in Vancouver’s Dancing on the Edge Festival, Dance in Vancouver, the EDAM studio series, Nanaimo’s Crimsom Coast, and ROMP! Victoria’s Festival of Independent Dance.
Laura has worked with: Daelik, Delia Brett, Claire French, Sara Coffin, Jennifer Clarke, Julie Lebel, Justine Chambers, Chick Snipper, Kathleen McDonagh, Dana Gingras, Karen Jamieson, Day Helesic, and Peter Bingham. Also interested in her own creative research and choreography, Laura has been an artist in residence with The Dance Centre, The Sunshine Coast, and Myriad Dance Projects in Smithers, BC. Her work has been presented at Vancouver’s Dancing on the Edge Festival, 12 Min Max, In the House Festival, and View New (Maindance Performance Series), and Dance Matters (Toronto.)
Laura founded the improvisation collective ‘No Hitting’ with Jennifer Clarke in 2009 and continued to organize the group’s performances throughout 2010 bringing some of the city’s most intriguing musicians and dancers into Vancouver galleries and public spaces.
In 2007/ 08 Laura was an intern with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, based in Washington DC. Laura teaches their creation methods with an emphasis on accessibility; offering dance to movers from all walks of life. From seniors, to professionals Laura believes that supportive environments promote creative success. She is the founder of Vancouver’s Critical Response Artist Series, facilitating and sharing Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process for dialogue and feedback with participating artists and audiences.
Laura was able to travel to Europe in the summer of 2010 to attend the Impulstanz International dance festival where she worked and performed with Davis Freeman, artistic director of Random Scream, Brussels.
Laura has been an independent artist supported by the BC Arts Council and the Canada Council of the Arts since 2007. She is also the recipient of the Holy Body Tattoo Award (2009).
Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in International Development Studies and Comparative Politics and is also a fully certified instructor of the Pilates method.
