Skye Rogers (STAC ’22) has found her momentum as a creator and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture Certificate graduate will inspire audiences as a Creative in Residence alongside creative collaborator Vik Mudge during the 2024 Ontario Culture Days Festival.
An annual celebration of arts, culture and heritage, the Ontario Culture Days Festival includes more than 1,000 free, hands-on events in communities across the province from Friday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Oct. 13.
Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture graduate Skye Rogers (STAC ’22).
This year, St. Catharines is a Festival Hub and will feature Rogers and Mudge, dance artists and co-founders of retrograde: dance in motion.
The duo will work with dancers of all abilities to create community-generated choreography with their project Composing Community.
The project includes two public creation workshops on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22 at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and a performance showcase on Oct. 13 at Niagara Artists Centre (NAC) in downtown St. Catharines.
Rogers said she learned how to create cultural programming on her own — a huge strength for her as an artist — during her time at Brock.
“Suddenly, I could create opportunities for myself and fellow artists in my community to grow in our practice and strengthen the cultural scope where we live,” Rogers said.
With a background in performing arts, Rogers came to study at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) with an interest in art history and a desire to learn more about behind-the-scenes arts management.
The classes Rogers took as part of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) Certificate program still influence her work today by providing her the skills and knowledge to envision and execute innovative, creative programming.
At MIWSFPA, Rogers also gained valuable insight in how to prepare and write grants, a skill that she said unlocked a whole new world for her. After graduation and prior to Ontario Culture Days, Rogers applied for a grant to bring her dance in community workshop series ideas to life.
“Just like that, I was producing Dance and Movement Days for the St. Catharines community and making my dreams a reality,” Rogers said.
Dance artist and instructor Vik Mudge.
Recognizing the success of Rogers’ workshop series, Rogers and Mudge formed a creative collaboration to continue building an emerging creative community of people united by a curiosity to explore ideas through movement.
“I had a sense there are more people interested in this type of work, which is how we conceived of our Culture Days community-driven workshops and performance. It’s only just the start of this quickly blossoming community of movement lovers,” Rogers said.
Mudge, a trans non-binary dance artist, choreographer and instructor in St. Catharines, said the pair prides themselves on making dance accessible to everyone.
“Through this project, we are bringing together a diverse group of people — from different generations, different backgrounds — to activate community spaces and diversify what it means to be a dancer while giving people the chance to perform and create,” Mudge said.
Other Ontario Culture Days events offered by the MIWSFPA include the Walker Cultural Leader Series workshops and exhibition featuring Camille Turner and a “Dia de los Muertos” Mexican Arts and Crafts Workshop presented by the Department of Visual Arts.
For a full listing of events and registration, please visit the Ontario Culture Days events website.