Katherine Kumpula, on a recent visit to Calgary.
For Katherine Kumpula, dance is a “never-ending art.”
“Dance is a multi-dimensional experience [that] encompasses so many of the senses,” said the Toronto-based dancer. “The music, the timing, the visual aspect of everything from the audience’s perspective. Then, there’s the whole story behind it. Exploring all of those is such a multi-faceted experience.”
Kumpula started dancing at the age of three, beginning with classical ballet. As the years went on, the dancer, intrigued by the abstract, pushed towards contemporary dance. Kumpula attributes the shift in styles to her growing into her own as a dancer.
“Behind dance there is always the technique, and that’s what everyone starts with because you need the foundation in order to progress,” explained Kumpula. “The early years are often…technique-based. You spend a long time building your technique.”
“As you get older, you get to experiment with things…the creativity came out a lot more as I got older. Thinking about a piece of dance as a full thing onto itself beyond its technique.”
Today, Kumpula applies what she has learned over the years with Silhouettes Dance Company.
Founded in 2002 by Caryl Mostacho and Alesia Kachur, Silhouettes Dance Company is a performance-based dance troupe at the University of Toronto that performs several times over the year, ending its season with an annual showcase. The company adheres to values that promote a positive learning environment where both new and seasoned dancers can learn from one another.
“It’s choreography that’s made by the company members,” said Kumpula about Silhouettes Dance Company. “It is a space where there isn’t really a ton of restriction on the kind of choreography you can make. It’s a free space for people to experiment with different ideas.”
Katherine Kumpula, “The Nights,” Silhouettes Dance (2015). Photo Credit: John Yelinek.
Last year, she choreographed a piece for the company that explored the dancer’s quest for perfection. It is an experience dancers know all too well, says Kumpula.
“The quest for perfection and how you’ve got this ideal you are working towards, but you’ll never quite get there. That’s a very angst-filled experience, and it’s a very emotional experience for a lot of dancers…because you’re always trying to fit this ideal which is essentially impossible to fit. By the very nature of it, it will never be perfect, but there is a big pressure with how demanding dance is to be perfect.”
But these days, dance is more an escape for Kumpula than something that causes her stress.
“[Dance] is very therapeutic. It’s therapeutic for me to have that [creative] outlet and to do something totally different than what I am doing the rest of the time,” said Kumpula who works at the hospital as a nurse.
Kumpula says dance is important too for the social connection, connecting with those who have a wide-variety of interests and, at the same time, want to keep their passion for dance alive. And though her journey through dance has seen many changes over the years, Kumpula’s passion for dance has been constant.
After all, dance is never-ending.
For more information about Silhouettes Dance Company, visit: http://silhouettes.sa.utoronto.ca/
Joyful Magpies 