Photo Credit: Jason Kirkness (Voirelia)

Spring 2020

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May 11th | The Dance Centre | 7PM | Vancouver - postponed

Open Stage
Dracula’s Garden Series (A sharing of two dance poems: The Veiled Portrait + The Graeae).
Voirelia: Psychology, Philosophy and Dance Hub
Choreographers: Alina Sotskova (The Veiled Portrait) + Rachel Helten (The Graeae).
​Dancers: Alina Sotskova, Rachel Helten + Kestrel Paton

"This series includes brief dance poems by different choreographers. The series draws inspiration from Gothic literature. The Gothic themes, images, and personages are used to critically explore our relationship with beauty, particularly beauty standards in contemporary dance history, traditions, and their effect on the psychology of dancers. This project is presently funded by Voirelia, but you can help us move it along and help us in our mission of ensuring that all artists we work with are paid fair wages for the hard work they do. Check out different ways to support Voirelia’s work here.voirelia.com/support-voirelia/" (Description from ‘Voirelia: Psychology, Philosophy and Dance Hub website’ - www.voirelia.com)

Winter 2020

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March 13th | The Dashes | 8PM | Vancouver - postponed

Candy Mountain 
A New Dance experimental performance cabaret curated by Jennifer Mcleish-Lewis
Choreographer: Rachel Helten
Dancers: Rachel Helten
Music: Woodstock- Joni Mitchell

I will be exploring the resonance of righteous anger and empowerment that lives in my body and the body of the collective. As a woman I have recently become more acquainted with my intimate relationship with anger and how this emotion has been suppressed in many environments of our modern world. I will be probing different ways of releasing these suppressed emotions by generating movement by going through past journal writings, stories of female identified archetypes and activists throughout history.
bit.ly/3bz4wiZ

February 6th + 7th | Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre | 8PM | Vancouver

Leg Up (Emerging Choreographers Show Case) 
A Dezza Dance Production
Choreographer: Rachel Helten
Dancers: Rachel Helten, Sophie Brassard + Chelsea Goddard
Composer: Ben Helten
​Digital Artist: Ezequiel Peralta

Our veins like her branches is a love letter for mother nature. In this work, we embody our symbiotic dance with nature while mourning our violent separation from her, from ourselves and one another.  In light of our current climate crisis, this subject weighs heavily on our hearts and minds. Through the mediums of dynamic movement, live electric guitar, and real-time digital projections we endeavor to share this story through a journey of ceremony, harmony, destruction, and redemption. We explore how this collective grief lives within our bodies and the undertones of loss, anger, and helplessness. While by the grace of our tenderness, connection, and bravery we uncover the truth of our unity and the love that lives within all things.
www.dezzadance.com

Fall 2019

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November 24th | The Dance Centre | Vancouver

Dracula’s Garden Series (Informal Studio Showing)
Voirelia: Psychology, Philosophy and Dance Hub
Choreographers: Alina Sotskova + Rachel Helten
Dancers: Alina Sotskova, Rachel Helten + Kestrel Paton

"This series includes brief dance poems by different choreographers. The series draws inspiration from Gothic literature. The Gothic themes, images, and personages are used to critically explore our relationship with beauty, particularly beauty standards in contemporary dance history, traditions, and their effect on the psychology of dancers." (Description from ‘Voirelia: Psychology, Philosophy and Dance Hub website’ - www.voirelia.com)

November 5th | The Dance Centre | 7PM | Vancouver

12 Minutes Max
Choreographer: Rachel Helten 
Dancers: Rachel Helten, Sophie Brassard + Chelsea Goddard
Composer: Ben Helten
Digital Artist: Ezequiel Peralta

I will be sharing a new work as a part of the 12 Minutes Max series at The Dance Centre. "Our veins like her branches" is a collaboration between myself Rachel Helten (choreographer and dancer) and dance artists Sophie Brassard, Chelsea Goddard; Musician Ben Helten and Digital Artist Ezequiel Peralta.  Together we will explore the notions of oneness vs. division, be it within ourselves or the world around us. We have investigated themes related to our interconnection between one another and all things, symbiosis, synchronicities, signs from nature and our responses to isolation.

Amidst the chaos of separation, we gather our limbs together and honour our connection to one another. Tenderly, we uncover the signs in nature that remind us of our loved ones. Collecting fragments of personal stories to create a new entity. A prayer. A love letter. Together we move as one, reconciling with the forces that keep us apart and empowering the truth of our unity.

​For more information about the process: https://bit.ly/2N1VzDr

October 24th | The Dance Centre | 7PM | Vancouver

Dracula’s Garden Series (Fundraiser Show)
Voirelia: Psychology, Philosophy and Dance Hub
Choreographers: Alina Sotskova + Rachel Helten 
​Dancers: Alina Sotskova, Rachel Helten + Kestrel Paton

"This series includes brief dance poems by different choreographers. The series draws inspiration from Gothic literature. The Gothic themes, images, and personages are used to critically explore our relationship with beauty, particularly beauty standards in contemporary dance history, traditions, and their effect on the psychology of dancers. This project is presently funded by Voirelia, but you can help us move it along and help us in our mission of ensuring that all artists we work with are paid fair wages for the hard work they do. Check out different ways to support Voirelia’s work here.voirelia.com/support-voirelia/" (Description from ‘Voirelia: Psychology, Philosophy and Dance Hub website’ - www.voirelia.com)