Ballet takes centre stage at Atlantic Immigration Summit
Creators of a new ballet hope to tell the story of immigration in a way an ordinary conference can't — through the power of art and dance.
More than 400 people from 23 communities, 30 industry sectors and 20 countries are expected to be Moncton on Wednesday for the Atlantic Immigration Summit, and they'll do more than talk and listen.
In addition to a program of speakers and round tables, the summit offers participants an Atlantic Ballet production called Alien, choreographed by Igor Dobrovolskiy, the company's artistic director.
The Moncton-based ballet company is also the sponsor of the immigration conference.
Mixing art and immigration can bring new people to the conversation, said Susan Chalmers-Gauvin, the co-founder and CEO of the Atlantic Ballet.
"With immigration, yes, there's been many conferences and gatherings, but it's kind of the same people showing up over and over again," she said.
"When we work on a piece like this, we end up with a very different mix in the room."
The two-hour ballet will take the audience through what it's like to be an immigrant, she said.
"The audience will feel what it feels like to come to a new place, to not have a language, to struggle to have an identity to look for your home," said Chalmers-Gauvin.
"You'll feel that through the music and through the dance, and that brings an intrinsic impact that you can't get through a conference."
The park bench
Dobrovolskiy, the choreographer, is familiar with the experience of immigration. He was born in Ukraine but moved to Canada to start his own ballet company.
The main prop in Alien is a park bench that sits centre stage. It represents the homelessness people feel when they leave their own country for a new one.
"You sitting in a park in a bench, and people around you, and people surround you and some people don't understand you," Dobrovolskiy said.
"They don't understand your language, don't understand your culture, and you're alone in the presence of many people."
Dobrovolskiy named it Alien, because moving to a new country can feel like moving to a different planet.
"Even when you start understanding the language, you still feel like an alien," said Dobrovolskiy.
But in the end, you can end up finding a home, as Dobrovolskiy did. And understanding what immigrants go through can help people better welcome them.
Action plan
The conference is expected to produce actions to take for strengthening the economic system in Atlantic Canada, building inclusive communities and improving the economy
"We're being very intentional to ensure that actions do take place," said Chalmers-Gauvin.
In a year, some participants will reconvene to see if the goals were met.
