When you think about the contemporary dance scene in Toronto, the name Peggy Baker immediately leaps to mind. To imagine it without her is simply inconceivable. The choreographer’s works are an integral part of the fabric of contemporary dance, and generations of dancers have grown up dancing or watching her choreographies and having their art informed by Baker’s. So it’s unfathomable – though true – that Beautiful Renegades is the final stage production of her company Peggy Baker Projects. Through it, she will bid farewell to audiences and honour the generations who came before, with the intention to make space for a new generation of dance.
Written by Michael Ross Albert and directed by Eda Holmes, Beautiful Renegades is a new play that looks to the past and celebrates the end of an era. With its diverse cast, including Sarah Fregeau, David Norsworthy, Erika Prevost, Jarrett Siddall, Shauna Thompson and Anne van Leeuwen, the play is an ode to the young dance artists whose innovation and acts of artistic rebellion helped pave the way for change in 1970s Toronto.
During this time of political unrest, groups of citizens united in their desire to catalyze a seismic and encompassing societal change. Among them, young dance artists questioned the relevance of established companies and the privilege assumed by particular forms of training, methods of creating, and styles of performing. The show’s acknowledgement of such disruption as the precursor to meaningful change makes Beautiful Renegades deeply resonant and topical during the present time.
The show will run until October 2, 2022 at The Theatre Centre. And running parallel to it is Presence, a set of 4 site-specific works commissioned from present-day new generation dance artists. Their new work will challenge the status quo anew and move into new territory. Audiences can watch Presence free of charge in Lisgar Park 30 minutes before each performance of Beautiful Renegades. The first premiere by Keira Breaugh and Renée Smith runs until September 25, with premieres by Pulga Muchochoma and Eilish Shin-Culhane following on September 27 – October 2.
Ahead of the world premiere of Beautiful Renegades, SesayArts Magazine had the honour of speaking with Baker about the evolution, inspiration and significance of this landmark finale – and what she hopes to accomplish through her retirement.
SM: It is almost impossible to imagine the landscape of Canadian dance, especially Toronto, without Peggy Baker! Why have you decided to retire, and how did you know that this was the right time to do it?
PB: In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, I set out on a journey of self interrogation and guided learning relative to the role I have unintentionally played in relation to systemic racism within the dance milieu. I understood very quickly that the greatest contribution for significant change that I could make was to step away from the preoccupations of my own creative endeavours to free up resources and attention for artists who have been historically marginalised.
SM: According to the press release, Beautiful Renegades is deeply resonant with the present moment because it recognizes disruption as a precursor to meaningful change. Do you want to speak about what inspired you to create this show, and what you hope that audiences might think about in terms of meaningful change as they are experiencing the performance?
PB: I have been engaged in developing Beautiful Renegades since 2016, and my intention from the outset has been to celebrate the contributions of young artists in their efforts to create new spaces, provoke urgent, relevant conversations, and move forward practice, creation and performance in dance. Looking back to the first decade of my own dance life (in 1970s Toronto), I have a tremendous sense of gratitude to the dancers who were working in the avant-garde then, and by calling up those artists and that time, I offer my solidarity with young artists of the present moment.
SM: Also from the press release I understand that Beautiful Renegades looks back to the 1970s, which was “a time of turbulent political unrest, underpinned by groups of citizens rising up together in an urgent and forceful struggle for massive, fundamental societal change. Within that social structure, young dance artists in Toronto worked to disrupt the status quo – questioning the relevance of established companies and the privilege assumed by particular forms of training, methods of creating, and styles of performing.” I am curious why you chose this time period as the setting of your final project. What resonance does it have for you, and what influence has it had on you, as a person and as a dancer-choreographer?
PB: When I set out to create Beautiful Renegades, I had no idea that it would be my company’s final project. However, the poetry of looking back to 1970s Toronto from the far edge of my dance life is not lost on me.
SM: The parallel performances of Beautiful Renegades and Presence, a set of four site-specific works commissioned from new generation dance artists presenting a direct challenge to the status quo, is a beautiful balance of past, present and future. PRESENCE includes two premieres by Keira Breaugh and Renee Smith (September 20 – September 25), and two premieres by Pulga Muchochoma and Eilish Shin-Culhane (September 27 – October 2) to be presented free in Lisgar Park half an hour before each performance of Beautiful Renegades. Do you want to talk a little about this pairing of pieces?
PB: These site-specific performances are a crucial part of this project for me. First of all, I wanted to extend an opportunity to these artists, and secondly, their work establishes the context for the play. In Lisgar Park we encounter new work by young creators of this time and place, and Beautiful Renegades takes us back 50 years to the world and work of their predecessors.
SM: As you reflect on your professional career and all of your various contributions and accomplishments, what really stands out to you?
PB: Dance has been at the absolute heart of my life for more than 50 years. It has been my way of discovering the world and acting in the world. I am so fortunate to be awake, alive and truly present in my body. I have given everything to dance, and dance has given me everything. It is a huge privilege to be able to give one’s life to art.
SM: This is a “part 2” of my previous question… Looking back on your legacy… your inspiration and mentorship of generations of dancers, what advice do you have for emerging artists?
PB: Do work that you care about. Be honest with yourself. Be authentic. Be generous. Build with others. Collaborate and learn across generations.
SM: Your choice of final question: If you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you tell her? Or: What question didn’t I ask you that you wish I had?
PB: I will go with the first invitation for advice to my younger self: It’s never too late to express gratitude or admiration, to apologize, to look at something familiar from a different angle, to reconsider an opinion, to learn something new. It’s never too late to change for the better.
Reserve tickets to Beautiful Renegades on theatrecentre.org.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2022
