The Longest Way Round is the Shortest Way Home

all images by André Costa

September 2021

Josh Ongcol, Harmanie Rose, Sarah Wong and Marisa Gold, were invited to consider ideas of home as they relate to interconnected ideas of the body, transiency and the other.

This series of call and response outdoor performances at Tatlow Park explores the theme of home, which deeply resonates with the social and economic conditions attributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Through movement, the project seeks to illuminate an intertwined consciousness of what it means to occupy space, form, and time, and to inspire a broad, inclusive, and generous understanding of ‘home’.

Josh Ongcol is a Dubai born, Queer, Filipinx artist that is currently a settler on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. Josh emerged in dance through the streetdance community when he battled in the first Vancouver street dance festival in 2011. From there he steeped himself in street dance culture including Locking, Popping House, Hip hop, Vogue, Whacking from local and international teaches; Jerry Chien, Koffi Noumedor, Ralph Escamillan, Nubian NeNe, Leah McFly, Natasha Gorie, Rina Palerina, Anna Martynova, and Kim Sato. While he was involved in the streetdance community he explored Contemporary dance from Tiffany Tegarthen, David Raymond, 605 collective, Sufeh lee, Kevin Fraser, Peter Bingham, Justine Chambers, Delia Brett and Deanna Peters through the pre professional dance training program Modus Operandi and informal ways of exchanging.

As an artist, I am interested in the ways tenderness manifests in my body, and its receptivity to deep connection, wisdom, and transformation regardless of the medium. With this, I hope to unravel the narrative of being a part of the Filipnx diaspora; specifically of intergenerational exchange, lineage of resilience, concept of “home” and “KAPWA”, queerness and reclaiming spirituality. Currently he is working on his work called LAKBAY in collaboration with musician Miguel Maravila.

Harmanie Rose is a disabled dancemaker, facilitator, and performer who lives and works on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish people. Harmanie is investigating ways for care and inclusivity to inform and influence artistic choices. She is a founding member of iDance Edmonton (CRiPSIE) and All Bodies Dance Project (Vancouver). Her choreographic work has been presented by Vines Art Festival (Vancouver), and All Bodies Dance Project. She’s been a part of numerous dance on film projects as a choreographer, performer, and collaborator including Sanctuary (a collaboration with Rianne Svelnis and Martin Bordan, 2019), Inclinations (created by Alice Sheppard, 2019) Virtual-os-city (a collaboration with Kelsie Acton, 2021), Parts of Me and Ho.Me (Carolina Bergonzoni, 2019). She has trained with Donna Redlick (Soma Dance), All Bodies Dance, Propeller Dance, CandoCo, and Axis Dance Company. In 2018 she attended UCLA’s inaugural Dancing Disability Lab where she contributed to research and discussion around the scope of Critical Disability Studies, choreography, and the emergent practices of inclusive dance. She has danced in works by Naomi Brand, Carolina Bergonzoni, Rianne Svelnis, Alice Sheppard, Kelsie Acton, and Lindsey Eales.

Sarah Wong is an emerging dance artist, choreographer, and writer based in Vancouver, Canada on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Her work emerges from her lived experience as a queer, second-generation Chinese-Canadian woman, focusing on archival processes and accessing embodied generational knowledge. Her works have taken the form of score-based improvisational performances, ritual-based research, site-specific installation, poetry and multimedia zines. Her work has been presented in Vancouver by Number 3 Gallery, New Works, IGNITE! Youth Arts Festival, Vines Art Festival, and Boombox, and internationally at Mosaico Danza Interplay Festival (Turin, IT).

Marisa Gold is an empathetic multidisciplinary artist with a passion for all things soulful. With a BFA in dance (SFU), certificate of completion from The Ailey school Independent Study program (NYC), and The Graham school 2017/18 Intensive(NYC), Marisa has trained in a wide variety of Modern/Contemporary dance styles. Her professional experience ranges from modern/contemporary concert dance to experimental street style performance, and musical theatre productions to film/TV work. Marisa's artistic influences are deeply rooted in the heart space of her ancestors. As a writer, mover, designer and performer, Marisa continues her poetic wandering; delving further with love into the mystery of our collective humanity.