What is Dancing on the Edge?

Founded in 1988 by the Firehall Theatre Society, the Dancing on the Edge festival incorporated in 1998 as its own society. Created in direct response to the local dance communities’ need for a supported place to perform their work, the festival has evolved into an annual event which presents on average thirty performances in mixed programs and full length works from over twenty different dance companies and choreographers from across Canada each festival. The festival is recognized for its support of new works through its presentations, commissions and residencies programs. Artists such as Paul Andre Fortier, Wen Wei Dance, the 605 Collective, Serge Bennethan, Peter Bingham, Amber Funk Barton, Lola MacLaughlin, Joe Laughlin, Karen Jamieson, Kokoro Dance, Chick Snipper, Alvin Tolentino and Brian Webb, Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg to name just a few have all benefitted from the DOTE’s commitment to dance and to bringing dance in all shapes and forms to our audiences.

This year the Festival will be from July 7^th -16^th, 2011.

There are some great benefits to volunteering for Dancing on the Edge:

• Support for a local non-profit dance festival
• Get to see great contemporary dance
• For performances at the Firehall Arts Centre, you will get to see the performance during your volunteer shift
• For site-specific peformance, you will receive a complementary tickets to use during the Festival
• Meet new people
• Show your love for the Arts and Culture in Canada

Performances at the Firehall

• Being friendly and professional
• Handing out programs
• Taking tickets
• Helping patrons find their seats
• Helping tidy the theatre after the performance

As a volunteer for a site specific show your duties/responsibilities will be:

• Being friendly and professional
• Handing out programs
• Answering any questions about the performance/Dancing on the Edge Festival
• Helping out with crowd control if needed

Some of our site shows have specific needs/roles.

ASHES IN THE WATER
Crab Park

For Ashes in the Water (Raven Spirit Dance/Neworld Theatre), there are five performances each day with an audience capacity of 12.  There are 5 volunteer positions which volunteers will be rotated thorugh on their shift.   

• ·Audience guider: Positioned at Main and Cordova, pointing people towards Crab Park
•  Info Table: Positioned at Main and Alexander at an info table. taking tickets, distributing headsets, taking IDs, getting audience started off with performance
•  Runner: Grabbing IDs from info table and exchanging them back to audience in trade for their headsets, You will being going from Main and Alexander to the Gazebo in Crab Park
•  Audience guider: Positioned just inside Crab Park, pointing the audience towards the beach
•  Headset collector: Positioned at the Gazebo, working with the runner to collect headsets from audience and return IDs.

 DUSK DANCES

Queen Elizabeth Park  

   Info table

• Friendly and professional
• Setting up table complete with info on Dusk Dances, flyers, and one donation box.
• Setting up the Dusk Dances banner and display/sandwich boards
• Talking to the audience, explaining Dusk Dances and Dancing on the Edge

  Site Security:

• Guard the props and equipment at an assigned performance site. 
•  Once the dance piece is over at the site that was guarded, this volunteer becomes an usher.

Dressing Room Security

•  Watch the dressing room (or tent). This is an important position for the security of dancers’ and staff’s personal belongings. You will have a walkie-talkie in case anyone needs to get a hold of you

Ushers

•  Helping put up signs, putting out sandwich boards.
•  Help guide the crowd from piece to piece.
•  Crowd control at sites.
•  Watching for people that may interfere with a piece.
• Directing the audience to the opening band at the start of the show.
• Handing out programs and collecting monies throughout the show.
• At the end of the show they are introduced by the Host and will stay and collect money until the crowd has left.
•  Helping the audience with any questions they may have. Ushers can work with the Host to make sure the crowd is where they need to be.
• Helping to take down signs at the end of the show.