Process

Project CPR (Choreographic Practice and Research) is a unique research and creation-based professional development opportunity for choreographers. Facilitated by Restless Production’s Co-Artistic Director Claire French, the program provides choreographers with the chance to deeply investigate choreographic ideas through the creation of a new work. The process is divided into two development phases, with each culminating in a public showing and audience talk-back session.

The program’s uniqueness lies in its two-phase approach to choreographic practice, and its tailored support of each choreographer’s unique artistic interests and objectives. It never prescribes how to choreograph. Instead, it encourages artists to critically and creatively invest in choreographic practice, so that they might uncover the essence and personality of their work. If applicable, a process might include the development of formal choreographic tools, as part of a choreographer’s practice. However, it is just as likely that the work will be approached from a conceptual premise outside of dance-as-codified-movement. A relation to the moving body in time and space is the central premise and the only true requirement.  

re:group is a cohort of choreographers/dancemakers; Claire French, Jeanette Kotowich, Simran Sachar, Virginia Duivenvoorden and Vanessa Goodman. We get together for professional social time that supports us through the good and more challenging periods. In sharing in our curiosities and practices, we see this as developing a complementary practice to our independent work.  Through movement and verbal conversation, we enthusiastically engage with composition and enjoy a social influence as respite and recharge.

As we hone our collective mandate, we are creating room for interdisciplinary research projects with academic and industry partners and fellow artists. We are grateful for the support of The Dance Centre since the conception of the project in 2024 as part of French’s artist residency.