Edmonton artists have launched Dance Lives Here, a campaign that aims to spread the word about the city's vibrant dance scene. Alison Kause and Deviani Andrea of Good Women Dance Collective spearheaded the initiative, which will support the 13 professional dance companies, 43 professional independent artists, 48 semi-professional dance groups, and 100-plus dance studios that call Edmonton home.
The group's first priority is getting billboards celebrating Edmonton's dance scene up around town, Kause said. "We have sports on billboards, we have Alberta Ballet on billboards, we have everything that people want to see — let's get ourselves on some billboards, because we have things for people to see as well," Kause told Taproot at the launch event at city hall on April 29, which was International Dance Day. The billboards will direct people to the Dance Lives Here website, which lists the city's dance artists, collectives, and companies. It's also linked to the Alberta Dance Alliance's calendar, which lists dance performances to attend and workshops to participate in.
The collective is inviting artists, collectives, and companies to submit bios, images, and videos to be included on the website and in future marketing campaigns. Those could include online ads, print materials, radio spots, and print advertising.