Dancing through life with Zac Remple

Pride In Business: Can you tell me a little bit about your sort of journey through dance?

Zac Remple: That started when I was seven years old. I was born in Winnipeg. I took my first class at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. I've been training off and on ever since. I did mostly theatre and then took a bit of a break. And then a few years ago, I started dancing again but focused more on modern dance. Specifically, Afro Caribbean modern dance. Even more specifically, the techniques of Katherine Dunham and Lester Horton. So that's what I have been training in for a while. I also dance with a company in Calgary called DRSD — D Rhythm Soul Dance. Our last show was a celebration of life.

I also take classes at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. I perform a bit of ballet, jazz, and West African. And then I'm also dancing any other opportunity I can. Like in Victor, Victoria with the Front Row Centre Players.

PIB: What drew you to the genre of Afro Caribbean dance in particular?

ZR: Well, that's my roots. My mom's side of the family is from Trinidad. And then my dad's side is from a small island called St. Kitts. So, the Caribbean connection is in my blood. And then I mentioned Katherine Dunham. And she's a modern dancer. They call her the mother of Black dance. She’s actually classically trained, but she also was also an anthropologist. She studied ballet, her studies took her to the Caribbean and then in the mid-20th century created this fusion style of ballet and Afro Cuban movement. When I discovered that style, it was immediately like a homecoming in a way. Like, it felt like it was the right kind of moment for me.

PIB: Is there anything that you're trying to explore or sort of investigate with the work that you create?

ZR: Yes, so all of my work — in and out of dance — is about sort of exploring this question of what does it mean to be human? And it's a big question. And of course, there's no answer. But what I seek to do is to find all the various facets of humanity and have that be expressed through me. So, I consider myself a blank slate or an empty canvas, or a vessel through which life can be expressed. Life is nuanced and it's all about finding those moments and sharing them. What's important to me with that is connecting with people and discovering other people are discovering their stories, discovering what gives their life meaning. And in a way, I take that on myself, and I express it my way.

PIB: You noted that the question you're exploring doesn't truly have an answer, so what are you inviting audiences to do when they're viewing your work?

ZR: What I do is I express life. And sometimes I express, you know, parts of humanity, or the human experience that we don't want to face, or we don't want to talk about, or some aspects that we do want to talk about. But I'm inviting audiences to find themselves in that and face that part of themselves. Loudly. I like to put life in people's faces. And it doesn't mean it's necessarily a negative experience. There's also a lot of joy when in what I do, too. It's about life being in your face. And when it's in your face, how do you deal with it?

PIB: Have you found yourself exploring a lot of those questions about yourself through your work?

ZR: That's the key of how it starts. My own practice really began as I started to explore my own self-expression. And really this visceral energy within me having a need to be out in the world. That visceral energy is informed by experience, it's informed by trauma and sadness, and pain and suffering, but also joy and love, and light. And I believe that we all have this sort of energy within us. And sometimes we don't tap into it because we don't see it or don't explore. What I seek to do is have that, all facets of that, all facets of me, and of life, be expressed, and allow audiences to see it and to feel and to touch that part within themselves.

PIB: It does really sound like you're exploring all of the sorts of messy parts of what it means to be human within your work. Like you're leaving no stone unturned in that space.

ZR: Yeah, exactly. No stone unturned. Life is full and nuanced, and multifaceted. So there's always something that can be expressed in a lifetime.

PIB: Can you tell us a little bit about the piece you're preparing for the Pride In Art event?

ZR: Yes, it's Afro Caribbean modern dance. So, it'll be in the mix of some ballet movements, classic modern movements, and West African movements. And it's a piece about finding joy and finding joy even in sadness, or even in the middle of a — this is going to sound cliche — but even in the middle of a storm, there are moments of joy. Audiences can expect to be touched, to be thrilled, and to have a smile on their faces.

PIB: That's something we can all use, given everything in the world, truly. You noted that you said you're exploring that question of what it means to be human, not just in your dance, but in other work that you do. Could you tell me a little bit about how else you're exploring that theme?

ZR: I'm a grad student studying, communications and culture. So, my work is really about finding these aspects of our culture and people within culture. Cultures are this fascinating thing to study because, essentially, it's not real, but it's as real as everything at the same time. That reality of culture, everything we consider culture, is made up by us and we assign the meeting. I get to study that.

PIB: So, while also exploring academics, where do you see yourself taking dance?

As a priority. I hold them both equally. Dance is a passion and it will always be a passion. Where I see this going is creating theatre, more conceptual theatre pieces. Full time while also continuing to study. Really one informs the other, you know? The more I discover people and culture in life, the more I'm inspired, the more I want to create and collaborate. And so I grow both as an academic and as an artist simultaneously.

Instagram: @zacremple
Website: zremple@gmail.com