EDAM's Profile

About EDAM > Company Profile

EDAM is a contemporary dance company under the artistic directorship of Peter Bingham. EDAM's mandate is to provide a stable and fertile environment for the development of contemporary dance. The Company is deeply committed to the investigation of movement itself as an expressive art form. EDAM supports many possibilities for creative expression within the kinetic arts through the creation and production of choreography and through the practice and presentation of the art of improvisation. In addition to producing its own work, EDAM presents the work of guest choreographers and encourages collaborative projects with artists working in other disciplines.

HISTORY
EDAM (an acronym for Experimental Dance and Music) was formed in 1982 by seven independent artists: Peter Bingham, Jay Hirabayashi, Lola MacLaughlin, Jennifer Mascall, Peter Ryan, Barbara Bourget and Ahmed Hassan. In 1989, Peter Bingham became the Company's sole Artistic Director.

Bingham is one of the pioneers of Contact Improvisation, a dance form that emphasizes flow and the cooperative exchange of weight between partners. The "touch and tumble" of Contact is a hallmark of much of his choreography, lending both athleticism and graceful elegance to his partnering and ensemble work.

Bingham has created over 50 choreographed works and performed in hundreds of improvised performances in theatres, dance festivals and universities across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

EDAM is renowned for its enduring commitment to presenting dance improvisation as an art form. Many key figures in the Contact world have performed at EDAM's Studio Theatre, including Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith, Chris Aiken, Ray Chung, Lisa Nelson, KJ Holmes, Karen Nelson, Simone Forti and Andrew Harwood. In 1993 and 1998 EDAM hosted two major Improvisation symposiums that attracted performers from across North America.

EDAM encourages collaborative creative productions and showcases work by local dance artists. Each season the Company produces a number of shows at its Studio Theatre premiering new work by guest artists.

EDAM is a registered non-profit arts organization and receives operating funding from the Dance Section of Canada Council, the province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the City of Vancouver.

[ Home ] [ Contacts ] - [ Classes ] - [ Current Production ] - [ Workshops ]