Membership 2019-2020: RQD Co-presidents’ Messages

A young woman, having just moved to Montreal, wants to be a dancer. She wants to make art, and perform on stage, and touch people, and use the skills she has worked on all these years, and immerse herself in the professional sphere in Quebec. She goes to morning training class one day and meets another dancer who tells her about an organization called the RQD. “Interesting”, she thinks to herself, “a way to meet new people and learn more about the Quebec dance scene.” AND, says her new acquaintance, the best part is you could get a training budget, so it’s like getting free classes when you become a member!

That was many moons ago, but the young naïve me slowly cultivated a vested interest in the RQD, curious about how all the pieces fit together, how a work gets to the finish line, and what our collective efforts contribute to society. This curiosity has been the driving force behind renewing my membership every year, and I ask you to join me in renewing yours, or become a member for the first time. Ask yourself what kind of association you want to adhere to, and bring your views and questions to the RQD table.

We all deserve to belong to something bigger than ourselves. Individuals thrive in collectivity and connectivity, and I deeply encourage you to connect with something bigger than yourself, a collective force giving voice to your art at every level.

Jamie Wright

I hold the profound conviction that unity benefits the advancement and promotion of choreographic art. As a member of the RQD, I’m proud to belong to a vast and proactive community driven by a constant desire for improvement, innovation, and adaptation to an ever-changing environment. Staying in touch with the prevailing visions, perceptions and convictions across our discipline is an advantage, as it is by sharing ideas and experiences in a spirit of collegiality that solutions arise, allowing us to navigate obstacles and chart a course for our ultimate destination. Indeed, one of the RQD’s roles, as a federative organization, is to lend a listening ear to its members. The RQD is a place where our voices, concerns and difficulties are heard, and where we find solutions, tools and the path forward.

In these times emarked by a special focus on ethics in professional relationships and a broad effort to be over more inclusive, recognizing our diversity of experiences, practices, cultures and organizational structures is more necessary than ever. These are just a few of the issues that are uppermost on the RQD agenda.

In these times, – which demand continued courage and determination, – the RQD serves as a beacon. No matter where we are, it is always there to look after our interests, so that dance can thrive, soar, jig, intoxicate… and achieve ever greater heights.

That’s why my loyalty to the RQD has not wavered after almost 10 years, and that’s why I invite you, today, to renew your membership or join our beautiful extended family.

Lük Fleury