stARTdance

The Company
Artistic Director: Desirée Dunbar

In 2000 Desirée’s strong interest in making Contemporary Dance accessible to the adult dancer inspired her to launch a program that offered training, creation and performance opportunities for adults. The Startdance program has bloomed into a vibrant recreational dance company including both recreational dancers who have established careers apart from dance and emerging dancers who are looking for a way to bridge the transition from student to professional.

Desirée strives to connect communities through dance. She is the creator and producer of the Connecting Community Dance Series at the Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre. Community and culturally diverse dance groups share the stage with professional dancers in an eclectic mixed- program. She has also produced four editions of the annual Community Dance Showcase LINK.

Her choreography has been professionally produced at various theatres in Vancouver. Recent works include “Me, Myself & I”, an intergenerational dance project with original music by Joanna Chapman- Smith and “Bridge” a duet with Indian Classical dancer Sudnya Naik exploring the commonalities of Eastern and Western dance forms.

She is currently developing "HEARTLAND", an investigation of the heart. Vanessa Goodman, Bevin Poole, Krystal Psota, Desiree, acclaimed composer Joanna Chapman-Smith and poet Tony Ross recently performed the first phase of the project in LIFT June 5 & 6.

Desiree is a principal dancer with Judith Garay’s company Dancers Dancing and has been a primary dancer in the creation of over fifteen works by various notable Canadian choreographers. She has toured with the company throughout British Columbia, Alberta and the North West Territories. She has also had the priviledge of dancing with companies Mascall Dance and Wen Wei Dance in Vancouver.