Procession: Creation as Collaboration

New productions energize The National Ballet of Canada like few other experiences can, as the creative process fans out from the studio to all corners of the organization. When the creators are Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, a partnership at the forefront of contemporary dance, the impact is profound.

The world premiere of Procession marks the company’s first collaboration with Bobbi and Or, who are transforming global perspectives on dance and movement. The inspiration for this piece – the human ritual of procession – is expansive enough to accommodate the pair’s curiosity while also inviting the dancers into a dialogue in service of a larger idea.

“Starting a dance often feels like proposing a problem,” says Bobbi. “We’re here to figure something out and we need all hands on deck, so we try to create a room that is full of questioning and care.”

The generosity in this approach flows from Bobbi and Or’s shared history at the renowned Batsheva Dance Company under Ohad Naharin, whose leadership, choreography and pioneering of the Gaga movement language have helped shape the trajectory of contemporary movement. Procession introduces that choreographic lineage to the National Ballet.

“Ohad instilled a culture that asks people to create,” says Or. “It’s a gift to have started that young, working those muscles of creation.”

Bobbi adds: “It was a world of constant questioning, where the work is never done. The capacity of what the human body can contain is endless. There is no ceiling. There’s never the sense that we did it, it’s over. There’s this constant fire that’s burning.”

That willingness to continually renegotiate the edge of what seems possible still drives Bobbi and Or today, as stewards of what they call the most “sacred” thing: the work itself. “Creation is about collaboration,” says Bobbi. “It’s not about one person’s vision; it’s about what we’re creating together. We always say bring the ideas in, follow the process. If this leads you there, follow it. It might not make it into the piece but it will lead us somewhere else.”

This is the fertile ground from which Procession has grown, a full-length piece that uses procession as a lens to explore themes of secrecy and confession. “For me, a procession has so much mystery to it,” says Bobbi. “It’s travelling where? It’s going away from what? It has so many question marks and it’s been so much fun to dig into them.”

“We’ve been very physical in the studio and the dancers have been so receptive,” adds Or. “It’s exciting. This place feels very connected to the joy of dance.”

Procession is onstage November 1 – 8

Top Photo: Or Schraiber in rehearsal for Procession. Photo by Ted Belton.