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Sanderson Centre's 100th anniversary celebration kicks off with Debra Brown

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Dance is everything for Brantford’s Quinn Morriss.

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The 14-year-old Grade 10 student at Assumption College has been dancing since she was three, learning genres that include tap, jazz, ballet, acro, hip hop, contemporary.

Morriss studies under Nancy English-Vandyk at Academy of Dance Arts, where she also has been an assistant teacher for the past five years.

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Her dancing skills caught the attention of choreographer Debra Brown, who chose Morriss to be part of a community piece being presented Sunday at the Sanderson Centre’s season opener.

“It’s amazing for me to be a part of this, and an honour for Debra to have asked me,” says the young dancer, noting that she has attended every workshop for young people that the renowned choreographer has staged over the years in Brantford.

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Born and raised in Brantford, Brown has fond memories of the Sanderson Centre, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

“I remember seeing the Wizard of Oz there,” Brown recalls. “I remember when it was a movie theatre. We would go there Saturdays after the Y.”

As a child, Brown fell in love with gymnastics while taking swimming lessons at the old YMCA on Queen Street.

After graduating university, Brown connected with Cirque du Soleil founder and artistic director Franco Dragone in 1987. Her career has taken her all over the world, working on projects with opera companies, Olympians and entertainers like Celine Dion and Aerosmith, and garnering numerous accolades including an Emmy Award.

After finishing a four-year stint in Mexico, Brown looked forward to being closer to home.

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“I always wanted to spend more time in Ontario, and work with dancers,” Brown says. “I spend more of my time working with singers and acrobats.”

The choreographer admits that her personal work, outside of the circus, has always been theatrical with a sense of humour.

Performers rehearse a scene from Debra Brown’s Brace Yourself which will be presented as part of the Sanderson Centre’s season opener on Sunday, October 6. PHOTO BY JEREMY MIMNAGH
Performers rehearse a scene from Debra Brown’s Brace Yourself which will be presented as part of the Sanderson Centre’s season opener on Sunday, October 6. PHOTO BY JEREMY MIMNAGH Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh /jpg, BR

Theatre-goers will get a chance to see this different side of Brown on Sunday in her new production, Brace Yourself, which comprises the second half of the show.

Born out of a 20-hour workshop in Montreal a few years ago with longtime collaborator Rene Bazinet and writer Jay Samwald, Brown decided to incorporate dancers from Toronto.

“We have a pilot and a stewardess, and they’re going on a one-way trip,” the choreographer hints.

Brown says she’s “completely honoured” to be part of the Sanderson Centre’s 100th anniversary season.

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“We created the first half for the Sanderson because (theatre manager) Glenn Brown asked for a community portion,” the choreographer notes, describing the piece as making a village on stage.

“Dancers from Brantford and circus artists from Stoney Creek will all come together, performing with musicians from Stratford, Toronto and Montreal,” Brown says, adding that some fellow members from Cirque du Soleil will also perform.

Debra Brown. Submitted
Debra Brown. Submitted jpg, BR

About 18 dancers from Brantford are part of the community piece, and Brown says they learn to share the stage with talent that is different than where they came from.

“We’re celebrating the souls of the people and the fact they have talent, and we share it all together,” Brown says. “It gives the students a different experience, and its fun for the adults to share with the youth, who are so full of enthusiasm.”

Having taken part in dance competitions and school performances, Morriss, a cast member of The Nutcracker for three years, looks forward to Sunday’s show at the Sanderson.

“It’s my favourite stage to dance on,” Morriss says. “It always feels like home.”

bethompson@postmedia.com
@EXPbthompson

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