James Gnam Biography
Born in Calgary, Alberta and raised in Victoria, BC, James received his training at the National Ballet School of Canada in Toronto. Prior to joining Ballet British Columbia in 2004, James danced with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal and JoeINK . Since then, he has had the opportunity to perform in works created by Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris and Lar Lubavitch; as well as creating roles with choreographers such as Crystal Pite, John Alleyne and Simone Orlando. James has worked as a repetiteur for Ballet BC, its Mentor program and Summer Dance Intensive; he has been a guest teacher for various professional and pre-professional programs in the lower mainland region of BC.
As a choreographer James has been commissioned to create work for Ballet BC’s Mentor Program, the Dance All Stars program at the 2006 Chutzpah! Festival, Dances for a Small Stage, and The Arts Umbrella’s Youth Dance Company. In 2008, James incorporated the plastic orchid factory; a Vancouver based performance/art company that functions as an umbrella for the work he creates with his wife Natalie LeFebvre-Gnam. The body of work they have created together has been presented at Dancing on The Edge, The Vancouver International Dance Festival, Series 8:08 in Toronto, The InFrinGing Dance Festival, and ROMP! A festival of independent dance.
Class Description
Class will focus extensively on initiation, drive and breath. Beginning with a gentle barre, center work will develop these qualities in a series of combinations of increasing complexity and physicality - culminating in a series of jumping routines that will focus on moving the dancers through space. Structured lines, accurate placement, and distorting and stretching shapes will develop unexpected transitions into and out of movement.
