Barbara Bourget began her life in motion at four years old. That early start defined a career and an artistic identity built entirely around dance.
She trained in Vancouver before moving east. There, she performed with prestigious ballet companies in Winnipeg and Montréal, honing a powerful stage presence.
A return to Vancouver marked a pivotal shift. She moved from classical ballet into contemporary forms, finding greater creative freedom.
In 1986, she co-founded Kokoro Dance with Jay Hirabayashi. The company became a platform for a unique fusion of Western contemporary dance and Japanese butoh.
Decades later, her commitment remains absolute. When asked in 1997 if she would still be creating dance ten years on, the answer was a clear yes. She continues to perform and create, defying expectations about an artist’s timeline.
Her work communicates what words often cannot. Through movement, she conveys complex emotional and philosophical concepts, using her body as a true instrument of expression.
Early Life and Ballet Beginnings
The discipline of ballet entered her world when she was just four. This early start shaped her physical vocabulary and muscle memory.
Childhood Awakening to Dance
Throughout her school years in Vancouver, she trained rigorously. The 1960s provided a developing dance infrastructure in Western Canada.
Teachers like Mary McBirney offered classical instruction. Long studio hours built essential technique foundations.
Ballet Training in Vancouver and Eastern Influences
Her dedication led east to prestigious companies. She performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.
This period provided invaluable stage experience. She mastered multiple choreographies within tight timeframes.
A photographic memory helped absorb complex sequences quickly. She could mount four new works in just six weeks.
| Training Phase | Location | Time Period | Key Development |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Foundation | Vancouver | 1960s | Classical technique |
| Professional Ballet | Winnipeg | Early Career | Stage experience |
| Company Work | Montréal | Formative Years | Repertory mastery |
| Technical Excellence | Eastern Canada | Professional Growth | Artistic awareness |
Despite ballet success, she found the form restrictive. The rigid hierarchies limited creative agency for female dancers at that time.
This early training provided technical excellence. It also revealed what she didn’t want from her dance career.
Transition to Contemporary Dance and Choreography
Contemporary movement offered what ballet never could: the freedom to feel the floor beneath bare feet. This shift began when she returned to Vancouver in the early 1970s.
Switching from Pointe Work to Modern Movement
She traveled to New York to study modern dance techniques. There, she immersed herself in the Graham and Cunningham methods.
Dancing barefoot provided a new kind of liberation. The foot could articulate freely without rigid shoes.
This work required adapting to different movement philosophies. The transition wasn’t easy financially or artistically.
The Spark to Begin Choreographing
Her first choreography emerged around 1977-78. It marked a turning point in her creative life.
Choreography offered a way to express her own vision. Her photographic memory helped construct complex movement sequences.
This piece began a lifelong commitment to creating dance. The contemporary field offered more opportunities for female voices.
| Aspect | Ballet Training | Contemporary Practice | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footwear | Pointe shoes | Barefoot | Ground connection |
| Technique Focus | Vertical alignment | Floor work | Movement quality |
| Creative Role | Interpreter | Creator | Artistic agency |
| Training Time | Classical syllabus | Experimental methods | Learning approach |
The change represented more than technical adjustment. It was a philosophical shift toward personal expression.
Urban Dance Scene: Vancouver and Beyond
Returning to Vancouver in the early 1970s revealed a dance landscape transformed by creative energy. Multiple companies had emerged during her years away, creating a vibrant ecosystem. Paula Ross Dancers stood as the city’s oldest contemporary dance company.
Anna Wyman Dance Theatre provided another established model for independent artists. Simon Fraser University launched its dance program around 1975, becoming a crucial incubator. Out of SFU came Prism Dance Theatre operating downtown.
Bourget joined Mountain Dance Theater, founded by friend Mauryne Allan. The company toured children’s shows to schools throughout BC. This creative work provided essential income for more experimental projects.
Terminal City Dance pushed boundaries under Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling. Lee Eisler and Nelson Gray started Jumpstart Performance. Fulcrum explored contact improvisation with Peter Bingham and Helen Clarke.
The scene was geographically dispersed across Burnaby, downtown, and SFU’s campus. Linda Rubin taught improvisation from a Main Street studio. Workshops at Prism Dance Theatre allowed cross-pollination of techniques.
Despite the distances, artists maintained connections through travel and shared spaces. This kind of community support defined Vancouver’s dance world during those formative years.
Influence of Canadian Dance Funding and Arts Culture
The contrast between two dance companies’ funding experiences reveals how quickly political winds could shift artistic fortunes. Government support directly shaped what kind of work could survive and thrive.
Impact of Government Grants and Support
The 1970s under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau created a golden era for artists. Year-long grants provided financial stability that made sustained creative work possible. This liberal philosophy treated culture as a public good.
By the 1980s, the landscape tightened significantly. EDAM formed in 1982 and received immediate funding as an experimental collective. But when Kokoro Dance sought support in 1986, they waited six years.
That time difference illustrates how political changes impact artistic validation. Conservative governments reduced arts budgets, making survival strategies like children’s shows necessary.
Recent decades have brought improvement through new Canada Council programs. Both emerging artists and established figures like Bourget can now access support. The system isn’t perfect, but it’s stronger than in the US where public arts funding faced elimination.
Public funding allowed dancers to take risks without constant financial desperation. It remains essential for the art form’s evolution.
Barbara Bourget: The Iconic Journey
An unexpected opening in Paula Ross’s company brought Bourget back to the stage and changed her life. When a dancer became pregnant, she stepped into the role. This chance encounter introduced her to Jay Hirabayashi.
The meeting sparked a creative partnership that would define her artistic path. It transformed her from interpreter to creator. Her first choreography emerged around 1977 or 1978.
Dance careers rarely follow straight lines. Bourget observed that dancers typically quit at least four times. The physical demands and financial challenges create natural pauses.
Her own journey included a six-year absence from Vancouver while performing with eastern companies. She returned to find the city’s dance scene energized and full of possibility. Working with Mountain Dance Theatre provided five years of stability.
Motherhood forced another pause when her son was born in 1977. But the break didn’t last. She continued creating new pieces despite funding challenges and physical limitations.
Four and a half decades of continuous output define her legacy. Her status as a Vancouver icon rests on persistence rather than celebrity. She built institutions that create opportunities for others.
The rhythm of a dancer’s life includes departures and returns. Bourget’s journey embodies this reality. Each pause led to new creative discoveries.
Fusion of East and West in Butoh and Kokoro Dance
Kokoro Dance emerged from a deep exploration of butoh, blending Eastern philosophy with Western contemporary dance. The company’s name comes from the Japanese word for heart, soul, and spirit. This choice signaled their commitment to work that reaches beyond technical display.
Exploring Butoh and Japanese Aesthetics
When the partnership with Jay Hirabayashi began, they discovered butoh together. This Japanese art form became their central focus for over three decades. They didn’t simply replicate traditional butoh but created what she considers a unique Canadian aesthetic.
From 1986 forward, intensive study with multiple butoh masters shaped their approach. They immersed themselves in the form’s principles while maintaining their Western movement background. The fusion requires deep respect for butoh’s Japanese origins while acknowledging their own cultural perspectives.
She views butoh as part of dance’s ongoing evolution, not a fixed style. Like Balanchine’s innovations that shocked audiences but became absorbed into vocabulary, butoh’s influence now permeates contemporary dance globally. Choreographers often incorporate its principles without explicitly making butoh work.
Kokoro Dance Theatre Society incorporated as a non-profit on July 31, 1986. This formal structure provided stability for their cross-cultural artistic research. Their work demonstrates that authentic cultural fusion requires time—thirty-three years of dedicated study reveals depth that superficial appropriation never achieves.
Notable Collaborations and International Impact
Building infrastructure for the entire dance community became their next logical step. After establishing Kokoro Dance, they recognized Vancouver needed more presenting opportunities.
Partnership with Jay Hirabayashi
Their artistic collaboration spans over four decades. Jay Hirabayashi brought his Japanese Canadian heritage and contemporary dance background.
This partnership created work neither artist could produce alone. Their cultural perspectives complemented each other perfectly.
They continue creating new duets after forty-two years of collaboration. This longevity demonstrates their commitment to artistic growth.
Establishing International Dance Festivals
The Vancouver International Dance Festival launched in 2000. It brought global artists to local audiences for the first time.
This international dance festival reflected their belief in cultural exchange. Exposure to diverse practices strengthens entire communities.
Kokoro Dance’s tours across four continents validated their artistic vision. The company’s international impact grew steadily through dedicated work.
Recurring Themes: Art, Community, and Resilience
For the artist, choreography began as a physical necessity. It was a way to release the movement building inside her.
This early work felt like an exorcism. She needed to get the physical impulses out into space and gesture.
Forty-five years later, that internal wellspring has changed. Barbara Bourget notes with humor that she has less movement demanding release.
Her artistic goal remains constant: communication. She uses dance to express what words cannot, trusting movement to connect directly with viewers.
A profound personal loss reshaped her work in 2006. Her sister, Linda McCrae, passed away, and the artist channeled her grief into creation.
McCrae’s own life was a lesson in resilience. Paralyzed after a car accident at twenty-four, she became a lawyer, refusing to let disability define her.
This determination inspired the choreographer. She created “Tabula Rasa,” a piece expressing sadness while celebrating her sister’s life.
The work evolved over time, a common process for significant pieces:
- First staged with SFU students in 2006.
- Re-set for Aura Dance Theatre in 2007.
- Performed by Kokoro Dance at the Vancouver International Dance Festival in 2009.
This kind of artistic resilience mirrors the theme of the work itself. It shows how a single piece of art can grow, carrying personal history forward.
Studio Life and the Sensory Experience of Dance Spaces
The air in a dance studio holds the memory of every body that has moved there. It’s a particular kind of smell, impossible to describe but instantly familiar to any dancer. Sweat and effort seep into the floors and walls over time.
Vibrant Studio Environments and Their Characteristics
Floor quality defines the dancer’s experience. A sprung floor with bounce protects joints and allows for fearless jumps. Harbour Dance’s original location had soft, resilient floors that had absorbed years of movement.
Light is another essential element. Studios possess a unique brightness, whether from large windows or careful lighting. The Burnaby Arts Centre studio offered stunning views of Deer Lake, with light flooding in from all sides.
Bourget recalls the character of different spaces. New York studios often required climbs up several flights of stairs. You could feel the building’s bones vibrating with the work happening inside.
Spaces also tell stories of change. Paula Ross’s studio on West Broadway, where Bourget once trained, later became a laundromat. This shift reflects a common Vancouver story of arts spaces lost.
The Role of Space in Inspiring Movement
The right environment fuels creativity. A good studio provides a safe container for physical exploration. The way a space feels can directly influence the form a piece of dance takes.
Affordability was always a concern. Renting at the Western Front for $2 an hour was a bargain, but still a cost. Today, spaces like Simon Fraser University’s downtown campus offer cheap rentals when classes are not in session.
Kokoro Dance now operates from two studios in the Downtown Eastside. The spaces are oddly shaped but have the essential sprung floors. They provide a home for a unique kind of artistic work to continue.
Reflections on a Lifetime of Artistic Expression
In 2012, a solo work became a meditation on time, art, and the body’s inevitable changes. Barbara Bourget performed “A Simple Way” in her early sixties, confronting what Western dance culture typically avoids.
Honoring Personal and Collective Dance Journeys
Butoh’s embrace of elderly dancers offered a radical alternative to forms obsessed with youthful athleticism. Rather than hiding age’s marks, this practice lays them bare for honest exploration.
The piece examined her entire life in art. It traced decades of dedication to forms she loved enough to build a career around, despite financial struggles and physical wear.
She articulated a profound truth about performing arts. The work exists only in the shared moment, then vanishes. Each performance returns the artist to the beginning, regardless of previous success or failure.
This impermanence carries both sadness and joy. No triumph provides lasting security, yet there’s beauty in live presence’s fleeting nature. “A Simple Way” looked backward while moving forward, refusing to treat age as conclusion.
North American culture’s lack of reverence for age made her choice quietly radical. It challenged expectations about which bodies belong on stage and what they can express through dance.
Looking Forward: Sustaining the Dance Legacy
A new duet scheduled for September marks the latest chapter in a forty-two-year collaboration. Despite recent knee surgery, Barbara Bourget plans to participate in the annual Wreck Beach Butoh performances. Her answer about dancing in ten years remains a resounding yes.
Kokoro Dance continues its mandate to redefine Canadian culture through diverse work. The company creates performances for theatres, schools, and jazz clubs. This versatility reflects sustainable artistic practice.
Jo Kiyoshi Hirabayashi now serves as Executive Director, ensuring continuity. The company acknowledges performing on traditional Coast Salish territories. Bourget’s legacy extends beyond her own work to the infrastructure she built.
Her journey from ballet student to artistic director traces Canadian dance development. The fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics in her company offers a model for meaningful cross-cultural collaboration. This work continues to inspire new generations of artists.
