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MY Place for the arts

As a centre for dance, theatre, audio and visual recording, Millennium Place may help Whistler mature as a community Maurice Young Millennium Place is just a few weeks from completion, and Whistler’s arts community is anxiously awaiting the ribb

As a centre for dance, theatre, audio and visual recording, Millennium Place may help Whistler mature as a community

Maurice Young Millennium Place is just a few weeks from completion, and Whistler’s arts community is anxiously awaiting the ribbon-cutting.

A project that originally started as a meeting place for religious faiths has blossomed to include state of the art audio and video recording facilities as well as a theatre and dance rehearsal space. All three are firsts for our sports-based town, and could prove to be the outlet needed to start filling the cultural gaps in Whistler. And more than that, it may be the spark needed to light a fire under the feet – and imagination – of many artists-in-the-making.

"I can’t believe how many people have approached me," exclaims Trina Eby, director of Whistler’s newly-formed Whistler Dance Society. "Even just the other day I was sitting in a restaurant and the waitress overheard me talking and it turns out she’s had many years of formal training and has danced professionally."

Already more than 50 people have come forward to volunteer on the Whistler Dance Society Committee, with many more anxious to sign on to the society’s dance classes and programs, which include break dancing, jazz, ballet, funk and hip hop, recreational dance and pilates. Registration forms are already available from MY Place offices and classes are set to start next week.

Eby has ensured the extensive variety of dance courses are suitable for all age ranges and abilities. Those interested will be able to pay a one-time drop-in fee, purchase a card to be used for multiple drop-ins, or register to be part of a more structured three or four week course.

Eby says she has had no trouble finding instructors. She is a teacher herself, as well as a director and choreographer and has danced with companies around the world. She’s joined by highly-qualified instructors: Peggy Croney, Michelle Fulford, Carlee Howell, Nanci Potten, Tami Ross and Shawne Rothwell, some of whom have better than 20 years experience.

Finding space had been the snag in Eby’s vision, and she smiles when she speaks of watching construction progress on the MY Place theatre. One has to bear in mind that the theatre is a multi-purpose space, to be used for such functions as religious worship and conferences. It may prove technically challenging for high end productions, but in terms of the dance society, it will be tremendously accommodating.

"The theatre is fantastic, but for very specific purposes," says Eby. "It’s rare that you can have theatre space that can be stripped right down to nothing, so in some respects it’s a very post-modern concept. But obviously it will mean having very low technical requirements. You can’t fly anything for example, but the lighting should be quite good. It has a lot of potential."

The computer-run lighting and sound board is very up-to-date, also offering the possibility of multi-media performances incorporating slide and film projection. Eby is hoping to take advantage of the system this summer by enlisting the talents of Marlise Yearby, the choreographer for the award-winning play Rent. Yearby does interdisciplinary work in contemporary dance and voice and dance for musical theatre.

Students will be permitted to rehearse right in the theatre, an experience that is not common but very beneficial to developing confidence. They get an immediate feel for the physical space as well as the atmosphere and stage presence. The floor is sprung, a must for serious dance recitals or live music performances, with the option of rolling in a marley floor covering appropriate for ballet. Anticipating a high level of interest in the dance classes, MY Place has already started ordering dance bars for its other multipurpose rooms to be used for rehearsal overflow or scheduling conflicts.

Acoustics were actually the first priority of the theatre. The drop ceiling was one of the most time consuming projects in its construction. Its arched design is made of vent wood, thin strips of fir with gaps in between each piece.

"There’s a much larger structure above that," says Rob Hallam, MY Place General Manager. "The perspective from an audience member is that you’re in an intimate space. The curve of course is for acoustics and to draw the focal point to the stage. From a sound perspective, what’s happens is the sounds goes through the vent wood and rattles around in the ceiling, so you get great acoustics happening up there."

And for those singers, dancers and actors who wish their performances recorded, MY Place will have top-quality capabilities on site. Local musician and world recording artist, Kibwe, has donated his personal equipment to the new MY Place recording studio. The facility will be accessible to everyone in the general public, from those who wish to take classes in music production to those who actually want to produce their own album. Original thoughts on MY Place did not include the studio, but Kibwe’s offer seemed a natural progression for Whistler’s growing music scene. And MY Place officials have held up their end of things by paying close attention to proper sound isolation and dynamics.

"Sound travels through concrete so the concrete had to be cut so the sound couldn’t be transferred," says Hallam. "There is both a suspended floor and suspended ceiling. The ceiling is specially configured because sound engineers don’t like 90 degree angles."

Jim Budge and Steve Podborski wanted to take the facility a step further with their video expertise. Thanks in large part to the sponsorship of Apple, MY Place will also house a top-notch video production and editing suite. The suite will also be used for instructional purposes, with classes extending to editing your own digital photos, shooting and producing your own home movie and graphic computer design. The suite goes hand in hand with the audio centre for bands wishing to record a CD, design their own cover and shoot their first video. And for the semi-professional and professional videographers, the suite and its top quality equipment may be rented by the hour.

"We’ll have the Final Cut Pro program," says Podborski. "We have a couple of Mac G4 dual processor computers, so they’re just about the fastest computers on the planet. You know how they talk about having the first computer with a giga flop? We’ve got computers with two of those processors in them. We use Final Cut Pro with that and it’s a very sophisticated business. It’s just one step away from TV editing systems. If someone wanted to make a ski or snowboard video, or mountain biking, and wanted really detailed special effects, this would be for them."

The one obvious omission from Maurice Young Millenium Place is the visual arts. Wall space has been allotted for local artist use only, but there are no specific studio or instructional spaces.

"A committee has been set up to structure a policy about hanging art, which artists will be on the walls and how to rotate that space," says Hallam.

He adds that there had been limited interest about a pottery studio in the building early on, but by the time a proposal was brought forth, the potential space had been allocated. Since then, there hasn’t been many visual art requests made of MY Place. Hallam speculates that many local artists are probably hoping for a real public gallery with proper space for creating, teaching and exhibiting. In the meantime, however, the arts multipurpose rooms are always open to any genre of art.

So while MY Place can’t be everything for everyone, it is a concept striving to please, and bring together, people with wide and varied interests.

"I contend that the worlds of art and sport aren’t really that far apart, they really lend themselves to each other," says Podborski. "I think this could really be the next step in Whistler maturing into a community rather than a list of special interest groups."