Dance Temple Cowichan
who we are.
We are a collective of music makers and movement lovers.
GUESTS
Ali Genevieve & Chris Bertin have been weaving their passion for music, dance, community and each other for 18 years. Ali & Chris began hosting ecstatic dance classes together in the Cowichan Valley in 2005. They have 3 children together and reside on acreage beside the Cowichan River submerged in nature.
This dynamic duo co-creates sound tapestries ranging from deep melodic beats to vocally infused tribal grooves. With Ali on the decks and Chris adding layers of live percussion and didgeridoo, this live + electronic music fusion inspires connection between the dancers and the music.
★Ali Genevieve has been dancing her whole life, beginning with figure skating at age 9, then at age 15 finding a new found passion for dance at a rave. She was very disillusioned by the culture surrounding the rave scene so when she came across ecstatic dance at 18 with Navaro Franco in Victoria, it felt like she arrived home. A safe, judgement free & substance free space where she could dance her heart out.
She began facilitating ecstatic dance classes in Duncan & Victoria with Chris playing live percussion in 2005. She then went on to study Kundalini Dance in 2006 with Leyolah Antara.
She is a clothing designer and seamstress for her clothing line ancientFUTURES. www.ancientfutures.ca
★Chris Bertin is a professional percussionist. Most of the instruments he plays he has hand made with the uptmost high quality and detail. He has been making instruments and playing for dancers for over 28 years. Chris began drumming for 5 rhythms classes in Victoria in 1998. A learned drummer, he has studied with teachers from around the world, with a focus on cultures that embrace drumming as a gateway to trance and transformation. Chris has spent many years touring and recording but always finds his way back to his roots in ecstatic dance culture. He has played with Chameleon, The Jeremy Walsh Band, Jill (Soasis) 5 rhythms classes, Navaro Francos ecstatic Dance classes, Marimba Muzuva and more.
For over 20 years his livelihood was selling his beautiful instruments and playing and touring as a professional percussionist. Now a family man, he works for Kinsol Timber building yellow cedar playgrounds. While still trying to fit music in wherever possible.
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Christy Greenwood co-founded Dance Temple Cowichan with Ali Genevieve in 2016. She is an Expressive Arts Therapist and Registered Therapeutic Counsellor offering nourishing creative experiences that gently attend to trauma recovery, mental health, emotional integration and embodiment. Christy has relocated to Malcolm Island and we are full of gratitude for all the work she did to start DT Cowichan with Ali Genevieve.
Christy created an online 'Rewilding From Within' chakra journey for those called to explore dance as soul medicine at home. She works, lives and plays with her family and human, animal & plant friends on the unceded territory of the Quw’utsun mustiimihw (Cowichan People) near the Cowichan River on Vancouver Island, BC.
christygreenwood.com // rewildingfromwithin.com
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Dance Temple Cowichan is made up of many moving parts. We give great thanks to all the DJ's, musicians and producers whose music we purchase to weave our sets together.
A big thanks to each and every dancer that dances across the floor. We could not do it without you. To every volunteer that carries speakers, drums and works the door we say :: THANK YOU ::
Another big thanks to the Dance Temple Victoria, Dance Temple Saltspring, Dance Temple Comox crews and for the incredible teacher that dance is in our lives.
We are also grateful for a number of guest DJ's that have come to play for us at Dance Temple Cowichan: Andrew Allsgood, Chantell Foss, Shauna Devlin, Mark Leung, Rowan Sentesy, Alan, Khan, Andy Willow Woodsmith, Lila.