EDAM

EDAM (an acronym for Experimental Dance and Music) is both a physical space, and a dance Company. It was formed in 1982 by seven independent artists: Peter Bingham, Jay Hirabayashi, Lola MacLaughlin, Jennifer Mascall, Peter Ryan, Barbara Bourget and Ahmed Hassan. In 1989, Peter Bingham became EDAM's sole Artistic Director and the Company has flourished under his guidance since then.

Bingham began performing in 1977 and is a pioneer of Contact Improvisation, a dance form that emphasizes flow and the cooperative exchange of weight between partners. Peter has created over 100 choreographed works and performed in hundreds of improvised performances in theatres, dance festivals and universities across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. He is also the central figure in the book "The Man Next Door Dances: The Art of Peter Bingham" by Kaija Pepper published in 2008. Now, a mature artist, Bingham continues to position the Company within the changing ecology of the form and finds innovative ways to foster opportunities for community.

EDAM’s mission is to provide a stable and fertile environment for the development of contemporary dance through teaching, training, as well as the creation and production of choreography and the art of contact improvisation. We value collaboration, artistic dialogue, community engagement, integration and continuity. The Company has three key programming objectives:

·         Creating, producing and disseminating the choreography, improvisations and collaborations of Artistic Director Peter Bingham

·         supporting the creation and production of  works by local, national and international choreographers and improvisers

·         training dancers in Contact Improvisation, improvisation and complementary techniques