VISION

©David Cooper

Dance//Novella researches and develops groundbreaking dance theatre to push the boundaries of how it can exist within contemporary society. We craft bold, embodied narratives where movement and story collide, using theatre as a ritual mirror to reflect, disrupt, and reimagine the complexity of being human. Our work is rooted in collaboration, mentorship, and public performance, extending across disciplines and cultures to amplify diverse voices and experiences. We are committed to continuous learning, artistic risk, and dismantling colonial frameworks, striving to make dance theatre a reflective, accessible, and transformative force, for both artists and audiences alike.

HISTORY

©Philip Jarmain

Dance//Novella was founded in 2019 by Racheal Prince and Brandon Lee Alley, both former Ballet BC artists. Early works were featured in Ballet BC’s Take Form and Men In Dance in Seattle.

In 2022, the company developed When the Walls Come Down, an ASL-integrated work created in partnership with Deaf artists and based on the life of Caroline Hébert. It premiered through residencies at Ballet BC, Dance Victoria, and the Shadbolt Centre, and was later presented at the Vancouver International Dance Festival, SOUND OFF, International Dance Days, and Chutzpah! Festival.

In 2023, Dance//Novella launched a partnership with The Polygon Gallery, where they created STANCE and Night is the Mother with local artists. The Outdoor Summer Dance Series, now in its fourth year, features new site-specific works and opens each season with sold-out performances.

In 2024, the company joined the Banff Centre’s Dance Artist in Residence program to begin developing Soft Animals, a full-length work evolving from STANCE, under the mentorship of Alejandro Ronceria and Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen.

In 2025, Dance//Novella received its first international commission with Residual Trace for SALT Contemporary Dance in Salt Lake City. That same year, they were commissioned by Alberta Ballet to reimagine Spectre de la Rose for its Nijinsky program.

Dance//Novella also runs artist development programs including a five-week Emerging Artist Program and DUAL Immersion, a co-mentorship intensive for early-career and established artists.