The Ruralesque Performers
Candice Pike, Hilary Knee and Josh Murphy are three Newfoundland and Labrador dance artists at the heart of Ruralesque – a show at the intersection of contemporary dance, burlesque, traditional Newfoundland culture and community concert! After knowing each other for over a decade, the group found themselves together in Corner Brook during a Covid-19 shut-down and began work on this show. They were supported in this process by 8th generation Newfoundlander, Lois Brown whose first-hand experience of the NL cultural renaissance and the development of “new dance” here has shaped the performance and flow of rehearsals. As choreographers, performers, and dance teachers this group is interested in exploring ideas of belonging, self-reliance, and stretching the limits of everything they’ve learned to date about what dance performance should be! They continue to create new work together and are currently developing a site-specific, community/artist collaboration, “The Track” (2024).
Josh Murphy
is a dance artist and burlesque/drag performer based in St. John’s, NL. Murphy trained at York University earning his BFA in Dance in 2017.
Recent credits include national and international tours with BoylesqueTO, showcasing as a Featured Artist at Hold Fast Contemporary Arts Festival in Summer 2022, and Assistant Movement Directing for Artistic Fraud's I Forgive You, directed by Jillian Keiley at the NAC in 2023. As well, he’s been touring “Ruralesque” with Candice Pike and Hilary Knee.
Murphy has worked on film projects from music videos for Donovan Woods, to artistic responses to Kent Monkman’s visual art with The Rooms. Murphy’s drag persona “Newfound Lad” was featured on Season 2 of OutTV’s Call Me Mother wherein he showcased the intersections of drag and burlesque.
Murphy has also filled the role of producer and curator for evenings of variety entertainment/art for The Festival of New Dance.
https://www.instagram.com/newfoundladto/
Hilary Knee
Corner Brook born dance artist, choreographer, and teacher, Hilary Knee, studied contemporary dance at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre receiving the Sharon Moore Solo Project upon graduation in 2016.
Hilary has performed at dance festivals across Canada including Canada Dance Festival, Guelph Dance, and Neighbourhood Dance Works' Festival of New Dance.
Since relocating to Newfoundland, Knee joined creative forces with Candice Pike and Josh Murphy. Together the trio has performed their show, Ruralesque, an intersection of contemporary dance, burlesque, and embodied experiences of Newfoundland culture, throughout Atlantic Canada.
As a choreographer and solo performer, Hilary continues to expand her repertoire, recently collaborating with beloved NL musician Geraldine Hollett on their work “of the earth, propelling forward”, and most recently, “to unwind a sea shell” with composer Robert Humber.
Candice Pike
is a dance artist, educator, and administrator based in Corner Brook, NL. She uses a gentle approach to create, interpret, and share dance through both a somatic and intellectual lens. With an eclectic background of movement, artistic, and administrative experience she continues to consider ways of developing dance practices in rural areas. Her latest projects include a full-length dance work, Ruralesque, that sits at the intersection of contemporary dance, queer burlesque, and traditional Newfoundland culture, and a new site-specific community and artist collaboration in her Curling Neighbourhood. Candice also practices 'community networking choreography' by designing and facilitating a number of arts engagement and mentorship programs.
Candice received a MA degree in Dance from York University, is an ISMETA Registered Somatic Dance Educator, and has a post-secondary certificate in dance education. As a dance educator, she is committed to empowering people to understand their own incredible potential for movement and creativity. She has facilitated classes and workshops using her unique approach to movement, improvisation, and creativity education for private studios and community organizations and has also developed and taught integrated arts curricula in public schools and post-secondary institutions. Candice’s students have gone on to study dance at the post secondary level – in Canada and abroad. She has recently launched a variety of professional development programs for dancers and educators to help build a world where everyone has access to supportive dance education.
Candice volunteers with a number of different Canadian arts and dance organizations and works as a consultant for not-for-profit organizations. She is currently the Artistic Associate at Neighbourhood Dance Works.
Candice was the 2021 recipient of the Diane Moore Legacy Award from Live Art Dance for her work on Ruralesque. In 2017 Candice was awarded the Corner Brook ACE award for Overall Artist of the Year. And she was 2014 recipient of Neighbourhood Dance Works’ Roberta Thomas Legacy Award.