Thursday, March 26, 2009

March 1, 1952, March 6, 2009


While reading today’s Vancouver Sun entertainment section Life I noticed what had to be a typo:

Discover Dance: Lola Dance
Scotiabank Dance Centre

Described as the late choreographer Lola MacLaughlin’s most stunning dance creation, Provincial Essays is…


“The late choreographer Lola Maclaughlin,”I said to myself. "That cannot be true.I never read about it." Since I never watch local TV news and my only source of local news is the Vancouver Sun or CBC Radio, when I am in the car, I had somehow missed this important tragedy in Vancouver's dance community.



A former Vancouver Sun dance critic confirmed that the Vancouver Sun had run a paid obituary when Lola MacLaughlin died March 6 of ovarian cancer. A Vancouver Sun staffer confirmed this on the phone and had no explanation for the oversight. I checked the web and noticed that the Province ran a large obituary as did the Globe & Mail. Max Wyman wrote and obituary after the fact.



In 1998 I received a call from Lola Maclaughlin asking me if I could take the promotional pictures for her new dance, Four Solos. I explained to Maclaughlin that I knew how to take portraits but did not have a clue how to shoot dance. She was persuasive on the phone, "Alex I know you can do this and besides I will be there to help you." Four Solos involved four different cities in Europe. The dancers were Fiona MacDonald (Venice), Susan Elliott, Jennifer Murray and Hope Terry.







In my files I found one promo piece card, with Fiona Macdonald on it, that seemed to have been stepped on! It's all I have besides all those fine negatives that Lola Maclaughlin somehow knew I had in me to take. The picture of Maclaughlin with the male dancer is with Cornelius Fischer-Credo. I will miss Lola Maclaughlin and I feel ashamed. I am ashamed that our city newspaper missed giving her the tribute that she so deserved for her contribution to the cultural wellbeing of our existence.

Addendum

I miss Lola so much. Thank you for your thoughts and words on the passing of my dear friend. I hope you can join us on April 6th at the Dance Centre, a celebration of her life 4:30-6:30pm.

The other dancers in the show were: Andrea Gunnlaugson: Vienna (replacing Fiona Macdonald,) Jen Murray as Berlin, myself as Brussels and Hope Terry as Venice.

all my best,
Susan