Yellowknife (Sep 10/04) - When Darha Phillpot and Karen Johnson get talking about dance, they begin finishing each other's sentences.

Dance has been a part of both their lives since they were girls growing up in Yellowknife. Both left town to study dance at university, and both came home to teach dance classes on the side while working at full-time jobs.

Darha Phillpot and Karen Johnson are starting a contemporary dance company in Yellowknife. An open audition will take place Sept. 19. - Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo

Now they both feel Yellowknife needs a contemporary dance company, so they decided to start one together.

"There's a lot of other kinds of dance here," said Phillpot, referring to Yellowknife's groups for highland dance, Scottish country dance, Ukrainian dance, salsa and belly dance.

"We've had contemporary dance companies in the past, but it's been quite a while," said Johnson. "When we were growing up, it was very big. Shows would sell out."

Armed with a grant from the NWT Arts Council, the two are holding an audition for the Crazy Legs Dance Company, Sept. 19.

They hope to attract potential dancers aged 15 and up to the gymnasium of NJ Macpherson school.

But does a city the size of Yellowknife have enough untapped talent to form a modern dance company of 12 to 14 members?

"Definitely," said Johnson.

The two said Yellowknife is home to a few former professional dancers, and Johnson and Phillpot have trained many other amateurs over the past seven or eight years.

They also hope people with a background in movement, if not dance per se, will try out.

People with training in other forms such as yoga, pilates, martial arts, theatre or gymnastics would be an asset, allowing the two choreographers room to experiment.

The audition itself will be relaxed and non-competitive, and the two dance teachers hope to attract potential dancers of both sexes and any experience level.

"Look at it as a fun, free, two-hour class," said Johnson.

Even if you're not selected, there will be other ways to help out the group, such as lights, costume and make-up.

Johnson and Phillpot will create four short works that express aspects of their experiences living in the North. The finished dance works will be performed May 20 and 21 at NACC.

One obstacle they have yet to overcome is the lack of a permanent rehearsal space.

Their options at the moment are renting space at a school gymnasium, the Tungsten Room of the Yellowknife Inn, or the new dance academy on Old Airport Road. All are already heavily booked.

But having already conquered the financial hurdle by getting the NWT Arts Council grant, Phillpot and Johnson are determined to make Crazy Legs a reality in Yellowknife and maybe, somewhere down the road, take the company on tour.