Springboard is a performance put on by Bare Bait Dance (BBD) every year. The performance is a choreographic showcase with guest choreographers, company dancers, apprentice dancers and guest dancers.

Bare Bait Dance is a contemporary modern dance company in Missoula. It was founded in 2011 by Joy French, the artistic director. According to their website, the company strives to, “increase the availability of contemporary dance to both the Missoula community as well as rural Montana communities which are largely under served in the performing arts, build an accessibility to dance by producing concerts that speak directly to contemporary western audiences and by fostering more possibilities for dance education both in the public schools and our communities, [and] collaborate directly with local artists to create interdisciplinary dance productions.”

Their main goal is to “strengthen the Montana dance community by providing paid performance jobs to highly skilled professional dancers, nurturing their creative work as choreographers, and facilitating opportunities for them to expand as teachers, present performers and choreographers from around the region and nation in order to cultivate a richer appreciation for contemporary dance and dance field as a whole.”

BBD was supposed to perform Springboard for two consecutive weekends but had to delay their opening due to COVID-19 concerns. As they had to limit their performances to one weekend, Jan. 21-23, they performed one show on Friday and added two shows for Saturday and Sunday. The performances were held at the West Side Theater. BBD had to limit their capacity to a third of what they can typically do. This meant about 50 people could attend each performance.

The company choreographers for Springboard 22 were Maeve Fahey, Joy French, Tara McFarland, Tiki Preston, Grace Nolan, Ruby Roberts, and guest choreographers Faith Morrison and Ashley Zhinin. I was one of the performers for the show as well as Lizzie Archer, Mackenzie Black, Shenoah Curley-Wildshoe, Maeve Fahey, Cate Gibbons, Audrey Kurz, Tara McFarland, Grace Nolan, Tiki Preston, Ruby Roberts, Jessica Shontz and Regan Tintzman.

Bare Bait Dance has an Apprentice Program that “invites Missoula’s most talented young dancers to train, create, be mentored by and perform with the Company.” I am one of the three apprentices for the ‘21-’22 season, along with fellow Hellgate students Audrey Kurz and Cate Gibbons. These dancers participate in the seasonal performances and attend weekly company classes and rehearsals on Sundays and Tuesdays.

Audrey Kurz, a senior, has been an apprentice for three years. When asked why she does BBD she said, “It’s just one more opportunity to dance and perform which I love! I love the community and being able to dance with the company members in a professional setting is pretty cool and a great experience for us apprentices.”

After being asked how Springboard went, Kurz responded, “I think Springboard went pretty good given all the obstacles of COVID. I’m super glad we got to perform in front of an audience since BBD hasn’t been able to do that for about two years. It was a bit challenging doing two shows in a row. It was an exhausting weekend, but still fun overall! I loved just getting to watch all the other pieces too. They were all fantastic. I might have loved watching the others more than actually dancing myself.”

Cate Gibbons, a junior and first year apprentice, said, “I dance with BBD to get the opportunity to learn from and dance with such talented dancers.” When asked how Springboard went, Gibbons replied, “I think Springboard went very well and my favorite part was definitely getting to dance in front of a live audience again. I think it was overall a really good experience!”

Zora Ybarra, a junior at Hellgate, attended the performance. She said, “I went to Springboard because all of the Bare Bait shows are eye-catching and I love being with the dance community as well as watching all my friends dance.” When asked what her favorite piece was, Ybarra said, “I forget the exact names, but I would say I liked the last piece with the pjs and dresses (Slumber (Party)). I thought it was really different and fun. I also loved “That’s What All the People Say” and the one Tiki and Grace performed (Wings Not Yet Folded).”

She continued, “Something I found interesting was just how each dance is so entertaining to watch. Every dance is so different and fun. I specifically remember really liking all the costumes as well. Overall, I thought the performance was great. My overall take on it was how professional all the dances were and the company as a whole. I’m so happy I went to Springboard because I love seeing every show they do and to see what they will do next with costumes and choreography! It’s so inspiring too!”

Elena Vesovich, a senior at Hellgate, said, “I went to Springboard to watch my friends and fellow teammates.” Vesovich is the captain of the Hellgate Varsity Dance Team. Kurz and I are also on the Hellgate Varsity Dance Team and dance with Vesovich. She continued, “I love watching and supporting my friends dance and also just seeing any dance in general.” When asked what her favorite piece was, she responded, “My favorite piece was Tiki’s piece. I thought it was interesting that every piece was super different. It made it very interesting and engaging to watch. I thought Springboard was a beautiful show and I thought it was especially lovely to see everyone’s faces!”

Bare Bait Dance’s next project is Kinetoscope on March 5th and 6th. This is an international film festival held at the Roxy Theater. The company is currently working on When the Dust Settles for April 8-16. Bait Bare Dance has more big things in store for 2022. Make sure to attend the upcoming shows to witness beautiful dance.