"As we crossed into the new millennium, Anderson looked intensely at Canada’s contemporary dance artists and the work they were creating … what they were thinking about … what they were doing … what movement vocabularies were being used. What was the state of the art? A week long visit to the 1998 Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa provided a cross section of new dance works for Anderson’s eye. She records what she saw and what she didn’t see, giving high praise for the skill of the dancers. Her musings on the choreographic works provide insights into the directions and subjects – reflections on the society’s mindset at the time. Anderson also wonders about the trends – competition, industrial influences, changing infrastructures and dwindling resources, dance and cultural diversity, as well as what presenters and dance community members were thinking and talking about. All this, rounded off with a concise history of the Canadian dance festival as a cultural phenomenon" -- publisher.

Arts Education 6, Arts Education 7, Arts Education 8, Arts Education 9 (2009). Canadiana.

Introduction -- A nine-days journey -- On dancers -- Men, women, money -- Beyond performance -- On environment, dance and space -- Diversity -- Thinking it over -- Roundtable discussion -- A brief history of the festivals in Canada -- Sources.