We look forward to welcoming the work of local artist Tara Butler to the In the Park series at this year’s festival. We were first introduced to this piece, It Falls with The Rain, in 2024 when Tara was Guelph Dance’s Artist-in-Residence. This 2026 iteration features professional dancers, plus a cast of youth dancers from Guelph Youth Dance performing at Exhibition Park (Friday June 5 & Saturday June 6) and Orin Reid Park (Sunday June 7). Tara reveals insight into the work’s inspiration and the creative process for the upcoming performances.
What motivated the creation of the work you are presenting at the Guelph Dance Festival?
Tara: My children are growing quickly, and as I age I find myself contemplating what I will be leaving behind for them. The idea of microplastics infiltrating our lives unnoticed is deeply unsettling. This work emerges from that unease — a desire to confront what is quietly accumulating in our waters and within us. I recognize this anxiety is not mine alone; many carry similar fears, often silently. In giving it form, I hope the work offers a reminder that we are not alone in our worry, and that collective witnessing can be a form of comfort and resolve. It Falls with the Rain offers an embodied reckoning with interdependence, responsibility, and care.
When did you start creating It Falls with The Rain? And how has it evolved since its inception?
Tara: The work evolved from a 5 day residency supported by the Registry Theatre in Kitchener in 2022. It was a short but fruitful exploration which was leveraged into support from Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for further creation. This included development of the first 60 minute draft with 5 dancers and the score composed by Edgardo Moreno. We then supported by a residency with Guelph Dance Festival in 2024 which furthered the work and expanded the piece to include a 26 foot plastic tether used as partner, life line, anchor and snare. We are thrilled that excerpts from the full work will be performed this year at Guelph Dance Festival.
What role has collaboration played in the creation and performance of this work?
Tara: My creative process leans into the instincts and creativity of each dance artist. The movement development was led by my vision and inspired by the natural tendencies and instincts of each individual dancer. We would create sections and I would identify key structural arcs and ideas to composer Edgardo Moreno and he would expertly develop and translate my words and the choreography into music. I have also had support from my dramaturg Lisa O’connell and the amazing multidisciplinary artist/ sculptor Roshan James who created the 26 foot tether from house hold plastics accumulated over the course of the past 2 years. Collaboration is key to my creative process.
In this iteration I have had the opportunity to include dancers from Guelph Youth Dance. It has been a delight to see these student dancers rise to the challenge and have the opportunity to perform with professional dancers and as a choreographer I have enjoyed witnessing the power of a larger cast.
Is there anything you hope the audience will take away from the performance in Guelph?
Tara: This work is not meant to instruct or offer specific environmental messaging. It is really a mother’s perspective of the worry we carry surrounding our dependency on plastic and how this affects our waterways. It is meant as an opportunity to connect on a shared concern and desire for hope.