Performances, Profiles
Discover Old/New/Borrowed/Blue – An Interview with Founder in Residence and Choreographer Vicki Adams Willis
DJD Founder in Residence Vicki Adams Willis carries on a family tradition that began when her mother, Alice Murdoch Adams, opened one of Calgary’s first dance schools in the 1920s. In addition to teaching and choreographing for countless local and international organizations, Vicki founded the Jazz Division in UCalgary’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Program of Dance in 1978 and co-founded Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in 1984 where she continued her role as Artistic Director for 29 years. Recent additions to her many accolades include UCalgary’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta’s 2021 Distinguished Artist Award, her 2022 induction into Canada’s Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame, and a 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Click the video below to watch Kimberley Cooper interview Vicki about the pieces that are returning to the DJD stage in Old/New/Borrowed/Blue – Night Walk and Every Tap Show Needs a Soft Shoe.