About OURO Collective
OURO Collective (OURO) creates and produces new dance works on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and the City of Vancouver. We wish to express our gratitude to the Indigenous people who have ties to this territory and acknowledge that we are guests on this land we work, play and live in as artists and settlers.
OURO was founded by Cristina Bucci, Rina Pellerin, Maiko Miyauchi, Dean Placzek, and Mark Siller in 2014. Fusing hip-hop, waacking, breaking, popping, house, and contemporary dance as their foundation, each street dancer has trained with the original founders of their respective dance styles and brings specific knowledge to the group aesthetic.
Since 2014, the collective has created over ten digital and live works which have been presented across Canada and internationally at festivals and venues including Dancing on the Edge (CA), Dance Allsorts (CA), Vancouver International Dance Festival (CA), Guelph Dance Festival (CA), CypherFest (CA), Seattle International Dance Festival (US), Yachioza Kabuki Theatre (JP) and Machida Shimin Hall (JP), Quinzena de Dança de Almada (PT), and Frei Art Festival (DE).
The collective has also been featured in CBC Arts’ Exhibitionists and participated in and developed various outreach initiatives, including Share Dance Outreach Program, Immigrant Services Society, and The Power of Dance through The Dance Centre. OURO’s outreach activities have engaged with communities in the city of Revelstoke, Nelson, Trail, Nanaimo, Smithers, and included a tour to Campbell River, Alert Bay, and Sointula, through BC Movement Arts Society. Notable collaborations include a commission by Yarita Yu Ballet Company (Tokyo) to create a new work with 50 youth dancers and CLAY, a large-scale piece created in partnership with the KMA Orchestra (Kumamoto). OURO’s multidisciplinary creation HAKO, developed with public installation artists Tangible, premiered in a sold-out run at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts and was later remounted for Dance in Vancouver, Shambhala Music Festival, and the Vancouver Street Dance Festival.
In 2021, OURO received the Chrystal Dance Prize to collaborate with international artist Rauf Yasit (RubberLegz). The resulting work, 7y98D, includes a short film—premiered on NOWNESS and screened at Lago Film Fest (IT), Cinedans (NL), TANZAHOi (DE), and Mignolo International Screendance Festival (US) —and a full-length stage production performed at Fall for Dance North, La Serre, Vancouver Art Gallery, The Polygon Gallery, and OFF-DIV.
In 2024, OURO marked its 10th anniversary with the inaugural edition of OUROFEST—a free/by-donation four-day festival celebrating local and national street dance communities through performances, workshops, and community events. Through creation, presentation, and collaboration, OURO continues to expand the possibilities of street dance, championing its relevance in both contemporary performance and cultural dialogue.
Mandate
OURO was created to support and promote street dance artists/culture. As individual artists coming from diverse cultural and dance backgrounds, OURO sees collaboration as a catalyst for dialogue, creative innovation, and community building. United around the common goal of pushing the boundaries of how street dance-based works are created and presented, OURO is dedicated to creating performances that explore the full range of possibilities and identities the group represents. OURO Collective advances the public’s appreciation of street dance culture through dance classes, events/workshops, with a focus on youth engagement activities in smaller communities in BC and through creation of high-quality dance work for public presentation.
Mission
We create artistically innovative, socially accessible and community-minded performances through our unique amalgamation of street and contemporary dance techniques. We are committed to producing content that extends beyond our immediate social circles or individual dance communities. We envision breaking down the separation, not just between the disparate arts communities, but between the audience and the performers as well. We honour the true spirit of street dance as an art form that brings people together regardless of their background or dance experience.