If you read yesterday's post, you know that V'ni Dansi has a new home. That's the result of a pretty big change here at V'ni Dansi: in January, Kaen Séguin was hired as the company's first full-time General Manager. For three months, Kaen worked with LeftRight Minds' Allyson McGrane, who had been V'ni Dansi's Administrative Director since 2005. For another three months, we continued to share office space with LeftRight Minds until finding our own sweet space. 

Kaen has been working in the non-profit sector since she began to forge her professional path almost 20 years ago. In that time, she’s been “saving the world, one admin job at a time” for a range of organizations, from Save the Children Canada to the Vancouver International Film Festival. Her vast experience ranges from developing organizational systems to managing the front of house for established theatres. In her new role, Kaen will oversee all the administrative operations of a thriving dance company, from fundraising to financial planning, to booking events for Compaigni V'ni Dansi and the Louis Riel Métis Dancers – and everything in between!

Commenting on her new position, Kaen said: “For several years, I’ve felt a very strong drive to find a position that would let me take a true administrative lead. I’m so honoured and excited to have been given exactly this opportunity as the new General Manager for V’ni Dansi. And I feel especially blessed for the opportunity to devote my skills and talents, and to connect in such a meaningful way to my heritage.”

Allyson McGrane, Compaigni V'ni Dansi's outgoing Administrative Director, said: "We would like to thank the BC Arts Council and its Capacity and Sustainability program for the generous support which has meant the company can hire its first full-time General Manager. Hiring Ms. Séguin is an important step in the company's growth and development; I firmly believe that she will make significant contributions in the coming years.”

Artistic Director Yvonne Chartrand added: “Kaen has brought with her an already highly- developed skill set to take on the challenging requirements of the management of the company and does so with enthusiasm, eagerness, dedication, wit and humour. She will contribute great strengths in communication, while developing strategies to promote Compaigni V'ni Dansi's passion for the preservation of traditional Métis dance and innovation in contemporary dance theatre.”

Yvonne and Kaen look forward to an exciting 2013/2014 season, including the development of a contemporary solo piece for Yvonne, choreographed by prolific artist Robin Poitras, Co-Founder and Artistic Director for New Dance Horizons in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Earlier this week, the last items were liberated from LeftRight Minds storage and like a baby bird tumbling from its nest, V'ni Dansi is now learning to fly solo! We commemorated the event by breaking bread at Martini's with Allyson, Shane and Victor from LeftRight Minds. It's not farewell - we look forward to continued work with LeftRight Minds for our website and various IT needs. But it is the end of an era.... Allyson, Yvonne and Shane "formalized" their new relationship with a SUPERHUG!! (Apologies for the blurry photo..)