This is blog for and about my friend Danse Crowkiller, a carver who lives and works on Commercial Drive.
I'm calling this site 'My Friend Danse' not only because Danse is my friend, but a friend to many, who live, work, shop and pass through this neighbourhood. So the 'my' is definitely not proprietary, but a way of saying that Danse is my friend, your friend, and a lot of peoples' friend.
I first started hanging out with Danse in the summer of this year, even though I'd known him by sight for at least the past three. At the close of June my last job (renovations on the Bosmans Motor Inn for the Portland Hotel Society) ended, and I hit an almost unrelieved streak of broke-ness for the following months (half of Summer, all of Fall, until just now, actually).
What I found was: without a lot of money, or almost no money, one had to learn to be resourceful in a lot of other ways. I also found out how much friendships, as well as an attitude of unspoken generosity and the practise of sharing, really counted. In many aspects this experience deepened a lot of existing relationships, forged new friendships, and sharpened a keener sense of appreciation – for living itself, as well as 'things' like food, drink, companionship, sunshine, and kindness.
So, one night in August I had a couple of friends over in my yard - Sven, and some drunken fella he'd met in a bar downtown. It was a night of talking about this and that, and at the end of the evening Sven pulled out the remaining coins from his pocket and pressed them into my palms, before borrowing my bike to go home.
I took a stroll down to the Drive, and Danse was sitting on a bench outside one of the cornerstores, near the 4 Brothers pizza joint. He trying to sell one of his pieces, and also asking for food or money from passersby…I had about $7 in loose change donated by Sven in my pocket and so could afford to feel magnaminous (in a modest way). Danse didn't want to overload his gut with the usual pizza donation, so we went into the store together, and I bought some organic popcorn, and then we sat on the bench outside and ate the whole bag together, because I was also pretty hungry! We also shared our nutritious grub with some random (and slightly soused) guy who walked by, and hung out and shot the breeze with us for a while.
That was the beginning of my friendship with Danse.
Ever since then, if I'm in a position to do so, I do what I can to help him out. Sometimes with a bit of money, or a cigarette, or finding an X-acto knife when he's lost one, or donating a bag which he needs. And Danse too will sometimes bum me a smoke or a nutrition bar or whatever he has on hand. When I don't have any money, I know at least I can always afford to share my time with people, and Danse is probably of the same mind.
Shortly after meeting Danse, I thought of organizing a show for him, thinking maybe at Little Mountain Gallery where I help out and occasionally organize stuff. And around the same time I thought of starting a web and video blog to record the process of Danse making works for that show.
The idea was to help find material for Danse to work on larger pieces, as well as source out a place where he can stow his stuff securely. One of Danse's challenges with living on the street (at least until Monday, as he has finally got lodgings) is that things get stolen or taken from him on a regular basis. For example, he spent an entire week working on a raven mask, and had just oiled it, and woke up the morning after to find it had been jacked from his bag while he was sleeping. Or, sometimes he just loses stuff.
On another occasion (prior to my knowing him) the cops confiscated Danse's carving equipment, on the pretext that they were potentially dangerous weapons! Outrageous, I know!
So, what I'm trying to do with this site is also get a small community involved in helping Danse to not only realise this project of exhibiting his work, but to help in any way to make Danse's life easier. So occasionally this will be in the form of soliciting materials, space, food, clothing, sleeping bags, and more.
I feel Danse is very modest in his needs and wants, but a little can go a long way for him. So please feel free to contact me here if there're any ways you can think of helping.
I'd like to organize this show for the new year. And part of the project will involve Danse and me recording the process of him making new works, talking about his life, and also the meaning of Raven, Hummingbird, Bear, and the whole cosmology of totem creatures that inform First Nations art, culture, practice and belief.
So, expect videos to be posted here on a regular basis, as well as a checklist of items we might need to make this project happen.
Danse, I discovered over the fall, is already featured in at least two documentaries about his life, one made by the CBC, and the other, called 'The Purpose of Life is Rice…Wink', which he made in collaboration with Sterling Pache, a local filmmaker,and produced by Romantic Child Studios in Vancouver. It screened at the Reel Justice Film Festival, and is part of a thirteen-part workshop in Vancouver highschools to raise awareness around homeless issues.
Here's a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjm7RyqjD7s
Danse sells copies of both films at his spot outside the Food Co-op on Commercial. Feel free to ask for a copy (usually going for $5, but if you can afford more. please do!).
Thanks,
Kajin
