Interview with Laurie Maher

Meet our newest Board Member!

Our writer-in-residence, Shivani Joshi, spoke with Laurie Maher about humor, inspiration and her connection with Nova Dance!

Laurie and I hop on zoom call, where we begin to introduce ourselves to each other. She tells me that she’s curious about other people, and that words are loose and fluid as they leave us. She’s right, they can evolve and develop beyond the moment of inception. Here is what she shares with me about herself and her relationship with Nova:

Tell me a bit about yourself!

I was born in Montreal originally, and my family moved to Nova Scotia when I was seven. So I spent my teenage years in Nova Scotia, and I really was charmed when Nova told me the meaning of her name. Anyways, I came here at 18 to study at TMU, or Ryerson at the time, and I studied fashion design. After spending time in Europe, I came back to Canada, and I worked in film, doing alterations and things like that. But I gravitated towards film and set design and ended up being a painter for film. It was fun driving around with a crew and working at really weird places. I left the industry and did many different things for a while. I sort of was a renaissance person, dabbling in the arts and producing. I worked on a stop motion animation for 4 years and it ended up getting nominated for an Oscar! That was my 15 minutes of fame, having lunch next to George Clooney (laughs), well he was at the next table. My credit in the movie was as a choreographer, and the puppet doesn’t dance. But they gave me a character, and I really understood the character.

I had done some work in events, and I ended up working at MAC Cosmetics working for a man called Phillip Ing. Fashion King ran for 25 years, and it was a fashion show that raised money for AIDS research and support. And that was close to my heart because I worked in the creative community, and it was hit hard by that disease back then. I stayed there for a long time and we did what would now be called experiential marketing. We did guerilla marketing campaigns or marketing campaigns that involved performances or experiences for the consumer. Everything was done by word of mouth, so it was really disruptive. They were the first company to have a man represent them. MAC’s first representative was Rupaul. They had never had a drag queen represent a makeup campaign. It was a very inclusive, ground-breaking company.

How were you introduced to Nova and her organization?

My partner is her husband’s very close friend. I met Nova through Mark. We met socially, and then I found out she was a dancer, and I went to Discover Dance and some outdoor dance on the Esplanade.

I loved her playfulness. One of the performances I saw at the beginning was one where she put earbuds in so we couldn’t hear the music, we could only see her dance. And then, at the end, she made us guess what some she was dancing to (laughs). That appeals to my brain in so many ways, I love that. Humor is always my way in, so I’m happy when we can laugh.

Where else did you see humor in Nova’s work?

I loved Svaha, there was playful nature. Svaha was such a journey. You didn’t really know what you were going to get. Dance can be quite intimidating for people, they sit in the audience thinking, am I going to get this, or is this going to go over my head? I think Svaha was for everyone in the audience, it was conceptual, and modern, and accessible. At the end, when everyone started to freestyle, I was just euphoric. I stood up and cheered, I mean, who stands up and cheers at a dance performance? She broke boundaries and created something that I have never been involved in!

How would you describe Nova’s aesthetic?

Her personal aesthetic? It’s rock and roll! And its rich, beautiful, and soulful. There’s a lot there, she’s full of flavour. And she’s got an intelligent sense of humor; it’s witty, and sensual too.

Is there an artistic practice that you’ve reconnected during the pandemic?

Yes, but it wasn’t an artistic practice. I was ready to take a break from flying and work. My cousin here in Toronto has a 4-year-old boy, and I’m Aunty Laurie. He’s my cousin’s son, and I basically went back to being a kindergarten student, and I really enjoyed it. We just played every day, rode our bicycles, and did experiments. I don’t have kids of my own, so I got the gift of being with him all the time. Going from MAC and its’ high-pressure environment, into being with him, I was in heaven.

Is there something in this that you continue to hold onto?

It made me realize that I wanted to shift gears in my career and life, and I wanted to slow down. I think it was a common realization for people, to slow down and be in moment. It hit me really hard. I spent quite a bit of time in Dundas, Ontario, and I spent time renovating, hiking, and spending time in nature. Less is more. I spend a little more time drawing and painting, but I want to do more of that. And more movement too!

What is inspiring you?

I love smiling at people on the sidewalk and see what they do. It’s contagious, so I like to play with that.