A collective of Vancouver-based dance artists committed to the creation and performance of new work inspired by both urban and contemporary dance.

The 605 Collective formed in Fall 2006 out of a small live/work space in East Van where founding members, Shay Kuebler, Josh Martin and Lisa Gelley – 3 like-minded, but very different dance artists – began to collaborate. They named their new artists’ collective after the apartment number where they first gathered - apartment #605.

The artists taught each other, combining their wildly divergent backgrounds that included hip-hop, ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and martial arts to create a unified voice and style that represented each of them individually and all of them collectively. Using each other as a canvas for their ideas and visions, they continue to pursue constant collaboration to push past individual limitations and move towards new possibilities.

The result of their experimentation is an art form marked by extreme physicality and athleticism that pushes the capacities of the artists. The 605 Collective’s fast-paced, powerful and visually stirring performances has attracted diverse audiences, including families, hip-hop fans and contemporary dancers.

Relationship with New Works
New Works began working with the collective in 2008, presenting a very early work-in-progress version of their first full-length collaboration, Audible, at Dance Allsorts. Audible then premiered at the Dancing on the Edge Festival and subsequently has toured throughout BC, across Canada, and to the U.S.A. New Works has coordinated tours for 605 and is currently mentoring the company to develop a full-time collaborative management model.

About the video
Work-In-Progress footage of The 605 Collective in "New Animal", a new work created for the company by Dana Gingras. The piece will premiere February 7-11th, 2012 at The Cultch in Vancouver with performers: Amber Funk Barton, Lisa Gelley, Shay Kuebler, Josh Martin, David Raymond. The finished work features sound design by Roger Tellier-Craig and projected film elements created by Yannick Grandmont.