Fire. Warmth. Love. Passion. Destruction. These are just some of the themes of Burn Baby, Burn, a breathtaking 60-minute contemporary dance piece exploring the climate crisis and the power humanity holds to enact change. One of the nine Canadian dancers bringing this visceral, visually striking piece to life is Carleen Zouboules.

We sit down with Zouboules in the studio during a short break from Burn Baby, Burn rehearsals, less than a month before the show’s run at Bluma Appel Theatre from June 6-8. As her fellow dancers continue to rehearse behind us, she shares more about her journey to this electric production. 

For the past 5 years, since she graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University with a BFA in performance dance, Zouboules has been a freelance dancer for companies across Toronto. Right now, for Burn Baby, Burn, she’s working with acclaimed choreographer Guillaume Côté, and his contemporary dance company Côté Danse. 

“Guillaume came up with the idea because his son actually asked him one day, ‘Why aren’t more people doing something about climate change?’” Zouboules says. “He thought to himself— ‘I could do something. I could make a piece.’”

With his retirement from the National Ballet of Canada just around the corner, Côté has said he’s excited to focus on projects like Burn Baby, Burn, with artistic storytelling that provides commentary on world issues. For Zouboules, this storytelling is part of what first drew her to dance. 

“That’s why I actually fell in love with dance. I felt like I could tell a story without using my words,” she says. “I feel so powerful when I’m on stage, especially in a moment when I’m so tired and there’s nothing left to put on, it’s just me. That’s when I am who I am the most.”

In Burn Baby, Burn, the work is a true amalgamation—not only of varying themes and emotions, but also of several dance styles, drawing from the range of backgrounds of Côté Danse’s members, including ballet, contemporary, postmodern, and hip-hop.

“As a woman in this piece, I got to be multiple things. I got to be beautiful and sexual, and also I got to be really gritty and tenacious and strong,” Zouboules says. “This work allowed for both to exist.”

Zouboules has always loved a physical challenge. Before she was a dancer, she was a competitive gymnast back home in Alberta. Her first experience with dance was ballet, as a means to improve her floor routines. Now, many years later, that drive to refine her craft still lives within her, moving with her from project to project, company to company. 

“Dance is so special because you can’t ever be perfect at it…there’s always something to work towards. I really think that drives me as a person,” she says. 

A typical day in the life of a freelance dancer in Toronto is always changing. “As a freelance dance artist especially, you have to kind of design your own schedule,” Zouboules says. If she’s not in rehearsals, she’s taking ballet or contemporary dance classes, going to physiotherapy, pilates, yoga, or developing choreo. 

On the days she’s not rehearsing, she might be performing with Tate McRae at an awards show. In 2020, when the Canadian popstar was blowing up, Zouboules was chosen as McRae’s body double for a VMAs performance of her hit song “You Broke Me First”.

“It was one of my first commercial gigs, actually. So I was quite excited,” she says. “It sparked a bit of a love for the commercial side of dance as well.”

Zouboules has gone on to dance in several feature films, including Sweat by Jennifer Nichols, and Eden Planted by William Yong. Another avenue she’s started to explore is choreography. “I really wanted to dance and be the vessel for a few years first. As I was doing that more, I found that I had a voice as well,” she says. “I’m really interested in partnering and also just stripping dance down to be human—not adding anything to it…that’s where we get the most feeling.”

Alongside her choreographic partner Vania Dodoo Beals, Zouboules is currently creating a piece for dance: made in canada, a biennial Toronto festival of contemporary dance. It’s not the only project on her radar. In July, Burn Baby, Burn will be touring to the Colours International Dance Festival in Germany, and then to Danse Danse in Montreal in November. In the fall, she will also be working on another project with Yong and returning to Toronto’s ProArteDanza for the season.

While her day-to-day might change from company to company, one thing that stays the same is the determined spirit of the tight-knit Toronto dance community. Zouboules graduated in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. Like many artists around the world, dancers in Toronto were in limbo for a significant amount of time. Surrounding herself with fellow dancers, she says, makes the city less lonely.

“I really love the Toronto dance community because I feel like no matter what happens to it, we are relentless in bringing dance back,” Zouboules says. “The people involved are so committed to encouraging everyday people to come see dance. It feels very special to be part of something like that.”

Burn Baby, Burn is on stage at Bluma Appel Theatre from June 6-8. Tickets are available now.