the response.

Founded in 2008 by its Artistic Director, Amber Funk Barton, the response. (AKA The Response Dance Society) is a non-profit society made up of six board members. the response. is a project based contemporary dance company dedicated to challenging how contemporary dance can be made, shown and perceived. It is a home for its founder and director to create new work that balances artistic resonance and physical spectacle. Inspired by the ability of the human body, its physical potential and its emotional make-up the response. aims to go beyond the focus of form to create cinematic experiences using the body to create pictures, images and shapes to evoke reaction. It is a company distinguishable by the vulnerability and sensitivity portrayed in its works. Work is inspired by imperfection, mistakes, regret. the response. aims to tell stories. It presents ordinary, recognizable characters and emotions in imaginary landscapes. It is a reaction: to what we see, feel and hear.

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Born and raised in Vancouver, Amber received her training with Goh Ballet Academy, Arts Umbrella, The Banff Centre Dance Training and Ballet British Columbia’s Mentor Programme. Upon completion of her training, she decided to establish herself as a professional dance artist in Vancouver and has danced for various companies and choreographers, such as Joe INK, LINK dance, Judith Marcuse Projects, Lola Dance, Marta Marta House of Pride, Mascall Dance, MovEnt, Battery Opera, Karen Jamieson Dance Company, MOVE: the company, Ruckus Company Productions, Mark Godden, Dana Gingras, Marla Eist, Jennifer Clarke, Emily Molnar, Wen Wei Wang, Cori Caulfield and Lina Fitzner. Recently, she performed in Heart as Arena with Animals of Distinction and will be featured as a guest artist with the 605 Collective in New Animal.

As an emerging choreographer Amber has had her work presented in various venues around the city, she is quickly building a reputation for athletic hybrid movement. In 2005, Amber was named the inaugural recipient of the Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award which led to her first production, Threefold (co-produced with The Dance Centre). She followed with 5ive solos later… , an evening of commissioned and choreographed solos (presented by The Firehall Arts Centre). In 2006, Amber was presented internationally by the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff (Wales) of her third production, Thrice. In the same year, she also received the extreme privilege of being awarded a danceWEB scholarship to train in Vienna, Austria at the ImPulsTanz Dance Festival. She also was an Artist-in-Residence at The Dance Centre for the 2006-2007 season where she created the first draft performance of RISK , of which she was awarded the 2007 Holy Body Tattoo Emerging Artist Award.

Amber has also taught and been a guest teacher for Drive Dance Centre’s Scholarship Program, Harbour Dance, Contemproary Technique Series, iNDUSTRY Dance Training Program, Working Class and Arts Umbrella. She has been invited to set works for students of Dancestreams, Modus Operandi and Arts Umbrella. Her teaching is a fusion of contemporary, ballet, jazz and improvisation techniques to encourage the rigor of technical training, the curiosity of personal expression and to feed her own choreographic process. In 2008, Amber established her own Vancouver based contemporary dance company, the response. which was officially launched during the premiere of RISK December 2008 at the Firehall Arts Centre.