ROMP! Festival + Improv Performance Aug. 24th

The ROMP! Festival of Independent Dance is happening later this month, starting with five days of free performances in Centennial Square August 20-24.

As well as facilitating a couple of Fresh-air Frolics (see next post!), I’m excited to dance in the improvised PRESENT/TENSE on August 24th:

PRESENT/TENSE 8
Dance and the Spoken Word

Sat. Aug. 24th, 6pm – 7pm

Free, at Centennial Square

From the ROMP! website: “Present/Tense 8 is our returning performance laboratory featuring writers and dancers. For those unfamiliar with the format of the show: Writers read selections of their work while dancers improvise – to the sound, syllables, and multiple meanings. Each dancer is only given the first and last line of the written work before stepping onto the stage – to create an electric collaborative laboratory between improvised dance and the spoken word.”

Fresh-air Frolic Aug. 20 and 21 at ROMP!

FRESH-AIR FROLIC! (free sessions for all ages & abilities)

Tues. August 20, and Wed. August 21

5pm – 5:30pm

Creative movement & dance improvisation games

at ROMP Dance Festival, Centennial Square in Lekwungen Territories

Everyone is welcome at this playful dance improvisation session. There will be creative movement activities and games, such as a dancing version of ‘Go go go stop!’. All that is needed is an openness to having fun and creating a supportive space together. People of all ages are welcome, including children accompanied by an adult.

Dancing outdoors August 12th (No classes in July)

Summer is finally here! Would you like to dance outdoors in a park in August?

There will be a Fresh-air Frolic session Monday August 12th at 7pm, at Mason Street Park (also known as Franklin Green Park – behind Wellburn’s and the Gallery at Mason & Cook), meeting beside the bench swing. This session is free, and donations to the Community Tool Shed are welcome.

The session involves 45 minutes of dance improvisation activities and movement games, followed by sharing snacks and an optional 10-minute open improv. No dance experience needed. See the Fresh-air Frolic page for more info.

(There won’t be any dancing with integrity sessions in July, as Joanne is away at dance-movement therapy courses and preparing for autumn.)

Dancing Art Flashmob – May 18th

Everyone is welcome to be part of a flashmob* that will be created together and performed on May 18th. (*flashmob = a group of people meeting in a public space for the purpose of doing an unusual or entertaining activity.)

We’re meeting Sat. May 18th at 3:30pm beside Gallery 1580 (1580 Cook Street). The flashmob is inspired by Isa Sevrain`s “Brok`n art” show. Please dress for the weather and bring water.

Details: There will be a dance improvisation activity as a warm-up, then there will be time on our own to each come up with a shape or movement in response to Isa’s installation in memory of Gabrielle Roth, the founder of 5Rhythms Dance. Then we will each teach our shape/movement to the group, and the group will practice the series of shapes/movements all together.

Finally, we will go out to perform it as a flashmob somewhere nearby, at one or more spots in the neighbourhood! During the dance, “mistakes” and unique interpretations of the moves are very welcome and encouraged.

As the Gallery is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible: we will do the dance warm-up, shapes-sharing and flashmob-practice outside near the building, and we will bring photos of the art installation outside, so that everyone can participate fully even if the building is not accessible for anyone.

If anyone does not want to dance, we could use a couple people to pass around leaflets about the art show and upcoming dance activities to passerbys.

See Isa’s website for details about the art show.

A Freeskool dance session May 10th

There will be a dancing with integrity workshop on May 10th that brings together a variety of activities (dance as self-care, movement games, music with rad lyrics, and an improv activity for interacting with common things that come up in community organizing).

Friday May 10th, 7pm-9pm, at Heart and Hands Health Collective, free/ donations encouraged. As space is limited, RSVPing is encouraged. (If the session fills up, it will say ‘FULL’ next to the title on the calendar.)

More info here. If you’re on facebook, click here for the event page.

(Image from A Freeskool’s Facebook page.)

Flashmob Frolic for International Dance Day (Monday April 29th)

If you would like to join in the International Dance Day Flashmob on the 29^th, that would be fantastic! (Flashmob = a group of people meeting in a public space for the purpose of doing an unusual or entertaining activity. Frolic = a playful action or movement.

All that’s needed is a willingness to have fun and dance around like various animals – we’re doing a family-friendly activity called Animals A-Z (we’ll call out an animal for each letter of the alphabet and respond with how we think each moves). We’re also looking for a few people to play boomwhackers (rainbow musical tubes -we won’t be rehearsing a song, just playing around with rhythm). Thank-you to everyone at the first two Fresh-air Frolics for shaping the flashmob – so much laughter and playful brilliance.

The plan for Monday April 29th is to meet behind the Fernwood Community Centre at 5:30pm (at the basketball court or field) to do a warm-up. Then we`ll head half a block away to Fernwood Square for the flashmob at shortly after 6pm, and end with a snack potluck (optional: bringing a snack to share). Both locations and the route are wheelchair- and stroller- accessible. The event is free.

Please invite friends and family – to join in or as spectators.

dancin’ at Summit Feb. 25th

The next dancing acknowledgments session is Mon. Feb. 25, if the skies are clear enough to see the sunset and moonrise (if it’s not raining/ snowing/ gale-ing). FEB. 25th UPDATE: It’s still on for tonight – please dress for the wind!

The plan is to meet at around 5:30pm at the radio tower platform at Summit park in Lekwungen Homelands. We’ll keep moving to keep warm (:

By donation: goes to the Lekwungen Community Tool Shed ~ donations of cash, shovels, clippers and gardening gloves are appreciated!

Please see the dancing at Summit page for details and directions.

Dancing and Learn-in ~ in solidarity with #F21 Indigenous Rights Education Day

There is an invitation calling for teach-ins on Feb. 21: “Across Turtle Island on Feb 21, the birthday of the late George Manuel, we invite you to host or attend an Idle No More teach-in as part of National Indigenous Rights Education Day!”

In response, the theme for the dance improvisation session on Thurs. Feb. 21 at 7:30pm will be: Dancing & Learn-in – sort of a Denial No More event in solidarity with #F21 Indigenous Rights Education Day, sharing resources that friends have recommended over the years.

This event is free; donations of shovels, clippers and garden gloves will be collected for the Lekwungen Community Tool Shed.

Update: The learn-in will take place at Heart & Hands Health Collective (851 Cormorant Street) in Lekwungen/Lkwungen/Lequngen homelands. Everyone is welcome, but please RSVP – to dancingwithintegrity (at) gmail (dot) com – ahead of time if you plan to come as it is a small venue (10 people max.; there is still room for a few more people). For details about accessibilities, please scroll down the page at this link.

Here is a draft/ possible plan:

The session will start with time for acknowledging where we are gathered, each moving in our own way. We will look at a Lekwungen Territories leaflet published by the Songhees Nation and a general map of Nations on the island. We will read the Swengwhung Douglas Treaty text along with Dave Elliott Sr.’s oral history in Saltwater People about the Treaties with the W̱SÁNEĆ People.

Image borrowed from the #F21 facebook event page.

There will be time for dancing+reflecting to lyrics by Indigenous MCs and musicians (including from RPMfm, Redwire CD, Tsawout Hip Hop Hope, Beat Nation).

We could also spend some time in three small groups with each one focused on skim-reading a different text (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Highlights of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples; and The Royal Proclamation of 1763), and using poetry and movement to reflect on the text.

As well, there will be a dance activity for being curious about common ‘stuck’ dynamics (e.g. shame, accountability, defensiveness, guilt and courage).

*The topic and resources are based on the #F21 Indigenous Rights Education Day call-out and suggestions by friends over the years. The focus is on music, documents and resources created by Indigenous people. This will be a learn-in (rather than a teach-in). People are encouraged to support the amazing gatherings being organized locally by Indigenous people all the time (such as the Stolen Sisters Memorial March, Woman Waters, planning Info Pickets, Indigenous Resurgence Week, etc.).

*This session has been drafted, with humility, by a whitesettler person of European descent in response to the invitation to support #F21 (and thank-you to Leila for the spur). I am incredibly grateful for all of the people, families, places and anticolonial collectives, through whom I have learned baby steps towards being a bit less invasive of a settler/ squatter/ visitor in Salish homelands. I have an enormous amount to (un)learn; I appreciate feedback, concerns, and suggestions. Thank-you.    -Joanne

dancin’ at Summit Sat. Jan. 26

The next dancing acknowledgments session is Sat. Jan. 26th: if the skies are clear enough to see the sunset and moonrise (if it’s not raining/ snowing/ gale-ing).

The plan is to meet at 4:30pm at the radio tower platform at Summit park in Lekwungen Homelands. We’ll keep moving to keep warm (:

By donation: goes to the Lekwungen Community Tool Shed ~ donations of cash, bus tickets, shovels, clippers and gardening gloves are appreciated!

Please see the dancing at Summit page for details and directions.

dancin’ at Summit Oct. 29 (if not raining)

The next dancing acknowledgments session is tentatively Mon. Oct. 29th: if the skies are clear enough to see the moonrise / if it`s not raining. The plan is to meet at 5:30pm at the radio tower platform at Summit park in Lekwungen Homelands. We’ll keep moving to keep warm (:

Free! Please see the dancing at Summit page for details and directions.