Themes for Thursdays in May

The community sessions at Heart & Hands Health Collective continue in May with a new series. Everyone is welcome, including people completely new to dance improvisation, and people who are experienced dancers.

Click here for a general overview of the Thursday classes.

Upcoming themes for Thursdays 7:30-9pm:

May 2nd: Dance as Self-Care / Mutual-Care

May 9th: Improvising with an uncertain world

May 16th: Dance Improv Ingredients

May 23rd: Boardroom Dance Theatre

May 30th: Dance Games Night

Click here for details about the location, sliding scale, how to register and accessibilities.

RSVPing is encouraged, but Drop-ins are welcome – so long as that night’s title doesn’t say “FULL” on the Calendar.

People who attend all five sessions in May will be gifted a four-leaf-clover.

Plants and Dance: Monday April 22

In celebration of Mother Earth Day and National Dance Week, the theme for the session on Monday April 22 is Plants & Dance.

As with the other Fresh-air Fernwood Frolic sessions, we will meet at 5:30pm behind the Fernwood Community Centre (1240 Gladstone) at William Stevenson Park. We’ll start with a warm-up there and then head to Springridge Commons nearby for family-friendly dance improvisation activities and movement games.

Click here for more details.

Improvising with an Uncertain World (Free workshop Sun. Feb. 10)

This dance improvisation workshop is happening Sunday Feb. 10th
1:00pm-2:30pm, at Dance Victoria (2750 Quadra Street – North Entrance)
in Studio 3 (ground level – accessible entrance, turn left).

What are a couple big worries we each have, in terms of the drastic changes happening with the planet/ land/ world? And what are a bunch of potential changes we’re excited about? We will play with creating gestures and movement about how we feel about the time that we live in (e.g. climate change, societal change, community responses).

Everyone welcome. No prior dance experience needed. No special clothing needed (just something comfy for moving in).

This workshop is part of Dance Days with LOTS of fun dance classes and events around town between Feb. 1st and 10th, organized by Dance Victoria with YAM Magazine.

dancing re: planet+society… creating a flashmob together Nov. 18!

Everyone is welcome on Sunday, Nov. 18th from 4-6pm, to be part of creating an ‘extinction blues’ dance flashmob!

This is the final dancing thru where the planet+society are at session for this autumn, and to celebrate we’ll start creating a dance together to perform as a flashmob, likely to the tune* of Extinction Blues (which is being written by members of the preparing for the unknown/ catastrophe response collective).

looking out from the hill above Swan Lake in Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territories

During the warm-up we’ll start with grounding, arriving, and ideas for emotional first aid. Then we’ll brainstorm what we’re worried & excited about regarding current & upcoming local impacts of earth/society/community changes; we’ll use this to spur exploring movement together and begin solidifying some choreography. We’ll end by talking about details for a next practice/ rehearsal, and brainstorm about where and when we’d like to perform it!

Drop-ins welcome. By donation. Please see the details page for details about the location (Oaklands Community Centre), and see the workshop description for more info on this series and accessibilities.

*If you (or someone you know) would prefer to play music and/or sing rather than dance for the flashmob, please be in touch so we can update you on when there’ll be a community orchestra practice.

dancing re: planet+society and mutual support networks (Sun. Oct. 14)

The Sun. Oct. 14th session, 4pm-6pm, will start with some activities around emotional first aid, each checking in with how we feel like moving, and being a supportive witness for each other in pairs. We will then focus on – through dance – taking a peek at a few of the worries and things we’ve ‘swept under the rug’ in terms of the transformative time and place that we live in as part of this planet.

Mid-way through the session, there will be some time, over snacks, to begin brainstorming our mutual support networks: If next week there was a really big storm that left electricity and communications down, and no food imported to the island for at least a week, who would you want to be in touch with and how would you gather with the people you care about to address each others needs?

islands, geese, and tanker. photo taken at Camas (Cattle) Point in Lekwungen Homelands.

The session will end with dancing to music, mirroring courage, and with an invitation to be gentle with ourselves and forgiving of our contradictions.

Drop-ins welcome. By donation. Please see the details page for info about the location (Oaklands Community Centre), and see the workshop description for more info on this series and accessibilities.

sunday sept. 23! dancing thru where the planet+society are at, 4-6pm

check out the details in the post at:

https://dancingwithintegrity.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/dancing-thru-where-the-planetsocietys-at/

please share with people you think would be interested.

thanks (:

dancing thru where the planet+society are at

These workshops are an invitation to be curious and spontaneous – to move within uncertainty and with respect for being alive with this time and this place.

We will start with space for moving on our own, focusing on sources of strength and emotional first aid. We will then move into pairs and small groups for various dance improvisation activities (no experience needed). Using humour, creativity and play, we will process small bits of denial, worries and contradictions about where we’re at with the state of this planet and dominant society.

What are some tools for gradually opening up and relating to the catastrophic changes that are occurring and will continue to intensify? What are we excited to let go of? What do we see as the transformative potential of this time we are in? How do we want to prepare for the unknown of the coming days and years?

Dancing thru where the planet+society are at sessions are once a month on Sundays 4:00-6:00pm on Sept. 23, Oct. 14, and Nov. 18, at Oaklands Community Centre in Lekwungen Homelands (#1-2827 Belmont Ave. near Hillside Mall, close to bus #4, and nearby are # 8, 22, 27, 28).

Only-pay-if-you-can (no prob if not) / pay-what-you-can (e.g. $10-20 per session if you have funds, to help cover rental costs)/ workshops are free for all Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwaka’wakw folks in acknowledgment of this island being the unceded territories of many Nations.

Drop-ins welcome / pre-registering is also welcome: dancingwithintegrity [at] gmail [dot] com

The venue is wheelchair accessible and has a gender-neutral washroom. Please do not use any perfumes/scented products. See the workshop description for more details and info about accessibilities.

The workshops are being facilitated by Joanne: I’ve been co-facilitating social justice collectives for 15 years and first facilitated dance in 2003. I aim to nurture supportive learning spaces that are actively anti-oppressive and are welcoming of people of all abilities, mobilities, and income levels. (More info on the About page).

photo taken with gratitude in Chekonein and Lekwungen homelands at ‘haro woods’.