Agreement Making for Creative Practice with Alex Elliott and Ali Robson

This workshop is FREE, and includes ASL interpretation

Friday, December 10, 2021
2:30 – 4:30 pm (CST)
Online over Zoom

Please click HERE to register.

For over a year Alex and Ali have been having conversations about the agreements that we make when we engage in creative work in a studio together and how those agreements can contribute to safer and braver creative spaces. This workshop will share their considerations and engage participants in dialogue about writing letters of agreement and contracts. The workshop will be geared towards independent artists, collectives and groups. 

Participants will be invited to read/write/share their own ideas and experiences with agreement making. The workshop will be recorded for future reference.

Alex and Ali have a shared history as students, performers, artists, travellers and studio mates. They bring many years of experience, as independent dancers, choreographers, dance company members, teachers, producers and presenters in both dance and theatre, to the task of writing letters of agreement and to the thoughtful inquiry of how we make safer and braver creative spaces.

YLDE’s programming is made possible with the generous support from Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council.

YLDE Annual General Meeting + Essay Reading by Cierra Bettens

Date: Sunday, November 21, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Where: Online over Zoom

To register, please click HERE.

This event is FREE, all are welcome to attend.

In her written essay, Cierra will respond to the choreographic research of Meryem Alaoui and Sasha Amaya who recently completed a Research Series residency with YLDE.

About Cierra:

Cierra Bettens (she/her/elle) is a prairie writer, editor and student based in Treaty 1 & the Homeland of the Métis Nation. She currently edits the small but mighty arts and culture section of The Uniter and covers activism, culture and life for Lithium Magazine. With a fierce commitment to community-centred journalism, Cierra has written extensively on labour issues, politics and grassroots organizing. Her research interests include political economy and urban development. She’s thrilled to explore the intersections of dance and writing through the Young Lung Dance Exchange Research Series.

YLDE’s programming is made possible with the generous support from Winnipeg Arts Council and Manitoba Arts Council.

Research Series Showing with Artists-In-Residence

This is an in-person event, with limited space.

When: Friday, October 15, 2021
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Where: The Output – part of the Video Pool Media Arts Centre – 218 – 100 Arthur Street

(For access info please email younglungs.wpg@gmail.com)

Payment is sliding scale $0 – $30
Click here to register!

As per the current Provincial Health Orders, proof of vaccination is required upon entry. People who are not able to provide proof of vaccination will not be given entry. Mask wearing is mandatory.

About the Research:

Meryem Alaoui (TO) & Sasha Amaya (WPG) will share with the public the culmination of their research project in residence with YLDE.

During their residency, Meryem Alaoui and Sasha Amaya are interested in the concept of incompletion in relation to the environment and the body, specifically with forms of materiality and objects alongside the moving body. An image that was initially presented as a point of departure is that of the Hassan Tower, a never-completed Mosque in Rabat, Morocco. Drawn to the unusual power and beauty of the tower’s uncompleted state, Meryem and Sasha are interested in exploring this state of incompletion in their bodies, through movement, touch, and voice.

The artists’ interest also lies in how our somatic bodies hold knowledge and how our past experiences affect our way of creating now, in dance, but also in daily life. Meryem and Sasha are curious about how they can dialogue through movement, as they research and create together, in an effort to encourage a human meeting beyond the mere presence of two opinions, perspectives, and cultures brought side by side.

About the Artists:

Artistic Director of Jasad Dance Projects, Meryem Alaoui is a dancer-choreographer from Morocco, living in Toronto. Her work is often an invitation towards a softer and sensorial experience of dance. Through her work at Jasad, she aims to increase the visibility of North African/Arab/Middle Eastern contemporary dance artists in Canada and internationally. A graduate of the School of TDT, she has danced for multiple choreographers in Toronto, including Amanda Acorn, Peggy Baker, Anthony Hamilton and Karen Kaeja. Her choreographic works have been shown in Ontario and Quebec. Meryem has received residency support nationally and internationally, and funding from the CCA, the OAC and the TAC. She also enjoys breaking the silos between professional and community art, by being involved in arts-education and community arts projects.

Sasha Amaya studied at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and the School of Contemporary Dancers before obtaining her BA in Philosophy, Literature, and the History of Ideas from the University of Winnipeg. Going on to graduate studies at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Institute of Art Stockholm, and dance studies in Germany and France, Sasha works in dance, choreography, installation, and direction. In her practice, Sasha is particularly interested in how we frame, utilize, reject, and repurpose historical narratives and techniques in contemporary art, how we think about and define craft, and the relationship between space, sound, and movement. As a collaborator, Sasha finds great pleasure in the adventure that is creating shared vocabularies and building up new worlds with others. www.sasha-amaya.com

This programming is made possible with the generous support from Winnipeg Arts Council & Manitoba Arts Council.

SOLD OUT! Movement Practice: Body Language with Jen Otisi

This is a FREE in-person class, with limited space.

When: Saturday, October 23, 2021
Time: 4:00 – 5:45 pm
Where: Drop-In Dance Winnipeg – 1381 Portage Avenue

(For access info please email younglungs.wpg@gmail.com)

Click here to register!

As per the current Provincial Health Orders, proof of vaccination is required upon entry. Participants who are not able to provide proof of vaccination will not be given entry to the facility. Masks are mandatory in all public spaces of the facility.

About Movement Practice:

YLDE invites all movers and thinkers to learn new skills, experience alternative pathways, and engage in dialogue at our free Movement Practice sessions. At every session a different guest is invited to share whatever is currently inspiring them about their movement practice, bringing their own unique knowledge, experience, and inquiry to the floor.

In this movement practice session, Jen will lead attendees through the popular heels/stiletto style dance genre. The focus will be on musicality with R&B and Soul music, highlighting the lines of the body and improving self confidence through body language. Heels are not essential for the practice, some might say dancing with bare feet feels better.

Jen Otisi is a Nigerian dance artist and choreographer based in Winnipeg, MB. Her dance style draws influence from traditional Nigerian styles, Afrobeat/Afrofusion and Dancehall. Moving from Nigeria to Winnipeg, She gradually submerged into the Winnipeg dance scene under the direction of B.O.S.S dance team, training in various dance styles such as Hip Hop, Dancehall, Vogue and Waacking.

In Winnipeg, she has performed in productions such as Artist Within, Afropeg, Step Threat, competed in street styles dance battles and has appeared in live performances for Canadian music artists including Alexa Dirks “Begonia”, Carine Bado and Ben Tamana. 

YLDE’s programming is made possible with the generous support from Manitoba Arts Council.

Photo credit: @bnbstudioswpg
IG: @jenotisi

Cancelled: Hip Hop Intensive with Shaqueel Lawrence

This is a week-long in-person workshop with an option to sign-up for individual classes. If you choose to take the whole workshop make sure to sign up for each day’s class separately. Limited space available.

Date: October 18 – 22, 2021
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Where: Drop-In Dance Winnipeg – 1381 Portage Avenue

Payment is sliding scale $0 – $30 per class.
Click here to register!

(For access info please email younglungs.wpg@gmail.com)

As per the current Provincial Health Orders, proof of vaccination is required upon entry. People who are not able to provide proof of vaccination will not be given entry. Mask wearing is mandatory.

About the Workshop:

Shaq’s classes will be high energy and choreography-based with influences from a number of different styles. Some of those styles include breaking, popping and animation to name a few. The focus for each class will vary but the overall intent will be to grow, share energy, and have fun while doing so. 

Shaqueel Lawrence was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Shaq currently co-directs a dance team out of Winnipeg called IKIGAI Collective and teaches a weekly drop in slot out of Muse Dance Studio. All of this while also travelling to teach classes across the continent. Recent studios include Millennium Dance Complex Toronto, Pas De Deux Hawaii, Studio 604 (Vancouver), EXPG in New York, The Jukebox Grounds and Elektro Academy both in Arizona and many more. Shaq is also coming in hot off the stage after backup dancing for the popular Kpop band BTS out of the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey/New York and recently added to the KAOS Cast!

This workshop is made possible with the generous support from Manitoba Arts Council.

YLDE invites all movers and thinkers to learn new skills, experience alternative pathways, and engage in dialogue at our free Movement Practice sessions. At every session a different guest is invited to share whatever is currently inspiring them about their movement practice, bringing their own unique knowledge, experience, and inquiry to the floor.

Using imagery and precise directives, the class will attempt to find authenticity through movement with a focus on communication. In order to find and develop authentic movement, we will push past our movement comfort zones into new methods of moving. We need to learn to recognise and when needed, discard old movement behaviours and patterns to make room for new ones. It is possible to discuss and describe complex ideas through movement in a clear way. Come with ideas for current or future work, newer choreographies and movement explorations. Bring a notebook.

When: Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Time: 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm (CDT)

Where: Online over Zoom, click HERE to register!

This is a FREE event and all are welcome to attend.

About Jackie Latendresse:

Jackie is the founder and artistic director of Free Flow Dance Theatre. Her professional choreographic work with Free Flow has been publicly acclaimed; she has been nominated for various awards including the Saskatchewan YWCA women of distinction award (which she won), Saskatoon Champion for the arts, the SK lieutenant governor’s award and has received numerous government grants from federal, provincial and municipal sources in support of Free Flow Dance Theatre and its programming.  Jackie is a voice for the arts and an advocate for dance. She endeavours to create a strong and vibrant dance community by providing opportunities for the arts to flourish in her company’s annual season of events. She strives to create bonds and connections between artists that will continue to grow through the years and works to make dance an art form that is accessible to all. www.freeflowdance.com

YLDE’s programming is made possible with the generous support from Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts.

Creative Accessibility is a series of online webinars and panel discussions that will explore disability art, the experiences of artists with disabilities and how to make art accessible. These workshops will be beneficial not only for emerging artists with disabilities, but artists at all levels of their career with and without disabilities.

What does access mean? What can access look like? Join Adriana Alarcón (curator and artist), Jordan Sangalang (Deaf Performer) and Cheryle Broszeit (Deaf photographer) as they discuss their experiences within the art world. Find out the types of accommodation that artists who are Deaf/disable need to participate in the arts and how their lived experiences reflect in their artwork.

When: Monday, May 31

Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm CST

Register for this FREE event and a Zoom link will be sent to your inbox closer to the event date. All Creative Accessibility workshops will have ASL interpretation.

Presented in partnership with Arts Accessibility Network Manitoba

For more information, including details on classes and workshops in this series, please click HERE.

Movement Practice: Afro Moves with Zahra Badua

This International Dance Day, join us for an exciting movement practice with Zahra Badua as we learn some afro moves!

When: Thursday, April 29, 2020

Time: 4:00 – 6:00 pm CDT

Where: Online over Zoom

This is a FREE event, all are welcome. Click HERE to register.

About This Month’s Movement Practice:

YLDE invites all movers and thinkers to learn new skills, experience alternative pathways, and engage in dialogue at our free Movement Practice sessions. At every session a different guest is invited to share whatever is currently inspiring them about their movement practice, bringing their own unique knowledge, experience, and inquiry to the floor.

In this movement practice session, Zahra will lead attendees in African street dance styles. The session will be an introduction to Afro moves, vocabulary, and grooves. The attendees will learn core-based Afro movements including body isolations, hip movements, and footwork.

About Zahra Badua:

Zahra Badua is a Ghanaian dancer/teacher/choreographer originally from Montreal, Quebec. Her passion for dance started at a very young age as a means to learn and understand her African heritage. Through discovery and training, she is skilled in Traditional West African, Afro-Caribbean folklore, Afrobeats and soca. 

Now based in Toronto, Zahra teaches and performs all over the city with several dance companies such as Coco Collective, Alpha Rhythms and Roots, and BlackStars Collective. In addition, Zahra established an educational and performance based company called ZahraMoves. The goal for her classes/workshops is to educate her students, to promote and preserve the culture and dances from the African Diaspora. She also uses her company to spread joy, promote togetherness, self-expression, and confidence building. To learn more, please visit ZahraMoves Website.

YLDE’s programming is made possible with the generous support from Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts.

Orange, a New Dance Duet by Less San Miguel and Deanna Peters

When: Friday, April 9, 2021 – 7:00 pm PDT (9 pm CDT)

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Saturday, April 10 – 5:00 pm PDT (7:00 pm CDT)

Cost: Tickets are FREE or by donation

Where: Online over Zoom

About the Show:

Combining experiences in street, club, and stage dance, experimental dance artist Deanna Peters + Winnipeg-based street dance Less San Miguel investigate what happens when they turn their gazes towards each other; to dance with and for each other. What arises from an intimate state of seeing and being seen? How does a focus on one another invite others to see us?

This show is presented as part of Plastic Orchid Factory’s adaptive series, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, British Columbia Arts Council, Young Lung Dance Exchange and What Lab.

For more information and to register, please click HERE.

Photo credit: Reza Rezai