Well Community, looks like we’ve reached that time. Our residency has come to an end. It really and truly feels like just yesterday that we were in the planning phases of soundboarding and putting together different ideas to pitch to the park board, which quickly turned to our first set of classes, introducing dance to some of you for the first time.
It's been a pleasure, to grow together, share together, dance together, learn together, and most importantly, move together. We wanted to take a moment with this final blog post to say a big thank you to everyone that's been involved with our programs at the West End and Coal Harbour Community Centre from community members, to staff members, event organizers, guest artists, program coordinators, park board members, and anyone who's reached out to us directly to spark dialogue. We appreciate you, we thank you, and we're happy to be in community with you as we delivered these programs.
Throughout the year, we offered a wide variety of artistic programming mostly related to dance and movement. We explored multiple modalities in studio settings and hosted some events and weekly offerings for application of the techniques and skills explored in class. We took time to explore a partner dance called Hustle where participants were able to connect with music and rhythmic movements through learning steps with lead and follow dynamics. Participants also learned the intricacies of music and having fun through solo dance by way of our weekly grooving classes. We also offered a movement meditation class where community members were invited to indulge in a somatic journey to unlock their unique expression and curiosity of moving their bodies.
We also offered guided dance experiences with emphasis on fitness related materials through our Dance Fit class which delivered lessons in body/mind alignment, endurance, and mobility, all of which are important for longevity and sustainability when practicing dance. By emodying these qualities through the skills and awarenesses we taught, commuinty members also showed great interest in our Breaking class. This is a more physically demanding style of dance that involves dancing on the floor in a mix of front support, squatted, and bridged positions.
These classes all culminated in weekly community meetups called Dance Social. It's here where community members were invited to join in a fun, welcoming environment to work on their skills, meet and connect with other commuinty members for the shared love of dance.
All of these weekly scheduled opportunities for learning and application through classes and Dance Social gatherings served as even further culmination and build up for larger scale community events we titled Open Jam. At these open jams, we had live DJs, dance competitons with prizes, special performances, guest instructors, and special lessons. Our final Open Jam event was at the end of Novemeber at Coal Harbour Community Centre. This also marked our second last program offered as part of this residency, followed by one last Breaking Class and Dance Social.
We really and truly cannot express our utmost gratitude for the time we've spent with all of you over this past year. So once again, thank you for all of yuor energy, your vibes, and involvement with our programs throughout the year. Thank you for having us as your artists in communities at West End Community Centre and Coal Harbour Community Centre 2023.
Until Next Time
-Josh & Sophia.
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