Category Archives: feedback

Dance Visioning June 26

abilities, connecting, feedback

You are invited to brainstorm about integrated dance! What types of all abilities dance initiatives would you like to be part of locally over the coming year/s?

Dance Visioning: Wednesday June 26th.
Two time options (choose one): 11:00am-12:30pm, or 1:30pm-2:30pm.
At the Victoria Disability Resource Centre’s boardroom, at 817A Fort Street, in the homelands of the Lekwungen peoples.
ASL Interpretation is available for the 11:00am-12:30pm session.

Please register by June 24th at this link: https://forms.gle/dTAfjeHyeugkZ43j7 .

The morning session will be co-hosted by Amber (Dancer & Artist) and Joanne (Creative Momentum), and the afternoon session will be co-hosted by Tiffany (Embrace Arts) and Joanne.

The visioning will help shape local dance opportunities for this Fall and over the coming years.

This gathering is a follow-up to last year’s Mixed-Abilities Dance Group, in collaboration with the Victoria Disability Resource Centre. This event is made possible with support from CRD Arts & Culture Support Service and Made in BC – Dance on Tour’s community engagement program.

A head’s up about an opportunity to dance this Fall: There will be integrated dance collaborative sessions on one Wednesday per month. For more information see the Integrated Dance Collective page.

An exhilarating Sunday

abilities, feedback, programs, wellbeing

It was an especially splendid session today with Lifetime Networks’ dance group, with everyone able to attend for the first time in a few weeks. When I asked for feedback, participants said that today’s session was:

exhilarating, joyful, fun, relaxing, refreshing, rewarding, independent, awesome, laughing, lordly, good, wonderful, perfect, A+.

A participant asked to lead the warm-up, and then we taught each other dance moves, moved with ribbons, had a dance-off in small groups, had a jam circle with the option of going in the middle to do a solo or in twos, and ended with stretching. After each session I write down how it felt to me, rating it out of five stars; today was an 8-star session!Lifetime Networks logo and text: lasting friendship & support for people with disabilities

“dealing with life’s challenging moments with movement”

dancing field trip, feedback, wellbeing, workshop
Photo: a very large conference room or hall, with a shiny floor and 7 chairs in a circle
We danced all day in this beautiful hall

The workshop at Royal Roads University on Saturday November 22nd felt amazing and was with an excellent group. We went from 10am – 4:30pm with Dancing into Wellbeing: A Creative Toolkit for Stress.

We danced in the lovely, spacious Grant building quarterdeck, with the sunlight changing angles through the tall windows over the course of the day. We also did a field trip to the building next door with an incredible view over the forests, sea, lagoon and castle. I forgot to take a picture of the view, as I was too focused on the group’s graceful movements and enchanted by the sun going down.

Here are reflections from some participants who were happy to share their words on this website:

From Gaye:
“Thank-you for a wonderful, creative, fun day!”
I learned… “I love to dance. I love the idea of dealing with life’s challenging moments with movement.”
I liked… “everything! If I had to choose a favorite, I guess it would be the personal dance about Needs Inventory. I chose Beauty and composed a hand dance that seemed so beautiful to me, just when I felt I didn’t have a single creative idea in me. Such a wonderful surprise!”
What did not work for you about today’s session? What could Joanne do differently next time? “I don’t know, Joanne, it seemed perfect to me in every way. Well, maybe omit [the song] Que Sera Sera??! :)”

Anonymous:
I liked… “that it was low key, no pressure, everything was optional, no right or wrong”
I learned… “that I could move (was afraid of being blocked + wooden)”
What did not work for you about today’s session? What could Joanne do differently next time? “Can’t think of anything. Well maybe end the class 1/2 hour early! (I always feel that’s a bonus, no matter what the course)”

From Larry:
I liked… “great explanations; great pace + relaxed mood; good music to work with; Nina Simone’s song was perfect”
I learned… “greater appreciation of my own movements”
“Thanks for a wonderful day”