Colleagues on the west coast of Turtle Island are offering awesome sessions online this Spring. This post has links to a few classes. Times are for the Pacific Time Zone (Pacific Daylight Time / UTC−07:00).
On this page:
Land-based livestreams
All abilities dance classes (updated in late May)
Mainstream dance classes
Dance-making prompts
Dance videos
Queer Disability peer-facilitated groups
Events in April (not updated)
Land-based livestreams:
Open Space held an online / on land series of talks at different sites within Lekwungen & W̱SÁNEĆ territories in April and May, to spend time with and learn from local Indigenous artists, educators, and knowledge keepers. Online / on land series video recordings.
All abilities dance classes:
This list focuses on organizations with disability leadership on the west coast.
Dance for All Bodies (based in the US, Bay Area) is hosting online dance classes, including:
Friday May 29: Diaspora Dance Class for All Abilities with Alicia Langlais.
Saturday May 30: Urban Jazz Dance Company Class with Antoine Hunter.
Friday June 5: All Abilities Beginner Flamenco Workshop with Clara Rodriguez.
Sundays June 7, 14, 21, 28: Salsa Class for All Abilities with JanpiStar.
Tuesday June 9: DanceAbility Class with India Harville.
Saturday June 13: Brazilian Dance Class with Stephanie Bastos.
Details about Dance for All Bodies classes.
Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture has two dance workshops during its Still, Life: A Digital Festival:
Tuesday June 2nd at 1pm: Dancing for Well-Being with Joanne Cuffe.
Friday June 5th at 1pm: Move and Connect with Harmanie Rose and All Bodies Dance Project.
Weekdays (Monday-Friday) at 10:30am-11:30am (PDT):
AXIS Dance Company is offering physically integrated dance classes online via Zoom. The schedule is posted for the current week and next week. The class cost is $0, $5 or $10, and requires pre-registering. Details and to register for AXIS Company Classes.
Wednesdays until the end of May, from 2:30pm-3:15pm (PDT):
Dance Together at Home: Creative Movement for people with and without disabilities facilitated by Sarah Bourne. Free. On Zoom. Details about Wednesdays with Sarah are on the Exploration Dance website.
Thursdays from 3:30pm-4:30pm (PDT):
A Low-Impact, Seated Dance Fitness Class offered by Embrace Arts. Free on Zoom. Details about Thursdays Dance Fitness are on the Embrace Arts website.
Saturdays until June 13th, from 10:00am-11:30am (PDT):
All Bodies Dance Project Saturday morning series, open to anyone and everyone.
Mainstream dance classes:
There are upcoming mainstream dance classes listed on the Dancing Alone Together website (and a daily list of classes posted to the Dancing Alone Together Instagram), and a list of online mainstream dance classes by studios in Canada on the Dance Current website. There are daily gaga classes online, and with Toronto gaga teachers. Margie Gillis is offering classes Wednesday mornings until June 3rd.
Dance-making prompts:
Dancing Alone Together has a list of projects with prompts for creating dance, such as #QuarantineShorts Instagram creation prompts from Jerron Herman (@JerronHerman) & Alice Sheppard (@WheelchairDancr).
Dance videos:
If you’ve got some extra time these days, check out this resource page of dance videos, as well as interviews with artists about dance from decolonial, Deaf, and cross-disability perspectives. There are links to videos of dancers based on six continents, with a focus on the west coast of Turtle Island.
Queer Disability peer-facilitated groups:
Chronically Queer provides a welcoming, supportive environment where LGBTQIA2S+ identified people living with chronic health conditions and/or disabilities can come together and share what is happening in their lives. The group is meeting online regularly.
QueerAbilities Victoria is a group of individuals who identify somewhere on the LGBTTQ+ spectrum and who are also living with a disability, either diagnosed or not. The group is connecting on Zoom on Mondays from 3:30pm-5:00pm (PDT).
Events in April:
Open Access Workshop: Organizing Accessibility from the Grassroots with Carmen Papalia, Friday April 17, 1pm-3pm (PDT), organized by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Free. Details and to register for the April 17 Open Access Workshop.
Justice Brunch! A Sunday series featuring Queer Disabled BIPOC Brilliance, hosted by the Disability Justice Culture Club. Sundays April 19, 26, May 3, 10 from 1pm-4pm (PDT): Details about the Sunday Justice Brunch series.
Sins Invalid’s Crip Bits presents: Va-Va-Voom: A Crip Dance Party! Monday April 20th, 6:00pm-7:30pm (PDT) in Sins Invalid’s Zoom room. Pre-registering required. Details and to register for the Crip Dance Party.
Unsettling Dramaturgy: Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration, TBC: April 20 and 30. The series addresses approaches to, and practices in online convening that centre unsettling, decolonization, indigenization, and disability justice in process design. Details will be on the Unsettling Dramaturgy page.
Disability Organizing in the Age of Covid-19: Medical Rationing, Eugenics, and the Precarity of Mutual Aid, Tuesday April 21, 4pm (PDT), hosted by Lydia X. Z. Brown and Georgetown University’s Disability Studies Program. Details about the April 21 Webinar and link for registering by the 19th. Previous event: Webinar on Disability Justice and Decolonization, Tuesday April 14.
Online meditation retreat with Anuskha Fernandopulle on Staying Grounded During the Pandemic, Friday April 24 to Saturday April 25, hosted by the BC Insight Meditation Centre. Details and to register for Anushka’s meditation retreat.
The Accessibility of Victoria’s Arts Scene: Community Conversations hosted online by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria – Part 1 is Monday April 27, and Part 2 is Wednesday May 13.
Webinar on Disability Justice and covid-19, Thursday April 30, 6pm-8pm (PDT) on Zoom, organized by Kwekwecnewtxw – Coast Salish Watch House, Stand.earth, and Moishe House Vancouver. Details about the April 30 Webinar at 6pm.