WORKSHOPS
Explore dance styles of the AFRO DIASPORA and give space to inspiration, joy and creativity!
We’re bringing you an amazing workshop every other Sunday starting at noon, from October 15 to December 10.
These workshops are led by Black Women in the dance and wellness communities, who are ready to share their knowledge and passion with you in an inclusive and safe space.
AFRICA VIBES returns! This workshop series hosted by YENSA Festival, invites Black women instructors and leaders to share their knowledge of movements connected to the African diaspora with the community.
GROUNDED IN WELLNESS is our new workshop initiative, inviting Black Women practitioners to share their knowledge and modalities of the wellness space to the community. These short workshops focus on Black women’s wellness, healing and liberation, with an emphasis on social justice. Wellness workshops are inclusive, and open to all.
See below for dates and registration information.
AFRICA VIBES WORKSHOPS
DANCES & RHYTHMS OF AFRICA
with Lua Shayenne
A dance workshop for all ! We explore Breath, Ground, Inner Rhythm and Current with live music accompaniment.
Lua is an avid student of traditional Mandé dances and rhythms. Her dance workshops with live percussion are adapted to all levels. Through the grounded movement of dances from Africa, Lua Shayenne invites you to celebrate your body as the Temple of the spirit connected to Mother Earth.
ABOUT LUA:
Lua Shayenne weaves contemporary narratives through dance, song and storytelling. Her artistic practice draws from her African roots and her faith – the Baha’i Faith. Her art seeks to activate hearts and consciences. She actively engages with her audience and communities with a concern for ecological justice, social justice and spiritual quest.
A 2016/17/18 K.M. Hunter Dance award nominee and a recipient of the 2013 BMO seeds Fund Award for Artists working in community, Lua is the creator and interpreter of the dance theatre children series titled, Tales and Dances Around the Baobab of which Yassama and The Beaded Calabash, is the fourth tale. Lua is the artistic director of Dora nominated Lua Shayenne Dance Company through which she boldly envisioned and launched YENSA Festival. Lua’s performing highlights include HOLOSCENES tours in the US, UK, Abu Dhabi & Australia, Été au Théâtre in Italy, Fall for Dance North, Luminato, Dusk Dances, d:mic, Vox Théâtre, Sharing The Stage, etc. Lua teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University’s dance program and brings African dance, music, storytelling and culture to grassroots organizations and schools all over Canada and Europe. Luashayenne.com
Follow Lua on Instagram: @luashayenne
JAZZ GROUNDING
with Chenise Mitchell
This dance workshop on will offer an ALL-LEVEL experience of Jazz dance with live music accompaniment.
Join Chenise through a grounding warm up, exploration in connection to jazz music and expressions through the form. The focus is on black origins of jazz. The class will flow with the level of who is in the room. Be prepared for a unique class as Chenise shares her Jazz journey with you.
ABOUT CHENISE:
Chenise Mitchell is a Jazzer; an all around performing artist driven by rhythm and social connection.
With a BFA in theatre and 17 years of professional experience, Chenise has toured across North America, appeared in commercials (Hasbro, Rogers, MMVAs), festivals (Nuit Blanche, Fringe, Ignite!, Provocation, Fluid Fest, MADbeatz, Calgary International Children’s Festival and more), concerts, music videos (Witch Prophet and others), musicals (Nunsense), and plays (Streetcar Named Desire, inVISIBLE and others) and has created with: Wildseed Centre for Activism and Art, Dance Matters, Nuit Blanche, SummerWorks, Toy Guns Dance Theatre, EveryBODY On Stage and many more.
Chenise believes that Jazz ignites a connection to the rhythm of life like no other. Chenise feels belonging with Jazz because it is healing, it is social, it is connection, it is community. Chenise is passionate about emphasizing the revolutionary nature and Black origins of Jazz and this rhythm and connection is infused in her education, creation and performances.
Website : spinalrhythmjazz.com
Follow Chenise on Instagram: @spinalrhythmjazz
GROUNDED in WELLNESS workshops
MOVEMENT-STILLNESS-SOUND
A Journey to Release and Relaxation with Miranda Liverpool
A movement workshop and sound bath that offers an open experience of intuitive movement and healing sounds and vibrations with live music accompaniment.
Miranda is exploring combining her love of dance and all the healing benefits of connecting to ones body in movement with her work in healing sound frequency and vibration, energy work and mindful breathing and grounding practices. This workshop is meant to take participants on a journey; to allow them to experience the freedom and pleasure of their authentic movement, reconnect them to their body’s sacred knowledge, and honour themselves and their bodies with a time of stillness, repair and rest.
ABOUT MIRANDA:
Miranda is an 18-year dance and performance professional, based in Toronto, predominantly performing styles of dance such as Samba, Afro-Brazilian, West African, Cuban Cabaret, Afro-Cuban, and Contemporary. Following an inner calling, Miranda became an energy healing, sound healing and reflexology practitioner in 2020. She began her healing business, High Hopes Transformation, to help people access more healing, joy, relaxation, balance, and fulfillment. Her services help her clients to release stuck energy and emotional baggage, bring them into better balance, prioritize well-being, and experience joyful expansion. During the past few years of uncertainty in the world around us, Miranda has gained a new found appreciation and understanding of the workings, importance and many benefits of rest, and relaxation, and offers support to those looking to improve and prioritize their physical, emotional and mental health through rest and reducing stress. She finds this work especially important for women who are often in both a working and care taking role, and are stuck in a societal norm of sacrificing their well-being in service to others.
Follow Miranda on Instagram: @highhopeswithmiranda @mimistylez