HDSB students danced the day away

View pictures set to music of dancing here:
http://www.hdsb.ca/library/videos/Floresence.mpg
Photos by Jason Misner, Communications Officer, HDSB staff

By Melanie Markin, Pineland Public School

On Friday, April 30, Halton District School Board celebrated International Dance Day with its 6th annual Florescence dance workshop. Students in grades 6-12 spent the day at Robert Bateman High School sharing the passion, communication and artistry of dance.

After a keynote presentation by former arts consultant Jane Wamsley, a drums alive demonstration and a group warm-up led by Bateman senior students, the participants headed off to variety of workshops.

The students had the opportunity to choose two of five different dance styles; bollywood, modern, nia, swing and tribal cardio to experience during the morning sessions. Community clinicians shared their energy and expertise with the students, which culminated in a group sharing of these dance styles before lunch.

Having already experienced the choreographic side of dance, in the afternoon students worked through the creative process starting with the text source "Varmints".

Each of the five groups read the story and worked toward representing one section of the text through creative movement. This experience was punctuated with a culminating large group movement performance in the round. Students brought the entire text to life using the elements of dance alongside music and props.

Teachers from various schools that attended the afternoon for professional development purposes were astonished by what the students managed to create in such a short time. At the end of the day, two lucky students won door prizes donated by Triple Flip in Oakville.

Throughout the world, International Dance Day has been celebrated on April 29 since 1982. 

Halton's Florescence began six years ago as a joint endeavour between a small group of teachers and an arts consultant eager to find a way to celebrate both the choreographic and creative side of dance as its own unique and integrated art form.

Every year we try to bring something new to the event. Next year we are eager to explore 'hawaiian' as a new dance style.