International Dance Day

DANCING IN YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE a huge success!

The Dance Umbrella of Ontario (DUO) in partnership with Yonge-Dundas Square brought together 8 dance companies to perform free to the public in celebration of International Dance Day 2007. The event was a huge success, with organizers estimating that over 3000 people attended throughout the course of the day.

DANCING IN YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE boasted performances by Collective Heat, Thrill the World, Street Dance Academy, Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre, Company Blonde Dance Projects, Zata Omm Dance Projects, Baila Boogaloo Dance Company, OIP and COBA Collective of Black Artists. Four of these companies taught enthused audience members classes following their performance, and the energy throughout the day was incredible.

Allen Kaeja, Co-Artistic Director of Kaeja d’Dance, was the gracious host of the event. He informed the audience about the great diversity of dance in Ontario and provided audience members with information on each company, the history and meaning of International Dance Day, the service organizations that assist dance in Ontario, and kept up the audience energy throughout the event.

DUO would like to thank all of the companies, dancers, and choreographers who gave so generously of their time and talent to make this event a huge success.

DUO would also like to thank Allen Kaeja, Patrick Carnegie, and all the staff at Yonge-Dundas Square, Adriana Sabogal, Robin Dutt, Robin Newman, and Nicole Stoffman.

DUO has posted some video from the event on youtube to provide a taste of the day for those who could not come to Yonge-Dundas Square Sunday!

CLICK HERE for a clip of the performance by Street Dance Academy

CLICK HERE to see a clip featuring COBA Collective of Black Artists, who brought audience members on stage to teach a class

Dance Umbrella of Ontario (DUO) is a not-for-profit arts administration organization. DUO would like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation for their generous support of dance animation activities.

some pictures from the event:

FEATURED ARTISTS

Company Blonde

Company Blonde Dance Projects presents: She’s a Tramp Choreographed by Sunny Horvath Performed by Michelle Debrouwer and Nicole Rush Music by Rosemary Clooney Cirque de trampoline is what these two ladies are all about! They perform death defying acts in this vaudeville inspired duet. It’s high energy and loads of fun - not to be missed!!

The Baila Boogaloo Dance Company

The Baila Boogaloo Dance Company promotes several types of popular and classic Latin Dances. The name 'Baila Boogaloo' takes its cue and influence from boogaloo (bugalu) music - a distinct salsa sound with an infectious upbeat harmony that combines Afro-Cuban influences, Mambo and R&B.

Heading up the some 18 dancers and instructors are Joaquin Martinez - artistic director/lead choreographer who co-founded the company with his partner, Darlene Wang- director and lead female dancer.

Born in El Salvador, Joaquin strives to continuously present within every piece choreographed, the Latin flavor and components he holds true. The Baila Boogaloo dancers embrace the many forms and styles of Latin dancing characteristically influenced from Puerto Rico and Cuba.

The Baila Boogaloo Dance School offers classes in a number Latin dances including- Salsa, Merengue, Bacahta, Cha Cha Cha, Cumbia and Casino Rueda. Baila Boogaloo houses 8 lead instructors and several assistant instructors teaching private and public classes through out the week.

COBA - Collective of Black Artists

COBA's objective of preserving and promoting the finest traditions of African, Caribbean Indigenous Folk and Contemporary dance and music through research, education and performance not only extends to our audiences, but also to the Collective; Sharing traditional aesthetics and values as resources for interracial co-operation, cross-cultural education, and societal goodwill.

Zata Omm dance projects

Zata Omm is ‘Zen And The Actualization Of Modern Movement’. ‘Zen’ conveys a sense of simplistic representation of complex ideas and that those ideas and the movement they inspire flow from the Centre of Being. ‘Actualization’ is the final implementation of those abstractions into the concrete form of physical movement.

Dance Umbrella would like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation for their generous support to dance animation activities.