Timmins youth will have a chance to learn different styles of hip hop dance early next year.
Dansons La Ronde and Melissa Kelly Dance Academy have teamed up to bring three dancing workshops Jan. 29-30, 2022.
Professional dancers Tamara Journeau, Marilyne Lemire and Jason Vallée-Buchanan from the Montreal-based non-profit PRIMA DANSE organization will be in Timmins to offer three 60-minute workshops.
The first workshop will be teaching hip hop and Afro/dancehall. The second workshop is hip hop and waacking. During the third workshop, participants will learn hip hop and house dance.
There will be a rotation between three age categories for those aged eight to 10, 11 to 13, and 14 and older.
On the second day, participants will be able to rehearse with the dancers and, if they're comfortable, showcase what they’ve learned during the workshops. The professional teachers from Prima Danse will be presenting a 15-minute performance as well.
“It’s going to be in French. They’re a well-renowned group in Quebec,” said MKDA’s artistic director Melissa Kelly-Lavoie. “I think the dance community here will respond to this quite well.”
With shutdowns during the pandemic, children and youth haven’t had a lot of opportunities to partake in competitions and recitals, said Lisa Bertrand, the executive director of La Ronde.
Held at the Porcupine Dante Club, the workshops will give them a chance to come out and learn something new.
Kelly-Lavoie said it will be great for local dancers to learn from other instructors and professionals in the industry.
“Nobody in Timmins teaches waacking. They’ll be really interesting for dancers," she said. "This is so good for dancers to explore other forms of dance that are popular in the industry but nobody in Timmins teaches this. And nobody teaches Afro/dancehall either."
The deadline to sign up is Jan. 7, 2022.
To register online, visit larondetimmins.ca. For more information, call 705-267-8401 or email [email protected].
