A few pics of my students at Newtonbrook High School in Toronto.
I’m excited for these dancers. They’ve been working on a piece for a competition in the TDSB. They collaborate on all the choreography themselves, with one student choreographer. Their dance teacher Joanna Perlus and I do nothing but coach & ask questions that help them explore space, levels, movement, and dig deeper within themselves to better tell their story.
Every time I return, they grow another level. Amazing what can happen when you give people, young or old- an outlet to be creative. Dance is truly within every single one of us! Very proud of my work with the youth and extremely proud of how much they’ve grown.
The preliminary competition is next week, and they are working HARD. But at this point it doesn’t matter if they continue to the finals. As cliche as it sounds, they’ve totally won a prize that dwarfs any trophy: the freedom dance gives you, a renewed confiDance, and the experience and relationships they develop through the process.
Merde dancers, you make me proud!
Shawn Byfield - Certified Public Speaker, Dance Coach & Choreographer 