Saturday B Workshops 10:50 am - 12:20 pm

Presented by  Christine Jackson

Type of Session:  Active Workshop (90 minutes) 

Target:  Drama - Elementary (Grades 4-8), Secondary (9-12), Beginner or pre-service teachers, Experienced Arts Educators, Arts Researchers 

Can drama help us cultivate a pedagogy of critical consciousness that includes joy as a form of resistance?

How might we design our drama spaces and experiences to yield more glimmers and fewer triggers? 

Can we be wide-awake to ourselves and each other? To the spaces and places we inhabit?

In this experiential workshop participants will explore themes of connection/disconnection to self and other through movement and text-based improvisation. Together we will venture into territories of commitment, care, and critical love (Sealy-Ruiz). The session invites teachers and artist educators to engage collaboratively in a pedagogical inquiry using drama and dance conventions. The structure can also be adapted for use in the Intermediate/Senior level classroom as an invitation for students to explore themes of connection, belonging, and joy. 

Reflect on their own  pedagogical practice; consider how to design units that centre both joy and   critical thinking; experience strategies and approaches they can use   immediately in their classrooms. 

Christine has provided arts leadership in a variety of contexts, as a   teacher and Arts Coordinator at the Toronto District School Board, Arts   Education Officer at the Ministry of Education, and faculty member at   OISE/UT, York University, and Brock University. As a Sessional Lecturer at   OISE, Christine is currently teaching Intermediate/Senior Drama, P/J Drama   and Dance, and Foundations of Teaching & Learning. She is a long-time   member and former president of CODE, a Cultural Leader's Lab fellow, and is a   board member of several arts organizations. Christine is the founder and   managing editor of several arts organizations. Christine is the founder and   managing editor of 

Provocations: drama+dance in education.

 Presented by  Jane Deluzio  

TARGET:  TBD 

 TBD

TBD

TBD

 Presented by   Zahra Harriet Badua  

Type of Session:  Active Workshop (90 minutes)/Lecture 

Target:    Dance  - Elementary (Grades 4-8), Secondary (9-12), Beginner or pre-service teachers, Experienced Arts Educators 

This lecture and active workshop explores the importance of avoiding the oversimplification of African dance by reducing it to a single style or form within educational settings. It examines how African Traditional and street dance styles can be taught in a North American context while maintaining their authenticity.  

The session will demonstrate effective strategies for educators to introduce these dance forms, highlighting their complexity, richness, and diversity. Participants will engage with “moves and grooves” that celebrate Afro-Diasporic dance, exploring its connections to cultural values, spirituality, and social practices while emphasizing the importance of preserving individual dance styles rather than generalizing them.  

The workshop will also address the critical distinction between "The Big Two A's" - cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation and offering educators practical tools to navigate these conversations thoughtfully and responsibly.

This workshop provides educators with movement-based strategies to teach African and Afro-Diasporic dances authentically and respectfully. Through call-and-response, polyrhythms, and posture exploration, participants will deepen their understanding of these dance forms’ cultural significance. We will examine the evolution of styles, the distinction between appreciation and appropriation, and the role of dance in storytelling, resistance, social practices and spirituality. Attendees will gain practical teaching tools through choreography, rhythmic exercises, and guided improvisation. The session concludes with a movement dialogue, reinforcing African diasporic dance as a dynamic, evolving cultural expression and breaking the “one style or technique” myth.

Zahra Harriet Badua

Artist | Dance Educator | Choreographer | Administrator

Zahra Harriet Badua is a multi-disciplinary artist deeply rooted in African diasporic dance traditions. She has performed, taught, and choreographed across Canada and the U.S., specializing in West African and Caribbean dance forms. 

As Artistic Director of ZahraMoves, she leads an educational and performance-based company that celebrates African diasporic culture and provides opportunities for emerging female artists of color.

Zahra also works as a movement coach for individuals with different developmental abilities and serves as the Engagement and Administrative Coordinator for Dance Immersion, a Black-led non-profit supporting dancers of the African diaspora.

Presented by  Susan Bailey 

Type of Session: Active Workshop (90 minutes)

Target:   Dance - Elementary (Grades 4-8), Beginner or pre-service teachers, Experienced Arts Educators   

This interactive dance workshop will explore science concepts (Pulleys and Gears) through movement. Participants begin with a discussion on the various types of Pulleys and Gears before engaging in creative movement exercises. They will develop Action Phrases, experiment with shape and space, and collaboratively build a science based dance piece. Through performance and reflection, participants will deepen their understanding of Pulleys and Gears in movement-based learning.

This workshop approaches the topic of Pulleys and Gears through movement, using dance as a tool to explore Science concepts. Participants will use movement-based learning to help understand concepts of Pulleys and Gears and the workshop is designed to translate the Science concepts into physical expression. 

The structure progresses from discussion (Brainstorm), to movement exploration (Bodystorm), choreography development (Action Possibilities), and collaborative performance (Into Action). By using dance elements such as shape and space, participants physically experience how Pulleys and Gears work. 

The final Re-Action phase encourages reflection, deepening their understanding. This workshop will empower participants to infuse Dance into Science and Science into Dance. Teachers will be able to apply this lesson in their classrooms the next day. As well, teachers will be able to come up with new and creative ways to teach other Science concepts. I have also taught lessons for Structures and Mechanisms, Light and Sound, and Human Body Systems, etc. and can share these ideas with participants.

 Susan Bailey, BA, B.Ed., taught for the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) for 35 and 1/2 years. She taught JK through to grade 8 and taught Dance for 20 years at L. B. Pearson School for the Arts, London, Ontario. As a Dance Educator, she was a member of the Arts Task Force and wrote Dance Curriculum and Assessment and Evaluation documents for TVDSB. In addition, she presented Dance Workshops for teachers to assist them with implementing Dance Education programs into their classrooms. Susan received Dance training through the BATD program (British Association of Teachers of Dance), with 11 years studio dance instructor experience, and also completed Dance courses at Western University. Furthermore, she is a founder of Action Pak D'Action, a Dance Education Resource.  

Presented by  Stephen Wei

Type of Session:  Lecture with handouts and diagrams 

TARGET:    Secondary (9-12) 

Participants will get a crash course in the basics of lighting design   and lighting systems. They will learn about basic design concepts, language,   and objectives. They will also learn about how basic lighting systems work   including language around dimmers, channels, and circuits. The workshop will   set participants up for further learning around theatrical lighting.

Handouts as well as   language of theatrical lighting systems and design.

Stephen Wei has been teaching technical theatre at Rosedale Heights   School of the Arts for more than 15 years. The program offers a pathway from   grade 10-12 in theatre production with many students going on to study   theatre production in post-secondary programs. He has given workshops on   numerous topics in drama over the years as well as serving as communications   officer for CODE.