Explore Afrofuturism through the tradition of dance, let your creativity connect to your knowledge, your history and your movement as you journey through various dance styles that map a rich history onto a current urban style.
Overview
Afro-contemporary dance is rooted in collective space sharing its gestures informed by dances of the Diaspora and movements from Africa and the Caribbean.
The first two sessions (Feb 5 and 12) are led by award-winning dancer, choreographer and cultural knowledge keeper Kevin Ormsby. Participants will learn dance styles and understand how movements of the African Diaspora continue to shape popular culture today including Hip Hop and Urban dance.
The third session (Feb 26) celebrates the vibrant and expressive style of urban and Hip Hop dance. It's led by Mark Samuels who has worked with top tier Canadian artists including Jully Black and Nelly Furtado. He has also danced in many notable shows including The Juno Awards, MMVA’s and So You Think You Can Dance Canada.
Dance Choreographers
-
Kevin A. Ormsby
Artistic Director of KasheDance and Program Manager at Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO), Kevin A. Ormsby has performed with companies in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. He has been featured in works by Marie-Josée Chartier, Allison Cummings, Patrick Parson, Ronald Taylor, Ron K. Brown, Menaka Thakkar, Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones, Garth Fagan, Liz Lerman, Bageshree Vaze, and Lemi Ponifasio, among others.
A finalist for the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes and recipient of Canada Council for the Arts’ Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award, Kevin was an inaugural TAC Cultural Leaders Fellow. Kevin is on the faculty of Centennial College’s Dance Performance Program and has been a Guest Artist in Residence at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts at the University of the West Indies (Mona), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northwestern University and University of Texas -Austin. His research and creative practice through KasheDance's technical approach exists in a space of constant interrogation and navigation of Caribbean cultural nuances towards a methodology of understanding space in creation, research, and presentation.
He is on the Boards of Dance Collection Danse and Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, and has served on the Boards of Canadian Dance Assembly, Prologue to the Performing Arts, and Nia Centre for the Arts, where he was Chair of Canada’s first professional multi-disciplinary centre for African-Canadian art.
-
Mark Samuels
After spending years as a dancer in Canada, Mark expanded to the US and was fortunate enough to work with some of the industry's biggest choreographers. His journey led him to dance for multi-platinum recording artists such as Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige, Missy Elliott, Kelis and many more.
Today, Mark is a well-established figure in the dance industry. With over 25 years of experience, he has shifted his passion into choreography. He choreographed his first feature film, Dr. Cabbie and co-choreographed for the Latin Pop group, CNCO. Most recently, he has teamed up with legendary choreographer/director Paul Becker to choreograph a number of successful film and TV shows such as Disney’s The Descendants, The Magicians and A Series Of Unfortunate Events. Mark’s work also appears on several networks including Netflix, Lifetime, ABC and SYFY.
