Carnival Portal: Dance Soca with Zahra

We're kicking off our Carnival Portal workshop series by diving into the world of Soca with a dance class led by instructor Zahra Badua!

The workshop is located in the Lower Level of Yorkdale Mall, in the Art Starts studio. Locate Old Navy within the Mall and take the elevator across from it down to 'LL'. You'll find the Art Starts studio to the right and through the glass doors.

About the instructor, Zahra Badua:

Zahra Harriet Badua is a Ghanaian dancer/teacher/choreographer originally from Montreal, Quebec. Her passion for dance started at a very young age as a means to learn and understand her African heritage. Through discovery and training, she is skilled in Traditional West African, Afro-Caribbean folklore, Afrobeats, Dancehall and Soca. She is the founder of an educational and performance base brand called ZahraMoves which promotes and educates people on African/Caribbean culture through movements. Zahra was contracted by York University in 2021 as a Course Content Expert. During that time, she gave a Colloquium on the evolution of West African street dance styles for grad students for the Dance department of York University. Zahra is dedicated to disseminating knowledge about the vast beauty and history of Afro-Diasporic dance. Whether through seminars, podcast discussions, or movement workshops, her aim is to create a holistic view of the different facets of African dance. As part of this work, Zahra has produced a collection of video projects and curates showcases to provide opportunities for emerging artists of color. She is also the administrative assistant for dance Immersion which is a black-led non-profit organization that promotes, produces and supports Black dances and dancers from the African Diaspora.

Host or Publisher ArtworxTO: Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021-2022