Part 2 of 3 - Afro Urban Dance Workshops Vol. 9

Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc. presents Afro Urban Dance Workshops (AUDW) Vol 9: Step Dance and Vernacular Jazz. A celebration & recognition of popular Afro-Diasporic dances that will allow you to delve deep in movements and education about African traditional, street and social dances contributing to the urban setting of Calgary.

Join us for our ninth installment of our AUDW series highlighting modern dance styles from Africa and the Afro-Diaspora!

We are excited to present these two dance styles to you and can't wait for you to join us!

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

Kayin Queeley - Step Dance

10 am - 12 pm

Class Description: Stepping a black diasporic dance that uses the body as an instrument to create rhythms and beats, through stomps, claps, and chants. Although popular in the United States in Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the 1900's, stepping's roots are in Africa. Be prepared to be introduced to foundational step routines with a focus on synchronization and creating music as a team.

Raoul Wilke - Vernacular Jazz

1pm - 3 pm

Class Description: In this class you will learn traditional ideologies for example the significance of circle and ring shouts. Embody core steps like Boogie Forward/Back, Fall of the log, and more. The dances and rhythms will be used as a reference to support the understanding and deep roots of Vernacular Jazz.

TICKETS:

One Workshop (Either Step Dance OR Vernacular Jazz): $30

Both Workshops: $50

NOTE: This is one of four AUDW that is happening in July. The other dates are July 12, 22 and 27 and the guest dance artists are teaching Traditional Jamaican Folk Dance, Tap, Mbokalisation (Kongo) and Hip Hop.

Contact Nicole at [email protected] if you have any questions or for more information.

Kayin Queeley

Kayin Queeley is the founder and director of the Montreal Steppers which was formed in 2019 and has since connected with more than 15,000 participants and offered over 500 workshops in schools across the country.

These workshops center the importance of Black Lives, Black history/futurity and stories in hopes to inspire, strengthen solidarity, to reimagine a just world where we can breathe, live, succeed, and thrive differently and together.

Kayin was named a CBC Black Changemaker in 2023 for his dedicated community work. He is an educator, choreographer and writer. He has created and produced several original productions that explore Black diasporic life and resilience in Canada in the afterlife of slavery.

He is also a Case Manager in Crisis Response in the Office of the Dean of Students at McGill University and has worked to support students in his various roles at McGill as well as other institutions over the past 10+ years.

Kayin was born and raised in Saint Kitts and Nevis and completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh before making a home in Montreal.

Raoul Wilke

Raoul Wilke, a multifaceted Dora Award winning artist, is the co-founder of The Moon Runners dance crew and the CEO of FeedYourSole. As a black emerging artist, his accolades extend within different communities, opening doors for new collaborations. He was a model for Seika Boye’s “This Living Dancer” in collaboration with the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) and performed for The Raptors halftime show, as well as to produce his own film over the summer of 2019, commissioned by Canadian Stage Theatre.

As a leader of the street dance community within Canada, he has mentored various companies and dance schools over the years, on the importance of the historical context, within these vernacular street forms and the value of themselves. Raoul is currently Faculty at Toronto Metropolitan University, educating students on these vernacular dance forms that helped shape him into the man he is today. As a student of dance, he continues to live by the quote, “See the music, Hear the Dance” by Balanchine.

Host or Publisher Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc.