Community News
Doing Our Thing Workshop connects the arts and the African Diaspora
BY SALINA McCALLUM
Dance Immersion is a not-for-profit organization recognized for its engagement in producing, promoting and showcasing dancers and dances of the African Diaspora.
“There’s so much richness in who we are, so bringing that all together in this little aspect is just part of it. Doing Our Thing is really about expressing who we are and deciding for ourselves what we want to say,” said Vivine Scarlett, founder of Dance Immersion.
The organization was founded in 1994 by Scarlett, also a former dancer and choreographer, and was established to address the need for additional presentation, skill development, and networking opportunities for dance artists of African descent.
Scarlett says in African tradition art is seen as a whole and is not separated. Doing Our Thing breaks the arts apart, and then brings it together.
The day started with a dance workshop hosted by UK dancer Kristina Alleyne at Michael J. Baker Studio, Dancemakers, followed by a visual arts workshop hosted by Charmaine Lurch. The last workshop of the day combined movement and words in a collaborative session with Alleyne and Lurch.
Alleyne, a professional athlete turned dancer, trained at the BRIT School of Performing Arts and Technology and Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD). Her dance experience started through Hip Hop, then stretched to Afro- Caribbean, African, Kathak, Latin and circus skills.
Lurch’s paintings and sculptures are conversations on infrastructures and the spaces and places we inhabit. She subtly connects black life and movement globally. Her work has been exhibited at The Art Gallery of Ontario, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Station Gallery, Toronto Centre for the Arts, The Gladstone, Nuit Blanche, and the National Gallery of Jamaica.
For 25 years Dance Immersion has experienced success in connecting with artists throughout Canada and worldwide. They have provided opportunities for audiences and participants to experience firsthand the global language of dance, and its ability to build bridges between diverse cultures.
“Doing Our Thing also explores different avenues of where we are artistically in this environment, coming from whatever background we come from. Because coming from the African diaspora there’s different elements, we’ve grown up in different environments,” said Scarlett.
“When I walked into that class, it was more than just dance techniques. There was history, music, and language. There was a sense of pride and stories within the movement and the music of true stories of the history of my people, of kings and queens and the journey through the desert. All of these things empowered me, that I didn’t read in history books,” said Scarlett.
The founder of Dance Immersion is motivated to continue the organization because of her passion to ensure that generations after her, do not forget about African tradition and arts.
“That’s what has driven me to continue to do this and to make sure that there’s a legacy for those who are coming up behind me to carry on,” said Scarlett. “It becomes this circle of learning because it really is about life. For me, as an artistic being, it’s about life,”
Dance Immersion has established itself as a one-of-a-kind entity in Canada and provides a supportive environment for professional and aspiring dancers.
“It’s not just about doing our thing but doing our thing in an environment with like-minded people where we can excel in art expression,” said Scarlett.
The day ended with a presentation at 8 p.m. featuring Alleyne, Lurch, Amadou Kienou, Artists In Motion, EDIFY also known as ELITE Dance, and Kevin Reigh at the Harbourfront Centre’s Theatre Studio.
Scarlett says dance makes her feel free and connected, and thanks dance for where and who she is today. She finds that art as a whole brings the truth and connects people in a way that nothing else can.
“We all play a part, and it’s when we come together and know that, that we all flourish not only as individuals but as one,” said Scarlett.