Author: kanderson

On June 15, 2021, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation announced the recipients list for the 2021 Distinguished Artist Awards, which comprises a trio of powerful women including our very own Vicki Adams Willis alongside artist  Faye HeavyShield (Blood Reserve, Kainaiwa Nation, AB), and writer and filmmaker Cheryl Foggo (Calgary, AB). We offer our sincere congratulations to all of the recipients.

In the announcement , Her Honour, the Honourable Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta refers to these three as “ground-breaking women who have offered important contributions to the arts in Canada.”

We couldn’t be more thrilled to see this honour bestowed upon DJD’s beloved co-founder Vicki Adams Willis. Anyone who has had any touchpoints with our company, whether it was through a class, a show, a school program, or as an artist developing their own skills and their relationship with jazz, they have felt the effects of Vicki Adams Willis. She has changed the face of jazz dance in Alberta and Canada and is one of the key players in making Calgary a viable dance centre for serious jazz artists.

Hats off to you Vicki for this well-deserved award! 

The post Celebrating Founder-in-Residence Vicki Adams Willis appeared first on Decidedly Jazz Danceworks.

Created: June 22, 2020
Updated: This document will be updated as needed to be compliant with any AHS guideline updates.

OVERVIEW

This document has been created in conjunction with the guidelines as provided by Alberta Health Services (AHS) for the COVID-19 Phase 1 Relaunch Strategy. VIEW GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

• Families are expected to familiarize themselves with all published protocols and policies prior to entering the facility
• Parents & guardians will be asked to check the temperature of their children daily before coming to camp. If your child’s temperature is 38 or above please do not have them attend camp and advise DJD immediately of this condition.
• Parents & guardians will be asked to complete the COVID19 self-screening tool behalf of their child prior to entrance into the studio and commencement of any activity. Any student that is exhibiting any symptoms cannot enter the facility or participate. VIEW SCREENING TOOL 
• Students who become symptomatic during an activity are required to be isolated from others and their parent/guardian will be notified immediately to come and pick their child up.
• Students must have their space reserved in class no later than 7 days before the class start date. Space can be reserved online or over the phone. Walk up reservations will not be accepted at this time.
• Students are required to practice proper hand hygiene (wash or sanitize hands upon entering and exiting the facility and after touching any commonly touched surfaces) and practicing proper respiratory hygiene (sneeze or cough into elbow or tissue)
• Students are welcome to wear masks in common areas but should not wear masks during physical activity, as this is not recommended by AHS.
• Parents are asked to drop their child off no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the start of class and parents are asked to pick their child up no later than 15 minutes after class finishes.
• Details of pick up and drop off protocols will be announced by July 8.
• Students should arrive ready for class (dressed to dance with a change of indoor shoes, a full water bottle and with snacks and a lunch)
• Students will go directly to their assigned floor. Each camp will have an assigned floor to ensure each camp group stays separate for one anther and provides ample physical distancing space.

COMMON AREA PROTOCOLS

• In conjunction with our professional cleaning service provider facility cleaning will be increased and enhanced. Common areas will be disinfected regularly.
• All visitors to the centre are expected to maintain a distance of two metres (2m) from one another in common areas within the studio. Physical distancing markers will be placed in various locations within common areas to assist with adequate distancing.
• Way-finding signage will be posted to mark exits and entrances to streamline the flow of traffic
• The elevator will be dedicated to “up” trips only and the number of people allowed in the elevator will be reduced to 4 at one time
• One stairwell will be used for “up” access and one stairwell will be dedicated to “down” access
• Restrooms and change rooms will be open and adequality social distanced.
• Seating in common areas will be adequately physically distanced.
• All communal use items will be removed from waiting areas (magazines, toys, ect)
• The water fountain will be open for use to fill bottles, no drinking from the fountain will be permitted.
• Hand sanitizer and facial tissue will be widely available throughout the facility
• The building operator the of DJD Dance Centre along with our HVAC provider will optimize our fresh air intake as well as our humidity levels throughout the facility.
• All staff & teachers will be subject to the COVID19 self-screening tool prior to the commencement of each shift/class

STUDIO PROTOCOLS

• In conjunction with our professional cleaning service provider facility cleaning will be increased and enhanced. Studios will be disinfected daily prior to each camp.
• Class capacity will be reduced to allow for two metre distancing between each participant
• Floors will be marked with physically distanced place markings

The post Summer Camp Protocols & Policies appeared first on Decidedly Jazz Danceworks.

Created: June 22, 2020
Updated: July 7, 2021

OVERVIEW

This document has been created in conjunction with the guidelines as provided by Alberta Government Open for Summer Phase 2 Relaunch Strategy. VIEW GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

MASK UPDATE 

• Starting on July 7th, 2021 students are not required to wear masks in common areas or in studios. If students feel more comfortable wearing a mask in common areas and/or in studios we support your choice.
• All DJD employees will be wearing masks at work until two weeks after their second dose of vaccine. After that employees are invited to wear a mask at work if that is what makes them most comfortable.

adult STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

• Students are expected to familiarize themselves with all published protocols and policies prior to entering the facility. These protocols will be emailed to you upon reserving your space in class.
• All students will be asked to complete the COVID19 self-screening tool prior to entrance into the studio and commencement of any activity. Any student that is exhibiting any symptoms cannot enter the facility or participate. VIEW SCREENING TOOL
• Students who become symptomatic during an activity are required to be isolated from others and must return home immediately.
• Students must have their space reserved in class no later than 1 hour before the class start time. Space can be reserved online or over the phone. Walk up reservations will not be accepted at this time.
• Students are required to practice proper hand hygiene (wash or sanitize hands upon entering and exiting the facility and after touching any commonly touched surfaces) and practicing proper respiratory hygiene (sneeze or cough into elbow or tissue)
• Students are asked to arrive no earlier than 10 minutes prior to the start of class and will be asked to leave within 10 minutes after class finishes.
• Students should arrive ready for class (dressed to dance with a change of indoor shoes, a full water bottle and a yoga mat if your class requires the use of one)
• Students will go directly to their assigned studio, one of our staff members will sign you in

CHILD/YOUTH STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

• Families are expected to familiarize themselves with all published protocols and policies prior to entering the facility
• Parents & guardians will be asked to check the temperature of their children daily before coming to class. If your child’s temperature is 38 or above please do not have them attend class and advise DJD immediately of this condition.
• Parents & guardians will be asked to complete the COVID19 self-screening tool behalf of their child prior to entrance into the studio and commencement of any activity. Any student that is exhibiting any symptoms cannot enter the facility or participate. VIEW SCREENING TOOL
• Students who become symptomatic during an activity are required to be isolated from others and their parent/guardian will be notified immediately to come and pick their child up.
• Students are required to practice proper hand hygiene (wash or sanitize hands upon entering and exiting the facility and after touching any commonly touched surfaces) and practicing proper respiratory hygiene (sneeze or cough into elbow or tissue)
• Youth students are asked to wear masks at all times in common areas and have the option of wearing their masks during physical activity, but it is not mandatory.
• Parents are asked to arrive/drop off their child no earlier than 10 minutes prior to the start of class and will be asked to leave/pick up their child within 10 minutes after class finishes.
• Students should arrive ready for class (dressed to dance with a change of indoor shoes, a full water bottle clearly marked with the child’s name)
• Students will go directly to their assigned floor. Classes have been distributed throughout the Dance Centre to maximize social distancing space.
• Parents are encouraged to wait for their child off-site but if they must remain in the facility they are asked to please stay on the floor of their child’s studio and to remain 2 metres away from other parents, as per AHS guidelines no socializing is allowed and masks must be worn at all times.

COMMON AREA PROTOCOLS

• In conjunction with our professional cleaning service provider facility cleaning will be increased and enhanced. Common areas will be disinfected regularly.
• All visitors to the centre are expected to maintain a distance of three metres (2m) from one another in common areas within the studio. Physical distancing markers will be placed in various locations within common areas to assist with adequate distancing.
• Way-finding signage will be posted to mark exits and entrances to streamline the flow of traffic
• The elevator will be dedicated to “up” trips only and the number of people allowed in the elevator will be reduced to 4 at one time
• The parkade will be accessible by stairs via The Kahanoff Centre lobby
• One stairwell will be used for “up” access and one stairwell will be dedicated to “down” access
• Restrooms and change rooms will be open for use but we recommend arriving ready for class. Parents and students are asked to maintain 2m distance within.
• Use of seating in common areas is discouraged but will be available and adequately physically distanced for those who need this amenity. Parents are asked to remain on the floor of their child’s studio.
• All communal use items will be removed from waiting areas (magazines, toys, ect)
• The water fountain will be open for use to fill bottles, no drinking from the fountain will be permitted.
• Hand sanitizer and facial tissue will be widely available throughout the facility
• In conjunction with our HVAC provider and with our building operator the DJD Dance Centre will optimize our fresh air intake as well as our humidity levels throughout the facility.
• All staff & teachers will be subject to the COVID19 self-screening tool prior to the commencement of each shift/class

STUDIO PROTOCOLS

• In conjunction with our professional cleaning service provider facility cleaning will be increased and enhanced. Studios will be disinfected prior to each class
• Class capacity will be reduced to allow for 2 metre distancing between each participant
• Classes that we have deemed as higher intensity (Barre & West African) will be programmed in studios 2 or 5 to maximize distancing
• Floors will be marked with physically distanced place markings

The post DJD DANCE CENTRE RELAUNCH PROTOCOLS & POLICIES appeared first on Decidedly Jazz Danceworks.

My Fellow Dancers,

don’t forget
what we have in us

how it feels to get down and to soar
to laugh and cry with our bodies
and how we can physically speak in ways even poetry can’t

don’t forget
touch
and what it feels like to sync with other bodies
harmonize breath
to take up space
to embody music
the deliciousness of becoming those beats, that riff, that groove

how history lives through us
that our blood, muscles and bones carry deep knowledge
that we are alchemists, inventers, shape shifters

how watching us move can change how people think, feel, live
that many envy us
the richness of our lives, what burns in us
as we do not sit idle
but when we do, we can express a 500-page novel with our little fingers

know that in whatever comes, we will be looked upon for comfort and solutions

don’t forget
to keep listening
to whatever lights that fire
your pulse, wind, white noise, jazz music

to trust our ancestors
real and imagined
that through war and famine
through enslavement and desolation
through thick and thin
dance has survived
it will always be ours

to confide in that elusive in the moment magic we have in us and always will
in how we walk
how we hold our heads
and in my circles, how we can’t help but to respond to music

please don’t forget
this thing we have
in this moment
it may be contained
it may be resting
but it’s in us and it will rise again

 

 

 

 

Kimberley Cooper
Artistic Director
Decidedly Jazz Danceworks

 

Read all the Alberta Dance Alliance official Dance Day messages 

The post International Dance Day Message 2020 appeared first on Decidedly Jazz Danceworks.

Coming together and sharing a meal is the one of most communal and binding things in almost every place around the world and our DJD community is no different. Many of our greatest memories surround breaking break together, from our famous potluck lunches to late night snacks after the Black & White Ball to post show nibbles on opening night. In this Cooking with DJD blog series we will step into the kitchen with company dancers and administrative staff to see what they are cooking during this time of social distancing.

Up first is Kaja Irwin:

Hey everyone!!! I’m Kaja and am a Company Dancer with DJD as well as a teacher in the DJD school. I love cooking, baking and most kitchen experiments and explorations! I have a bit of problem collecting cookbooks, a trait I inherited from my mum and we continue to feed (ha!) into each other’s habit. Like the rest of the world, I am loving all things Alison Roman, I can’t help it! Her recipes are great and accessible every time, her writing style is fun and her relaxed approach to home cooking is something I can really get behind. I chose two recipes from her newest cookbook, nothing fancy, Salmon with Soy and Citrusy Charred Scallions (which I have made before) and Smashed Cucumbers with Sizzled Turmeric and Garlic (which I haven’t). Both are so good and so easy!! ALSO, the salmon is incredible as leftovers cold with one of my favourite styles of covid lunches, wasa crackers, hummus, random sliced vegetables, olives, nuts, cheese, some apple slices and if I’m lucky, leftover citrusy soy salmon!!! Hope you enjoy : )

Sidenote re: photos- I am definitely not skilled at food photography and yes, my cooking area is covered in lettuce I am trying to grow, ha!

The post Cooking with DJD appeared first on Decidedly Jazz Danceworks.

Please enjoy a poignant birthday message from our Artistic Director, Kimberley Cooper.

Happy 36th Birthday DJD! Forgive me for being extra sentimental today. Sometime shortly after we moved in to the DJD Dance Centre, someone asked me to write something for something, I can’t remember what… I imagined I was the building and wrote this and I don’t think it ever got used, so here it is for you on your day. I hope everyone has a dance for you in their houses today. I can’t wait until (y)our house feels like this again.

They built me with purpose, brick by brick, concrete and wood, wire and pipe.
I felt special, unique, with a twist and a lot of glass.
I wondered what I was for.

I didn’t sit empty for long,
In fact, they came in before I was finished.
They came in droves.
They came to dance.

I am home to a unique group of people, they don’t just walk and sit, in fact those things are rare inside of me.

I am filled with music,
And movement.

Little ones,
Big ones,
Some learning to tell their right foot from their left
Some who do things that are so spectacular they would take my breath away
if I had breath,
I feel like I do because that is something the people in here do a lot, breathe, more than most.

My floors are soft, I support them when they throw themselves down, and up.
Many of my rooms are doubled, so two of my side by side spaces can have completely different dances happening at the same time both with their own feeling and sound, although I can’t stop the energy from leaking through the walls, I wouldn’t want to, they wouldn’t want me to.

Sometimes when they arrive, they seem broken.
Then they dance, and they change.
They leave smiling and come earlier next time.

I have this extra special place, where the extraordinary ones dance, sometimes they have live music and special lights. They work so hard and then the seats fill up with people who sit, and sometimes when they watch, the way they breathe changes, sometimes they gasp, or laugh, or cry, and then they clap their hands together.

There are many audiences here, the birds, the sky, the people walking by and looking in my massive windows.

I may seem like I am just sitting here but I feel like I am vibrating, laughing all the time with these bodies that are finding joy within my walls, luckily they built me with a strong structure, because sometimes I feel like I could lift off and fly away, with all of energy of this magical feeling of all of these people and this thing they call “the spirit of jazz”

 

 

 

 

Kimberley Cooper
DJD Artistic Director

The post Happy 36th Birthday DJD! appeared first on Decidedly Jazz Danceworks.