about

Who is Dance Nova Scotia?

DANCE NOVA SCOTIA is the umbrella service organization for all forms of dance in Nova Scotia.

Founded in 1974 and incorporated in 1975, it is one of eight provincial cultural service organizations that comprise the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia, which are funded by the province. 

Dance Nova Scotia is a registered charitable organization governed by a Board of Directors elected from the community.

Mission

To foster dance as a cultural, educational, social, recreational and healthful activity for all.

Vision

A Community United in Dance.

Values

Equity / Trust / Collaboration / Communication / Accessibility

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OUR PROGRAMMING INCLUDES

  • Providing educational resources to public schools, including the creation of instructional materials relating dance to Grades P – 9 social studies, language arts and music curricula in Acadian and traditional Cape Breton dance as well as library resources for dance in education. Currently, we are focused on delivering ongoing professional development for school teachers 
  • PERFORM!, a joint project of Dance Nova Scotia, Theatre Nova Scotia, and the Nova Scotia Choral Federation, which brings professional artists into the classroom to deliver workshops in dance, theatre, and music;
 
  • Community-based networking and pilot programs to promote existing dance opportunities and to encourage the development of new dance programs where none have existed before. The most recent program to be implemented is BreakSpace, a free weekly breakdance drop-in session open to anyone. The session is followed by a practice session where members of the Urban Dance community drop in and not only participate but also act as mentors for young dancers. Tango to Balance is a free class centered around the exploration of the Argentine Tango walk. Engaging in dancing while gaining better balance, gait, and posture makes for a fantastic way to fight off brain-aging as well as the risk of falling. both these programs are in partnership with the Halifax Public Libraries;
 
  • Providing services to professional dance artists and companies to assist with fundraising, grant writing, and promotion;
  • Partnering with Kinetic Studio to present their Open Studio and First Ideas series, residencies with visiting choreographers and dancers, building mentorship opportunities, as well as  presenting Taking Steps to Fly, a yearly showcase for young choreographers;
 
  • Professional development for dance teachers with a strong focus on aging populations. Working to bring the latest developments in areas related to seniors and dance, as well as advances which support the benefits of dance for Parkinson’s and dementia, through networking with organizations such as Canada’s National Ballet School and Parkinson’s Canada;
 
  • Managing DANSpace, a dance studio funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, making the space as affordable as possible to independent artists in all disciplines;
 
  • Managaing the Dance Database, a database of dance artists and dance teachers throughout the province. This search engine is accessible to everyone through our website;
 
  • A library collection of over two thousand textbooks and instructional videos for choreographers, dance teachers and public school teachers;
 
  • Developing workshops for artists, teachers and dance individuals on many areas of dance, business/administration and subjects of interest to members;
 
  • Information on dance through our weekly e-news bulletins, as well as our (mobile accessible) website which includes extensive event calendars delivering information on dance activity across the province as well as our notice board (jobs, dance opportunities, etc).
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