Megan Mueller

Fancy footwork: Dance takes centre stage at Hart House

siddiq22 — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:01:50 +0000

Fancy footwork: Dance takes centre stage at Hart House

siddiq22 Wed, 04/26/2023 - 11:01

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This spring, Hart House is home to all kinds of dance – from championship events to performances and classes to learn a wide variety of genres (supplied image)

Megan Mueller

Topic

Our Community

Dance

Arts

Culture

Fitness

Hart House

Hart House Theatre

Student Life

From a popular dance festival to hosting the qualifying round for Canada's national breakdancing championship, the University of Toronto's Hart House is centre stage for dance this spring.

U of T will welcome some of the best breakdancers (known as "breakers") in Canada on April 29 when Hart House Theatre hosts the Ontario Open – the qualifying rounds of the Canada DanceSport (CDS) National Championships, which will be held in Vancouver in June. The winner of that series will progress to the World Dance Sport Federation's World Breaking Championship, taking place in Belgium in September.

The event comes as the status of breaking (also called "b-boying" and "b-girling") is steadily rising – the sport will even be included in the summer Olympics for the first time next year when the Games are held in Paris.

Geoff Reyes, lead organizer of the
Ontario Open breaking championship at
Hart House (supplied image)

Geoff Reyes, a graduate of U of T's civil engineering program in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, has been involved in the Canadian breaking scene for many years – the former Varsity athlete and dance instructor, who is the breaking sports director for CDS and the president of Breaking Canada, is the lead organizer of the Ontario Open at Hart House.

For Reyes, the founder of Ontario-based breaking groups How Hip Hop Helps and You Be ILL, returning to Hart House will be like a homecoming.

“During my time at U of T, Hart House meant community and gathering. I taught breaking with the U of T Dance Club and hip hop dance at the Fitness Centre," Reyes recalls. "My dance group, as well as my students, performed at the Hart House U of T Festival of Dance."

Hosting the Ontario Open is just one of many ways Hart House has supported and showcased the art form of dance over the years.

“There’s a substantial dance community at U of T, and Hart House Theatre is a key part of this,” says Doug Floyd, Hart House Theatre's director of theatre and performance art.

The theatre often hosts and collaborates with dance groups of all genres, including student-led ensembles such as the Silhouettes Dance Company – one of the largest U of T dance troupes on campus – who will perform at Hart House Theatre later this year. Another student-run dance group, the Only Human Dance Collective, often rents the Hart House Theatre to run classes for students of all experience levels.

The University of Toronto Dance Team – which won three consecutive dance competitions in March against 28 teams across Canada, are another campus group taking to the Hart House Theatre stage to wrap up their season, presenting some of their best dance pieces in a performance on April 29.

Such collaborations are key to Hart House's ongoing commitment to programming dance, says Michelle Brownrigg, Hart House Theatre's senior director and chief program officer.

“Community and academic partnerships are so important,” she says. “For example, we have several collaborative workshops with U of T's Institute for Dance Studies, with most recent support to their keynote on disability and dance earlier this year."

Kiki Ballroom Alliance (supplied image)

Some of those partnerships include the one with Breaking Canada, rehearsal space for vogue dance group Kiki Ballroom Alliance and initiatives with Dance Immersion that focus on the African dance diaspora in tap and jazz dance – a connection that was fostered by Seika Boye, director of the Institute for Dance Studies.

Hart House Theatre's longstanding association with dance is highlighted each year through the annual Hart House U of T Festival of Dance – one of the largest university dance festivals in the country, the showcase offers a wide variety of performances across genres, including jazz, ballet, ballroom, modern, hip hop, musical theatre, Irish, Latin, belly dancing and k-pop. This year's event ran from March 31 to April 1 and included 60 different dance numbers.

“Some dance groups have their own large shows, but some don’t – so the festival is even more important for those smaller companies," Floyd explains.

“With such an abundance of dance groups associated with U of T, participation in the festival is a great opportunity for dance groups to interact, collaborate and promote their own work and ventures.”

Breaking Canada holds a class on breakdance at the Hart House Fitness Centre (supplied image)

Dancers don't have to be onstage to enjoy some fancy footwork at Hart House, which offers several popular classes at the Fitness Centre, including Zumba, cardio dance party, Afro cardio dance, Bollywood and k-pop.

Those who get inspired by the breakdancing competition can take a new breaking class this spring. Breaking Canada, in partnership with Canadian Women & Sport, will be offering B Thee Rise, a national b-girl initiative where participants will learn the fundamentals of breaking with guidance from leading b-girls.

“Whether you’re a novice to breaking or looking to improve your abilities, this program is inclusive, safe and most of all, fun,” says Vanessa Treasure, director of fitness, wellness and recreation at the Fitness Centre.

With its focus on experiential learning through the arts and active living, Hart House's longstanding pas de deux with dance offers something for everyone on campus – from showing off skills in the spotlight to learning new moves for the first time.

U of T student's musical, based on an Oscar Wilde classic, to debut at Hart House Theatre

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 13:22:32 +0000

U of T student's musical, based on an Oscar Wilde classic, to debut at Hart House Theatre

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 04/17/2023 - 09:22

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Anthony Palermo wrote and directed The Gray: A Wilde Musical in Concert, which explores self-expression, generational queer trauma and what it means to find home in LGBTQ+ spaces (supplied image)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

Months before graduating, University of Toronto Mississauga student Anthony Palermo will stage a production of his play based on Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray – but with an edgy 1970s glam-rock twist

From April 20 to 22, Hart House Theatre will present an in-concert version of a new work titled The Gray: A Wilde Musical in Concert, a twist on the Wilde classic.

First produced as an audio version (currently streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube) last year by the Victoria College Drama Society, The Gray will make its onstage debut at Hart House.

The musical is the brainchild of Palermo, executive producer of the English & Drama Student Society (EDSS) at U of T Mississauga. Palermo is an actor, director, writer and composer who is graduating from U of T/Sheridan College’s theatre and drama studies program this spring. In addition to directing the production, Palermo also created the book, music and lyrics for The Gray.

“Hart House is very special to me – a wonderful platform, Palermo says. "It has been a place of connection – I’ve been able to network with so many theater professionals and artists.”

The Gray is only the latest work in a recent string of successes for Palermo. Last year, they were invited by the Musical Stage Company to compose and direct music for One Song Glory, a musical-theatre training intensive for youth, and also were a featured artist-in-residence for Soulpepper Theatre Company's Queer Youth Cabaret. Last June, Palermo wrote and performed a one-person musical that was reprised at the EDSS Performance Arts Festival in December.

In addition to The Gray, Palermo wrote and directed another musical, Mythic Women and their Cabaret to Save Humanity, at U of T Mississauga last year. They also directed Dog Sees God (Winter 2021) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Fall 2022) with the Victoria College Drama Society, and are currently directing Angels in America at St. Michael’s College.

Palermo’s television work includes the CBC series Workin’ Moms and Macy Murdoch, a spinoff of Murdoch Mysteries.

Informed by real events in queer history

Inspired by Wilde’s enduring story and set in David’s Disco – a nightclub that briefly existed in Toronto’s Gay Village in the late 1970s – The Gray follows Dorian, a young singer-songwriter determined to become a star. After his photograph is taken, he becomes obsessed with the image and the power it holds. With an original, glam-rock-inspired score, the musical explores self-expression, generational queer trauma and what it means to find home in LGBTQ+ spaces.

“The inspiration came from events in the queer history of Toronto, with which I've always been fascinated, as well as [journalist] Justin Ling’s book Missing from the Village,” Palermo says. “I became extremely engrossed with that past as well as the queer themes in Wilde’s novel, and they sort of blended together in my mind.”

“It's significant to have [The Gray] on stage and to have queer bodies performing. This is really special.”

From left: Nick Palazzolo, Nell Khayutin, Giustin MacLean, Stevie Hook, Jacob Moro, Anthony Palermo and Liam Peter Donovan (supplied image)

From audio to onstage

The Gray was first produced as an audio drama, picking up wins at the U of T Drama Coalition Awards last year. From there, Palermo was contacted by Doug Floyd, director of theatre and performance art at Hart House, who connected him with playwright and director Aaron Jan, who helped with the stage adaptation.

Palermo recalls how his connection to Hart House goes all the way back to when he was in high school.

“In Grade 11, I wrote my first musical for the National Theatre School Festival. We went to regionals and performed on the Hart House Theatre stage,” says Palermo, who also worked at the theatre as a U of T work-study student.

Palermo credits Floyd and the rest of the Hart House Team – including education and production coordinator Gillian Lewis and marketing assistant Lindsey Middleton – for their support over the years.

“They were such grounding forces for me – they helped me build confidence,” Palermo notes.

As Palermo looks ahead to graduation, they have some advice for other students who dream of the bright stage lights.

“Get involved everywhere – work as a producer for a theatre company at U of T, gain experience as a designer … There are many different facets," Palermo says.

"Try everything at least once, because we have such a rare opportunity at U of T and at Hart House to be able to participate in so many things.”

Hart House podcasting program 'ignited a social justice fire in me,' U of T student says

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:54:35 +0000

Hart House podcasting program 'ignited a social justice fire in me,' U of T student says

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 02/15/2023 - 12:54

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Elijah Miller, an undergraduate student, created a podcast focused on climate change while he was in high school as part of a co-op placement with U of T's Hart House (photo supplied)

Megan Mueller

Topic

City & Culture

Faculty of Arts & Science

Hart House

Podcasts

Woodsworth College

Elijah Miller is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto – but his on-campus involvement began while he was still in high school via a podcast on climate change.

Miller says got the opportunity to create the podcast – titled, “The ocean’s rising, do you give a sh*t?” – while he was still attending high school at Runnymede Runnymede Collegiate Institute through a co-op placement at Hart House.

"Climate change is something I am passionate about,” says Miller, who is now studying in the Faculty of Arts & Science as a member of Woodsworth College. “When I was talking with my friends at high school, whenever the idea of climate change came up, I wanted to ask questions like, ‘What is it?’ and, ‘How did we get here?’”

He got the chance to explore those questions by working with the Hart House podcasting team, including Day Milman, manager, integrated arts education, and Danielle Dinunzio, manager, community access and outreach. “Day and Danielle taught me how to come up with the questions, how to edit, how to record,” Miller says.

The co-op was organized through SEE U of T (Support, Engage, Experience University of Toronto), a collaborative access program initiated by U of T and the Toronto District School Board that encourages students who come from historically underrepresented communities to view post-secondary education as a viable destination by participating in classes, experiential learning and U of T campus life.

In the podcast, Miller interviews fellow students, teachers and a therapist to hear their perspectives on the climate crisis, why it's hard to instigate change and who is responsible. The podcast presses interviewees, audience members and its own creator to think critically about this complex topic and ask difficult questions.

While most of the co-op took place online, Miller says that didn’t get in the way of creativity and reciprocity. “We would do Zoom calls, where I’d say, “Here’s what I’m doing,’ and they’d say, ‘You should think about this or that.’ It was cool.”

Miller wrote, produced, edited and hosted the podcast – and even created the music under the name “Lilo.”

“The work that I did with Hart House really ignited a social justice fire in me,” Miller says. “Working on the podcast, I began to question all of the ideas around climate change, to interrogate and to think about it more deeply.”

He says feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “Everyone I’ve talked to said they loved it, and thought it was amazing,” he says, adding that students who are thinking about getting involved with Hart House shouldn’t hesitate.

“Go for it because you can handle more than you think you can,” he says. “This is something that Hart House really illuminated for me. Just think of it as a chance for you to explore something that really intrigues you.”

Local artist forges a connection with pow wow mural at Hart House

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 13:31:08 +0000

Local artist forges a connection with pow wow mural at Hart House

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 10/28/2022 - 09:31

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“Intertribal, 2022” is a mixed media mural by Quinn Hopkins installed at Hart House.

Topic

Visitors to the University of Toronto’s Hart House will be treated to a visually stunning piece of art this fall: “Intertribal, 2022,” a mixed media mural at the end of the eastern corridor on the lower level of the building.

The mural by Quinn Hopkins – his first major solo project – depicts a pow wow in Toronto and merges technology with art in a provocative and highly original way. Broadly speaking, his work, which has garnered national media attention, is multi-layered and political.

Hopkins says the mural tells a powerful story, depicting the Na-Me-Res Traditional Pow Wow at Toronto’s Fort York as seen against the city’s skyline. The piece includes a light feature, a light sculpture and an augmented reality component.

“It’s part of a pow wow, a celebration of life. It’s a place to share culture, food, songs and dances,” he says of the mural, noting that “Intertribal” is the name of a specific dance.

“It’s an invitation to anyone at the pow wow to come into the circle and dance. I think that’s a beautiful representation of community, unity and diversity.”

The latest example of Hart House’s commitment to expanding Indigenous education programming, the installation is in a student-focused location that provides ample opportunities for young people to engage with it.

Hopkins says he takes inspiration from new, innovative technologies and, through his art, he connects this technology with the land and his roots.

Hopkins grew up seeing well-known Indigenous artists’ work at his best friend’s house. “I was fortunate to go to their home and see this massive collection,” he says. “In their house, the artwork went from floor to ceiling, every wall was covered in beautiful Indigenous art. That was a huge, fundamental inspiration for me.”

Hopkins says Indigenous educator and art dealer Conrad Bobiwash was a mentor to him, teaching him the first forms and central ideas of the Woodland painting style at a young age.

He takes inspiration from new, innovative technologies and, through his art, he connects this technology with the land and his roots as an Anishinaabe person. He also seeks to find new ways to visualize the spirit of the land and thereby reveal the many truths about humanity’s relationship with the land. Never afraid to experiment with new tools and mediums, Hopkins uses state-of-the-art techniques such as 3D modeling, digital drawing, editing, creative coding and machine learning.

‘Intertribal’ as an invitation

As for the mural at Hart House, he says he loves the mood it depicts.

“Everyone’s always having a good time, smiling,” he says of the pow wow. “You get the tiny tots dancing in their regalia, the elders walking around and nodding to the beat, Native and non-Native folks having a good time, feeling like they’re part of it. It’s an invitation to participate in something that you usually think is exclusive.”

The eagle (Miigizi) has a powerful message, too. “In the seven grandfather teachings, the eagle is love (Zaagidiwin),” he says. “That’s what I felt when I was thinking of the pow wow and Intertribal: love; community; and love of the place, Tkaronto, where we’re standing and feeling represented. I love how the eagle is a sort of umbrella that holds everyone under one roof in that piece.”

Inspiring people through art

Since the pandemic, Hopkins has been seeking to engage with audiences in new and profound ways. “It’s hugely meaningful to me to inspire people and teach them new things,” he says.

Through “Intertribal,” he sought “to remind viewers that Indigenous people are modern and cutting-edge innovators. We have a history of taking the newest tools and adapting them to our own purposes. We’re not stuck in the past. We look seven generations into the future.

“Having my work in Hart House is looking at the next generation, those students, those warriors who are learning and propelling our communities and our society into the future. It’s an honour to have them learn something new from this mural or just enjoy it; sit there, meditate or whatever people do when they look at art. Maybe it's a quick glance, but whatever it is, I hope it brightens their day or they feel something.”

'I found a community': Melissa Vincent on how Hart House's music magazine helped launch her career

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 16:20:04 +0000

'I found a community': Melissa Vincent on how Hart House's music magazine helped launch her career

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 03/15/2022 - 12:20

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Melissa Vincent, who graduated from U of T five years ago, has penned numerous articles for major Canadian and U.S. publications, and sits on the board of the Polaris Music Prize (photo courtesy of Melissa Vincent)

Megan Mueller

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Hart House

University College

Just five years after graduating from the University of Toronto, writer, editor, producer and strategist Melissa Vincent is making her presence felt in the world of music journalism.

She penned a 2020 cover story on singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez for Elle Canada and had pieces published in high-profile American publications such as Billboard, The Fader and Pitchfork, as well as with the CBC, Globe and Mail, Canadian Business and Vice.

In 2019, Vincent joined the board of directors of the Polaris Music Prize. She has also led content platforms operated by Banger Films, Blue Ant Media and Universal Music Canada; and produced a podcast to support the launch of the music docuseries “This is Pop” on Netflix.

Vincent, who double majored in urban studies and book and media studies as a member of University College, says she was curious about music growing up, but felt it was unattainable. Over time, she developed her own voice for writing and determined what it was about particular albums that compelled her.

“In essence, I started to develop my tastes,” she says. “Then coming to U of T really helped clarify my thoughts about music, culture and art.”

Vincent traces the genesis of her career to Hart House, where she was editor-in-chief of Demo magazine, a student-run publication launched by the Hart House Music Committee in 2006.

She says she was introduced to Demo during University College’s frosh week. “A friend mentioned the Hart House music magazine and said I would love it.”

Her friend was right.

“It was an immediate and obvious home. I found a community,” she says. “A lot of people I met in Demo are now my lifelong friends. To find a group of people that wanted to get into the weeds and have conversations around 30 seconds of a track on an album – this gave me a space to feel like I wasn't alone. It built a lot of intimacy, trust and safety.

“That community was crucial for me to gain confidence.”

Vincent also credits Demo for teaching her the importance of being a clear communicator, using the tools of journalism and determining a good pitch. At Demo, the editors help to train the new writers, making themselves available to talk through the pieces and check in at various points during the writing process.

“One of the most brilliant functions of Demo is its built-in system of passing along situational, institutional and generational knowledge,” she says.

It is the norm for someone to start at Demo in first year as a writer, watching how editors produce the magazine. Then in third and fourth year, they can advance to becoming an editor.

“I gained an understanding of the importance of setting up a good process for creative work. It's a system to make sure that editors are not going in cold – that they have resources and support. It sets up incoming editors for success.

“What I learned with my co-editors at Demo still serves me in my career today.”

Some of Vincent’s most cherished undergrad memories are from Hart House, sitting with friends in the Arbor Room, which she calls an important creative working space.

“It was also a space for us to reflect on how we were doing in general – academically, emotionally or personally. We could count on chatting and then coming out of the conversation in better shape. I am so grateful that Demo was a conduit for us to do that.”

She recalls the excitement of seeing the first proof of each Demo issue: “Running to the office, getting it, then going to Hart House, sitting with a coffee across the table from each other and flipping through it, catching typos, getting the kinks out. It’s like you’re a midwife to this project."

Vincent says the space provided by Demo – and Hart House more generally – is something to be treasured.

“We’re living in a cultural moment in the city where space is scarce; it is difficult to create,” she says. “When I think back to the pleasure and freedom of having access to a space like Hart House as a student, I realize there’s a lot of value and importance.

“My time at Hart House – a beautiful, historic spot with a lot of narrative depth – working in the Demo community taught me just how valuable that is to the creative process.”

Vincent offers the following three tips for budding music journalists:

Have faith in your own opinion

“When you’re involved in cultural criticism, it’s important to discover and believe in your own taste,” she says. “When you say something’s brilliant, what do you mean? What’s unique about your opinion?”

She also believes it’s important to be in an intimate conversation with yourself and have a private place to reflect.

“Let yourself be playful and explore this,” she says. “When you listen to an album, be curious about its origin, its history, so you have some knowledge that will also help inform your taste.”

You can be in the big league while you’re still in school

“Don’t feel you need to graduate to start your career,” Vincent says, noting she began writing for the Globe and Mail in second year. “A lot of editors are willing to take a chance on an eager and enthusiastic writer that shows a lot of promise. You can be in the big leagues while you're still in school. You don't need to wait.”

She suggests writers pursue a mix of institutional study and extracurricular activities to gain practical experience.

“You have to let your academic study blend with some early professional experiences while you're a student.”

Community is everything

Vincent emphasizes the value in developing a community to brainstorm and discuss deadlines, the validity of feedback or the size and scope of an article.

“This community really comes in handy for you when you face big challenges,” she says.

Megan Mueller

Fancy footwork: Dance takes centre stage at Hart House

U of T student's musical, based on an Oscar Wilde classic, to debut at Hart House Theatre

Informed by real events in queer history

From audio to onstage

Hart House podcasting program 'ignited a social justice fire in me,' U of T student says

Read more about SEE U of T at U of T News

Local artist forges a connection with pow wow mural at Hart House

‘Intertribal’ as an invitation

Inspiring people through art

'I found a community': Melissa Vincent on how Hart House's music magazine helped launch her career

Have faith in your own opinion

You can be in the big league while you’re still in school

Community is everything