This past August, two dance expos launched in Toronto. Each had a distinct approach in the makeup of the day, but both served to build community, educate participants and inspire for the season ahead.
Kent McCord’s Dance Attack Workshop, a company that organizes touring dance workshops with high-profile instructors such as Stacey Tookey and Jordan Clark, presented the Toronto Dance Teacher Expo at the International Plaza Hotel, August 4-6. Focused on educators, the two-day expo included a keynote address from Dance Studio Life publisher Rhee Gold, workshops in a variety of dance disciplines and seminars on topics like lesson planning and marketing.
The Canadian Dance Expo (CDX), August 10-12, took a more streamlined approach, covering topics specific to young dancers, teachers and parents. For those familiar with the Dancer Transition Resource Centre’s conference On the Move, which aids in the transition from post-secondary study to professional career, CDX offered a similar scope of topics but for young dancers looking to consider their options after high school. For example, there was a seminar on post-secondary options comprised of representatives from professional training programs at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts and Conteur Academy. Marty Fortier of CDX said, “We felt that an expo similar to CDX was missing in the Canadian market. We knew that Canadian talent was very strong and wanted to showcase this while continuing to educate the young students and teachers hungry for education.”
Both expos have plans to run in the summer of 2016.
Tagged: All, Education, Uncategorized, ON , Toronto
