COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

There are currently no community workshops running. Check back here for future iterations of Moving Connections! To inquire about booking Moving Connections or other community workshops, please contact urban@kaeja.org.

  • “I feel that they have tapped into an inner creative centre that has been dormant.”

    David, Moving Connections Participant

  • "[It was meaningful] to be able to move without judgement of myself, to be in real time with my moving body and feeling present was a real blessing."

    Anonymous Moving Connections Participant

  • "Such a beautiful experience. I kept smiling with amazement and joy...that a group of strangers could perform a series of actions creating intimacy and cohesion. I loved it.”

    Phyllis, Moving Connections Participant

  • "I truly appreciated the sensitivity and generosity you and your team extended to us non-dancers. It felt such a safe and supportive space.”

    Brenda, Moving Connections Participant

Moving Connections

Moving Connections is a free community movement practice designed for all ages and mobility levels – no previous dance experience required! It’s a great way for friends, families, and communities to stay active, creative, and connected, either in-person or online. Adults ages 50+ are encouraged to participate.

Community workshop participants dancing in a studio.

Moving Connections community participants, Photo by Drew Berry

  • A group of community participants move with their arms bent in front of them, looking at their hands. In the forefront, a blonde, female-presenting person wearing a navy blue shirt is in focus.

Background

Moving Connections was conceived, directed and developed in 2018 by Karen Kaeja. The project is an umbrella for her three decades of research of intergenerational collaborative dance-making using personal stories. Workshops include a warm-up, collaborative choreography, and gentle guided movement explorations.

The Moving Connections Heart Dance was created by Karen in collaboration with a community of older adults just before the pandemic and was shared with community participants throughout the pandemic in outdoor and virtual workshops. This practice evokes a distilled reflection of hope and embracing meaningful connections made with people in our lives.

Dancing Collected Stories

In 2022, a new iteration of Moving Connections was created, called Dancing Collected Stories. These virtual workshops offered participants the opportunity to collaboratively create new movement experiences in each session that were based on personal stories. Allen Kaeja oversaw the 2022 Dancing Collected Stories program with his storytelling expertise.

Research

Moving Connections was part of research led by Dr. Pil Hansen, made possible by a University of Calgary / Kaeja d’Dance partnership SSHRC grant. Read about the results of this research and the positive effects of Moving Connections on body appreciation and social connection in these articles published by Frontiers in Psychology and the University of Calgary.

 
 

Program Founder
Karen Kaeja

2022 Program Director
Allen Kaeja

Consultant
Dr. Pil Hansen

2022 Facilitators
Nickeshia Garrick, Mio Sakamoto,  Katherine Semchuk, Irma Villafuerte

2022 Community Leaders
Jane Deluzio, Mai Duong, Lori Eisler, Lori Endes, Lumy Fuentes, Brina Levin, Sara Rodriguez, Phyllis Whyte

2022 Community Partners
Casa Maíz, Homes First, Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, PAL Canada, University of Calgary, Working Women Community Centre

2021 Community Support
Elizabeth Bowes, Jane Deluzio, Lori Eisler, Lori Endes, Christine Jackson, Sallie Lyons, Lori Pacan, Phyllis Whyte

2021 Facilitators
Drew Berry, Nickeshia Garrick, Mio Sakamoto, Elke Schroeder, Katherine Semchuk, Irma Villafuerte

2019 Participants
Pramila Aggarwal, Nadia Alpert, Mary Barr, Linda Bayliss, Pat Beaven, Pieter Biessels, Jane Deluzio, Joanne Desjardins, Lori Eisler, Luisa Giacometti, Christine Jackson, Suzanne Jaeger, David Keshen, Ana Lima, Sallie Lyons, Mary Anne Quance, Brenda Somers, Jini Stolk, Harold Tausch, Dianne Taylor, Cylla von Tiedemann, Patricia White, Phyllis Whyte, Myriam Zitouni

Funders
Community Foundations of Canada, Ontario Trillium Foundation, New Horizons Program, University of Calgary/Kaeja d'Dance partnership SSHRC grant