This program welcomes families who would like to try relationship-based dancing with their children. With backgrounds in Ensemble Thinking, Reggio Emilia inspired creative process and developmental patterning, Julie and Margaret will guide the group in playful ways to engage in dancing together.

No experience necessary. Movements are close to the floor. The adults’ ability to move between standing and sitting is an asset. Dancing barefoot and in comfortable pants that cover the knees is recommended for adults and children. Soft knee pads can be a good option for some adults.

Presented as part of the 2018 edition of the WeeFestival. Thought by Julie Lebel (Vancouver/Foolish Operations) and (update) Nina Martin (USA/Lower Left Collective). Margaret Paek is unable to come due to illness. Please see bios below.

To watch a short documentary on Dancing the Parenting, visit : https://foolishoperations.org/dancing-the-parenting/

Nina Martin’s (Lower Left co-founder) choreographic and improvisational work (Improvography) has been performed in Finland, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Venezuela, and the US including 17 years presenting her work while living in New York. Her choreography has received support from numerous sources including New York State Commission on the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, and seven choreography fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Recently, she has received two Tommy’s (San Diego), an Irvine Foundation California Dancemaker Grant and collaborated with Shelley Senter and taught in Japan. Her work has been influenced by Elaine Summers, Mary Overlie, Trisha Brown, and Steve Paxton among other Post-Modern greats. Nina has performed with David Gordon Pick Up Company, Martha Clarke, Deborah Hay, and Simone Forti as well as being a founding member of Channel Z in New York. (see Sharing the Dance; Cynthia Novack.) Presently, Martin carves out a new dance destination in the wild west in Marfa, Texas.

Julie Lebel is a Vancouver based choreographer invested in community engaged dance and in interactions between public space and community. She graduated from UQAM with a bachelor degree in Dance in 1998 and is based in Vancouver since 2005. Her choreography was shown at Tangente in Montréal, Pulse at the Dance Centre in Vancouver, SKAMpede festival in Victoria and Series 8:08 Season Finale in Toronto. Julie's current projects are Tricoter, a short form solo for unusual spaces performed within a knitting circle and part of the new Des arts dehors program by Made in BC dance on Tour, Paper Playground, a creation for the very young premiered at the Surrey Children International Festival in May 2017, and the Foolish Operations Ensemble/Dancing the Parenting, an ongoing practice for parents dancing and performing with their young children. Julie is in the process of being certified in Ensemble Thinking under Nina Martin – Texas (a set of highly collaborative group composition tools). Her mentors are Karen Jamieson - Vancouver (embodied facilitation and Energy Body practice, 2012-2016), Patricia Reedy (Luna Dance Institute, CA, for her expertise in early years relationship based dance curriculum) and Kate Sutherland - Vancouver (group facilitation techniques, since 2014). Julie is the current Manager of Community Engagement at Made in BC – Dance on Tour. Foolish Operations Society (incorporated in the spring of 2016) is a not-for profit society dedicated to discovery and creation of dance experiences with artists and community. Foolishoperations.org