Introducing Emily, and Body Talk in Nanaimo

Welcome to Nanaimo's new outreach coordinator, Emily Phillips! Emily's been busy with the Body Talk Cru, a young adult leadership group at Crimson Coast Dance Society, mentored in event and program planning and administration, as well as peer leadership skills. From left to right here we have Cru members Sam, Darian, (Holly Bright, Artistic Director of Crimson Coast , Emily) and Gee.

The Cru just organized a series of Hip Hop and Latin Fusion dance workshops with Vancouver's Over the Influence Dance Crew . There were two workshops, one for teens and one for families, with a final performance on March 13th.

I asked Emily to tell us a bit about the project, and also a bit about herself. First things first, Emily on Emily:

"I have always had a passion for the arts. At the age of three I remember resting my chin on the railing of the balcony at performance of “Cats” and falling in love with the theatre. Not one for being on the stage myself, instead my love of the arts took me to Vancouver Island University where I obtained a BA in English. I am a strong believer in arts education and I have really enjoyed helping the Cru plan the Body Talk Event!"

And now, Emily on Body Talk:

" Body Talk 2010 was a success! The week of free classes in Nanaimo BC facilitated by “Over the Influence,” a hip-hop dance crew from Vancouver, was fun, fast and fabulous! (That's Over the Influence over there.) Teens danced for 5 hours a day from 12-5 and families came out at night from 6-7:30. I was so impressed by everyone’s ability, and determination. You could tell that some of the participants had danced before, and were really comfortable; however, there were also participants who had never danced before and were just having a blast!

This is my first year doing the Body Talk project, and my first experience being a facilitator for a dance event. It was a great experience for me too. The final performance on Saturday night was amazing!“Over the Influence” performed, as well as the participants from the week. “Over the Influence” is a super talented dance crew who tell an intelligent and humorous story with their wicked moves. The teens and families preformed very well, there was not a nervous face in the bunch. The crowd was really supportive which was great to hear and see.Everyone did a great job, and had lots of fun. I hope that Body Talk has made an impression on the participants and the spectators, so that they will get out and dance again soon!"