The National accessArts Centre (NaAC), presented by TD, and the City of Calgary are proud to announce a brand-new partnership offering accessible dance for children ages 6-12. The partnership offers multiple 6-week sessions of dance classes at the city’s Wildflower Arts Centre that rotate between ages 6-8 and ages 9-12. The classes are led by Alicia Morrison, a multidisciplinary artist and dancer on the autism spectrum, and assisted by mentor and teacher Re Parsons, Performing Arts Manager at the NaAC. Morrison is a student of the NaAC’s professional-track practicum program, wherein artists from the
disability community are selected to receive mentorship from industry professionals and develop their own professional-level skills within their chosen art form over the course of 1 year. The practicum program is a catalyst for change and aims to position artists from the disability community as leaders and innovators within the broader arts and culture ecosystem. The dance stream of the program aids in the removal of barriers to a historically rigid, competitive, and exclusionary artistic medium — inspiring new ways of teaching and learning that allow everyone to experience the joy of sharing movement with others. The City of Calgary and the NaAC share a vision to increase access to dance and promote disability leadership and creativity throughout Calgary.

To see current class offerings and register, please visit City of Calgary Live and Play.