Our programs center the choreographer as a catalyst for social change, self-expression, and community building. Through movement-based workshops and courses, we invite participants to connect deeply with their bodies, question norms, and explore identity.
workshops at
Aeris Körper
The Dance Incubator
A Place for Experimentation
Come participate in new ensemble choreography facilitated by unique local choreographers! Every body welcome!
Join us every Sunday in July to dance in four new works of four Hamilton-based choreographers. This is a place for experimentation and exploration - choreographers will try out ensemble choreography and scores, investigating ideas that need YOU! Be part of the exciting creative process of trial and learning, all while engaging with other local dancers and dance enthusiasts. This series is ideal for professional, pre-professional and amateur movement enthusiasts who are ready to try-on choreography.
Each session starts with a 1-hour class led by the the choreographer, followed by 2-hours of choreographic play and experimentation.
Ticketing is Pay-What-You-Can. Your donation goes directly towards paying the facilitators and running the program.
Recommended donations:
$25 general
$15 arts worker
If you wish to pay cash at the door, reserve your spot for $0.
Thank you to the Ward 2 Community Grant for supporting part of the program.
retrograde: dance in motion
JULY 5th, 2026 / 1-4 pm / PWYC
@ Magnolia Hall, 115 Hunter Street West
retrograde: dance in motion will be working on a piece called Time. Here is how they describe their inquiries - We'll be diving into the beginning stages of building our next piece to the song "Time" from Pink Floyd's iconic album, The Dark Side of the Moon. Our time together will explore 1) building choreographic phrases and playing with dynamics, timing, and stage composition, and 2) a promenade phrase of movements, inspired by Pina Bausch's "Seasons March"
Jane-Leigh Jamieson
JULY 12th, 2026 / 1-4 pm / PWYC
@ Sky Dragon Studio, 27 King William Street
Jane-Leigh says “I love playing with technique and emotion by breaking down simple movements and changing the intention behind them to add a whole new texture to the movement. A lot of my work is based on partner work and connection so I will also be playing with that and leaving room for each persons interpretation of different movements and to react to one another.”
Mayumi Lashbrook
JULY 19th, 2026 / 1-4 pm / PWYC
@ Magnolia Hall, 115 Hunter Street West
Mayumi will be exploring techniques garnered from her training in Butoh and improvisation through the session. She'll be working on choreographic structures from a new (working title Uncanny Valley) as well as other choreographic ideas.
Julia Garlisi
JULY 26th, 2026 / 1-4 pm / PWYC
@ Magnolia Hall, 115 Hunter Street West
Julia will be working on a piece called Hollow. She’ll be using basic foundational phrasing and abstracting it to provide depth, dynamic, rhythm, and intentional personality. How can we be unique within a group setting? Julia says “ I communicate best through movement; therefore my creations speak to things that can only be expressed with the body. I dance and create choreography to ask questions and within the process hope to find answers. My work is inspired by the human condition, the curiosity of the body, and the passion of relationships.”
Thank you for an amazing 2025-2026 season of Neighbourhood Moves.
Stay tuned for updates on our next line-up coming fall 2026!
Past Workshops.
OCTOBER 25th, 2025 / 2-4 pm / PWYC
@ Studio Zee Pilates, 430 York Blvd.
Jenna will be sharing choreography influenced by her diverse dance background, incorporating elements of Contemporary, Hip-Hop and Street Dance. With emphasis on storytelling, Harris will cover approaches to movement texture, style and performance. Be sure to come with comfortable sneakers! Open to all levels.
Open Choreography
with Jenna Harris
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Jenna Harris (she/they) is a Hamilton-based dancer and choreographer. They have over a decade of training in West African, Caribbean Folk, Modern, Ballet and Hip Hop dance from their time at the Collective of Black Artists (COBA). She also attended the Regional Arts program at Cawthra Park Secondary School as a dance major. Since moving to Hamilton in 2018, Jenna has been a member of various competitive dance crews in the city, including Republic and RXD. Through their time with these teams, they have also gained experience in street dance styles such as House, Locking and Popping. She has performed throughout the city at Supercrawl, Fresh Up Festival and as a cast member of the Uncomfortable Project. Jenna is the creator, director and choreographer for WASH DAY, a Hamilton Arts Week Signature Event. They also teach Commercial Choreo for competitive teams at Defining Movement Dance.
NOVEMBER 29th, 2025 / 2-4 pm / PWYC
@ Ore Movement Studio, 174 Locke St. S
This workshop invites participants into a two-hour journey of embodied discovery through functional movement and free-form dance. Supported through a sonic landscape by DJ Savage Good, LOR will guide movers into practices that invite curiosity, care, and presence. Through gentle facilitation and an emphasis on the body's inherent wisdom, this workshop will encourage participants to move authentically, whether new to dance or experienced. Together we will explore dance and embodiment not as performance, but as a pathway to belonging, liberation, joy and connection.
Unbound: Dance & Release
with LOR + DJ Savage Good
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LOR (she/they) is a Filipino queer embodiment artist and facilitator, who invites people to move freely, breathe deeply, and feel more at home in their bodies. She weaves mindfulness, functional movement, free-form dance, and ritual into experiences that celebrate embodiment and authentic connection. Rooted in trauma awareness and guided by curiousity, LOR's offerings inspire self-exploration, play, and creative care, making space for movement that feels both nourishing and liberating. She's trained with GOODBODYFEEL, The 360 Emergence, The Embody Lab, Somatic Soul Coach School, and Downward Dog Yoga Center. LOR aims to empower folks, especially those made to be marginalized, to reconnect with their inherent wisdom, agency, and expression, and to build more trust and tenderness with themselves, their communities, and the world around them.
Honouring Land through Movement Inspirations
with Heryka Miranda
JANUARY 3rd, 2026 / 2-4 pm / PWYC
@ The Cotton Factory, Gallery 206, 270 Sherman Ave N
This experiential workshop invites participants to connect with the heart of the sky and earth through breath, gentle movement, and improvisational dance, inspired by memories and stories held in the body from a land that holds personal significance. Together, we will explore the Seven Galactic Directions, embody the values of the Dish with One Spoon Treaty, and engage in a process of renewal through connection, movement, and shared experience.
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Heryka Miranda (she/her), Spirit name 'Blue Hummingbird', is a first-generation Guatemalan-US American choreographer and dance educator, honoured to live on the traditional territories of the Mississauga of the Credit, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Her dynamic dance practice weaves together ecological land dance, expressive arts therapies, and sacred traditions, with movement as a powerful tool for liberation, healing, and community. Committed to accessibility and the transformative power of embodied expression, Heryka works to make dance an inclusive and meaningful experience for all.
Kathak Intro
with Priyanka Topé
JANUARY 31st, 2026 / 2-4 pm / PWYC
@ Magnolia Hall, 115 Hunter St. W
This Kathak workshop introduces participants to the technical foundations and expressive qualities of North Indian classical dance. The session will focus on core elements such as rhythmic footwork (tatkaar), precise spins (chakkars), and the use of hand gestures (mudras) to convey meaning. Participants will also explore abhinaya—the storytelling aspect of Kathak—learning how expression, gesture, and rhythm combine to bring narratives to life. Through guided practice and short combinations, dancers will experience both the physical discipline and the expressive depth of Kathak, gaining an appreciation for its balance of structure, improvisation, and storytelling traditions.
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Priyanka is an emerging Kathak artist, choreographer, vocalist, and dance educator originally from New York, now based in Hamilton, Canada. She began studying Kathak at a young age under Pandita Guru Archana Joglekar and has continued her training for over a decade with her teacher and mentor Parul Shah. Priyanka has also trained in Bharatanatyam under Smt. Guru Satya Pradeep.
When Priyanka moved to Hamilton in 2022, the city lacked a Kathak community. Since then, she has made it her mission to foster a growing community through teaching at her home and McMaster University. Priyanka’s aim is to raise awareness of Kathak and strengthen Hamilton’s diverse arts scene.
Movement Through Play
with Jody Boston
FEBRUARY 28th, 2026 / 2-4 pm / PWYC
@ Dundas Museum & Archives, 139 Park St. W
Movement Through Play invites people of all bodies and abilities to explore dance as a playful way to laugh, move, and connect. Led by therapeutic clown Jody Boston, this workshop uses games, improvisation, and comedic prompts to spark creativity, expression, and fun. Activities are guided by the group’s energy and each person’s needs—participants set the pace. No dance experience is necessary, just a willingness to move and play in your own way. The session concludes with a lighthearted group dance that celebrates creativity, laughter, and the joy of being ourselves together.
Grief & Gentle Movement
with Allie Blumas
MARCH 28th, 2026 / 2-4 pm / PWYC
@ Sculpt & Swagger, 262 Ottawa St N.
This gentle movement and grief workshop offers a supportive space to explore grief as something tangible, approachable, and deeply human. By connecting more intentionally to the physical sensations of grief in our bodies, we begin to understand how we respond to and move through difficult times. Somatic simply means relating to the body, and how our emotions live and show up within it. When combined with gentle movement, it provides a conscious, compassionate, and non-intrusive way to engage with our internal experiences. Grounded in the ethos of arriving as you are and doing what you need, this workshop invites curiosity, presence, and self-trust.
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Jody Boston (she/her) is a therapeutic clown practitioner with Red Nose Remedy, working in healthcare settings. An arts educator, she teaches drama in Hamilton schools, privately teaches improv and clown, and appears as a guest artist at McMaster University. As director of Under the Willows, she leads a multidisciplinary team of artists delivering outdoor arts, garden, and play programs for pediatric mental health and developmental support services. Boston has taught Therapeutic Modality courses at Mohawk College and works as a community arts consultant. Recent performances include Femme Arts (Farts) Comedy, Eiler’s Dance Theatre, Open Hearts Theatre, and FiXT POINT.
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Allie is a non-binary dancer, musician and death doula currently living on the traditional land of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Mississaguas, and Haudenosaunne people. Colonial known as Hamilton, ON. Allie graduated from Concordia University in 2013 with a BFA in Contemporary Dance, as well as a Minor in Religious Studies. Their current artistic practice explores how we can embody and move through the sensations evoked by landscapes to engage with grief and death, ultimately deepening our proprioceptive awareness. Their explorations in presences, and their work as a death doula, challenges the way dance and movement are commonly expressed and experienced. Allie is a founding member of Tkaronto (Toronto) based dance collective Open Fortress who explore collaboration through the use of different types of technology, sound and movement to create non-traditional and subversive atmospheres. They are also a founding member of the musical group DOOMSQUAD (2011-2020), and new musical project A L M A.
Body Space Creation Place
with Dreamwalker Dance Company
Dreamwalker Dance Company invites you to join us in expanding and opening our bodies and minds through a series of free wellness movement experiences facilitated by skilled artists. These videos are created for you, and are available 24/7 for you to delight in the diversely creative approaches found in The Body Space Creation Place practice. Our video sessions are designed to be fun, relaxing, rejuvenating, calming and connecting.
You will be guided into: flowing gentle stretches, simple vocal play, image rich visualizations and movements. No experience is required, just bring a curiosity for exploring, sensing, feeling and moving in space. As you move with us through these videos, please move in ways which fully support what you know to be "safe and supportive to you" in the moment you are doing it. BSCP is designed for our community to share time: gaining experiences and practicing embodied knowing, with the intention to activate this practice beyond the parameters of the session time into lived experiences with family, friends and community.
Session 1
Guided by Sid Ryan Eilers
with Shannon Kitchings and Mayumi Lashbrook.
Music from macrophone: aleatoric solo duets for electro-acoustic hurdy gurdy by Ben Grossman
Special thanks to: Henry Mak
Session 2
Guided by Mayumi Lashbrook
with Shannon Kitchings and Sid Ryan Eilers.
Dance music: Song for Slow Motion
by Joshua Van Tassel
Special thanks to: Henry Mak
Dancing is for Everyone
Online Education Course
Let’s get sweaty! We’re bringing dance to your home with these invigorating online workshops. This course is for YOU. You do not need any prior experience with dance and these workshops were designed to keep you creative and investing in your magnificent body.
The online course Dancing is for Everyone includes:
Introduction Video (7 min)
Video #1: Warming Up and Tuning Into Creativity (25 min)
Video #2: Curiosity and Precision: the creators tools (25 min)
Video #3: Dancing Like Nobody's Watching: a guided improvisation (20 min)
What to bring:
• Water
• Comfy clothing
• Space to move (this can truly be anywhere - we have found taking a few minutes to make it a creativity welcoming space - opening the curtains, bringing in a potted plant)
• Journal and pen
Let’s get sweaty! We’re bringing dance to your home with these invigorating online workshops. This course is for YOU. You do not need any prior experience with dance and these workshops were designed to keep you creative and investing in your magnificent body.
This course costs $45.00. Upon purchase, you will be emailed a private link to access in perpetuity.
This course was made possible by the Ontario Arts Council and is filmed in Hamilton, Ontario, at the Goodbody Feel Studio.