Dance Orangeville is becoming a collective creation. It is:
1. Everyone who values growing dance in Orangeville
2. Jonathon Neville, Michelle Grierson (when available), and other teachers (including you?) who guest teach and may start regular classes. Guest teachers include: Brett Sanger, Emma Heimbecker, Jacob Lindsay, Honour Stahl, Nic Rodrigo, Pulga Muchochroma, Malini Singh and more.
How do we fit into the Orangeville dance scene? We don’t see ourselves as competition for the dance studios. We help each other grow. They train children and teens for competitions (and other performances). We give their students and parents reason to think dance training will give them a rich life as adults in Orangeville. Although we do train adults (and sometimes children and teens) to compete/perform , we have 2 higher-for-us priorities: 1. creating artistic productions more substantial than is possible in a recital, and 2: making it possible for people to go out dancing in Orangeville. (All kinds of dancing.) We love classes, but if you only go to classes, you’re missing out. We’re working towards co-creating a place that can feel like an urban nightclub but can also feel like a yoga studio with a beautiful clean inviting floor.
Jonathon Neville, founder
I love performing – it allows for a different kind and depth of creativity and connection – but my favorite dancing has no consumers, no audience.
I create theatre and dance productions – deeply meaningful and very fun artistic experiences – but my favorite project is growing a culture of creative social dancing. Play works. Social dancing can be artistic – spontaneous composition – a collective creation.
I love teaching dance. I love witnessing people learn what I learned, and I love witnessing their embodied epiphanies – making connections.
Jonathon’s Bio:
Dance creations:
- Graves-a-Poppin’ (Canadian Swing Championships; “everyone agreed really stole the show” – History of Swing official summary)
- Neurogenesis (Advances in Neurorehabilitation + other conferences)
- Tango Trio (Distillery)
- Kaiser Ball Waltz (Hot Docs)
- Sexpectations (Play-by-Play)
- Non-Linear (line dance, re-imagined)
- dozens more (salsa, folk, contact improv, balboa, shag, charleston, rock’n’roll, blues, contemporary, ballet, hip hop, body percussion, mixed ability)
Music: Being a pianist and singer, he co-created and co-directed 7 Musical Theatre camps.
Theatre: He played Lysander and other roles in Motus O’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (touring 2004-2006), performed in a dozen professional Playback Theatre and Forum Theatre productions, and created Guerrilla Theatre acts, Immersive Theatre plays, and Stop-the-Murder Mysteries.
He was the sole caregiver for his mother with Alzheimer’s. When he and another caregiver created a play with their families about their families – about taking their families through a creative process, it became the feature presentation at conferences + 3 full episodes on CBC TV. (
– Edmonton Journal; “emotional, highly imaginative dance gave the show its power” – NOW.)
His work has been funded by the Toronto Arts Council, the Laidlaw Foundation, and private donors through a registered charity.
Michelle Grierson began the dance program at Orangeville District Secondary School and ran it for 30 years with 3 grade levels, each year not only teaching technical skills but also taking students through a creative process. She is the author of Becoming Leidah – published by Simon & Schuster (translated into Russian and Croatian!). michellegrierson.com
Dr. Emma Heimbecker teaches Ottawa Valley stepdancing. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She was a teacher at Humber College’s Human Anatomy Lab, and at the Leahy School of Dance. She is certified as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist with the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. She works at Village Chiropractic on Broadway in Orangeville.
Brett Sanger teaches MovNat – a natural movement program for every body. Besides his MovNat certification, he is also a certified Forest Therapy Guide. His certifications continue: Professional Life Coaching, Happiness Life Coaching, Mindfulness Practitioner training, Permaculture Design, Soul Coaching, and Reiki Level I.
Mafa Makhubalo teaches African dance – traditional and contemporary. He produces performances with his company Mafa Dance Village.
Nic Rodrigo teaches hip hop and breakdancing. He is a multidisciplinary artist, and winner of the Barrie Arts Award.