Creative Minds – Summer Series

Creative Minds – Therapeutic Dance Movement

Through the means of Cultural Dance Movement and Therapy, (Indian and Latin styles), dance therapy will be explored for the purpose and joy of pursuing a hobby as opposed to merely replicating choreography.

Join Ishaa during this 6 week program divided into 3 parts to explore various dance styles and increase in difficulty to challenge your growth.

Session 1 & 2: Explore Latin Dance rhythms in a ‘Zumba’ style to explore beats. Dance styles will include: Salsa, Bachata, Flamenco.
Session 3 & 4: Explore Folk Dances of India such as the North Indian Bhangra (From the state of Punjab), Ghoomar (Rajasthan), and Gujarati folk music. We will be utilizing a combination of Bollywood and Pop Music for the classes.
Session 5 & 6: Experience a short introduction of the Indian Classical dance form of Kathak focusing primarily on swift pivots or ‘Chakkars’, footwork or ‘Taatkaar’, and various ways of using numbers and division in aspects such as “Ginti” or ‘counting’.

Creative Minds – Creative Photography Storytelling

Registrations are now closed for Creative Photography Storytelling

Photography is an art form that captures the beauty and meaning of the world around us. But to master this art, we need to learn its language and grammar. Without knowing the basic elements and principles of photography, we cannot create compelling images. That’s why this workshop with 

Hamed will teach you how to use your camera and your creativity to produce stunning photographs. You will learn how to see the world differently and how to adjust your camera settings to suit different situations by learning how to use different lenses, filters, and flash modes to enhance your images. 

You will also learn how to analyze and interpret the visual elements  in a photograph, such as shapes, colors, lines, textures, and patterns. These skills will help you to compose your shots with balance, harmony, contrast, and emphasis. You will be able to capture the essence and emotion of any scene or subject and discover how to use your camera as a tool for expressing your vision and creativity.

• Session 1: Introducing basics of photography, cameras, and cellphone photography. Different techniques in different photography lighting conditions such as natural light, artificial light, low light, and backlight. Making familiar the importance and value of photography in our era by reviewing photography’s why, what, when, and how.
• Session 2: Learning about exposure setting and exposure triangle, Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO. Analyzing their impact on photos including motion blur and noise.
• Session 3: Analyze shapes, forms, and textures (visual elements) in various compositions that support a story behind photographs.
• Session 4: Reviewing, troubleshooting, criticizing some popular photographs technically and aesthetically based on course contents.

Memoria: Photography and Digital Scrapbooking – Creative Minds

Memoria: Photography & Digital Scrapbooking is a virtual course happening via Zoom with Workman Arts and  North York Arts. Registration will be open during the duration of the course. Please note there is a 15-person limit on participants. 

What would it feel like to be nostalgic for our present, not just our past? Memoria is a beginner-friendly digital media program for those with no formal training in photography.

Participants learn referencing and the basics of dissecting art direction, and with journal prompts and discussion reflect on what themes resonate with them based on the images they are intuitively drawn to. Using this as a framework, participants will document elements of their environment via photos, videos, and/or soundscape recordings and leave with an assembled digital scrapbook memorializing a period of being.

Introduction to Needle Felting – Creative Minds

Introduction to Needle Felting is an in-person course happening at the Meridian Arts Centre in partnership with North York Arts and Workman Arts and TO Live. Registration will be open from Sept 11 to Oct 3, at which point accepted registrants will be contacted. Please note there is a 15-person limit of participants.

Felting is a process of mechanically bonding fibres to create garments and household objects that predates knitting. Through exploring felting together, we will discover ways to soothe the nervous system while learning the forgiving medium of fibre art. Kat encourages learners to connect to the materials they are using as well as each other, listen to their bodies, and approach creative challenges with curiosity and compassion.

In this class, you will:

– learn about felting tools, materials & safety practices for 2D and 3D design & embellishment
– harness focus, planning, and creative problem solving skills
– develop a soothing arts practice with repetitive hand movements and quiet tactile sounds.

About Desire Lines Workshop

Before people learned how to write, they would tell each other stories. We, ourselves, are a collection of stories through our experiences, cultures, and ancestry. This course teaches you how to story-tell in your art through world-building, character design, storyboarding, and creative brainstorming. Students will learn how to incorporate inspirations from mythology and their ancestry, and learn the basic principles of art in order to create their own visual story.

Participants will learn the following:

• Exploring taking inspiration from everyday life and your own culture
• Hands-on learning on world-building, creature and character design
• Explore visual storytelling through composition and colour