Photo: Ernest Ghazary, Pexels

Ontario Youth Unite to Celebrate DANCE 

What is DANCEFEST? 

Ontario Secondary School DANCEFEST (OSSDF) is a not-for-profit organization that has been central to the evolution of dance education and leadership in the province of Ontario since 2003. Over the past twenty years, thousands of secondary student dancers, educators, community leaders, and leading performing artists have been welcomed to stages across the province, providing an annual event where students can  celebrate and develop their passion for, and skills in, the art of dancing. 

Our Mission and Values

The mission of Ontario Secondary School DANCEFEST is to provide inclusive, encouraging, and empowering opportunities for dance learners, educators, and artists to explore and collaborate as learners move through elementary to postsecondary, and beyond.

Our mission aligns with that of our provincial subject association, The Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators (CODE).  OSSDF wants to ensure that dance and drama remain present and vital in education. The performing arts enrich education, offer a unique approach to learning and teaching, and help students to understand curriculum, empathy, equity, and inclusion. Students see, hear, and feel differently and these experiences nurture the creativity of our educators as well.  

What does DANCEFEST offer to students and teachers? 

Students as Creators

Each year, DANCEFEST invites secondary students to create original choreographies in their school classrooms and then, to bring their work to a friendly and inspiring provincial classroom. In private studios, even dancers with formal training seldom choreograph their own compositions: DANCEFEST gives them that opportunity. The students engage fully in all phases of the creative process when composing their own work. Furthermore, the process demands critical thinking and analysis as they selectively employ a variety of choreographic devices to communicate their meaning. 

Here are three examples of student-created choreography from our dance festival: 

Leaving the Past Behind, choreographed and performed by a student of Newtonbrook Secondary School, Toronto. 2021.

The Kingdom, choreographed and performed by the students of Holy Names Catholic High School, Windsor. 2022.

Warning: The following piece is about rape and may be triggering for some viewers. Teachers are encouraged to use their professional judgement about the suitability of this material for their students. 

We Believe You, choreographed and performed by the students of W.A. Porter, Toronto. 2019.

Students also participate in dance workshops and receive detailed feedback from professional dance artists and educators. Through the process and the feedback, they grow in confidence as both dancers and choreographers. 

OSSDF is more than an annual friendly school dance competition; it is a life-changing, positive experience for any high school dancer, regardless of their technical ability or training experience. Students that attend DANCEFEST are inspired and motivated to discover who they are as an artist. This event allows students to come together from all across Ontario in the most positive and uplifting environment to perform their own choreography, cheer on their peer's hard work and take workshops from people who've succeeded in the field of dance. I've had the opportunity to choreograph on and alongside my peers at school, collaborate with other schools and create memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. DANCEFEST is amazing and I am so thankful to have had the privilege to attend such an incredible event!

                                     - Meg M., Gr. 11, Eastwood Collegiate Institute 

Teachers as Learners

The team of educators who bring their students to this event are extremely passionate about dance education. They have the privilege of witnessing how the impact of arts education programming, and events like DANCEFEST, have on student development, well-being, and fostering a lifelong passion for the arts. At DANCEFEST, teachers get to learn from professional guest artists and educators by participating in workshops geared toward developing themselves professionally as dance educators. Furthermore, this event provides important networking for Ontario dance educators with opportunities to collaborate between schools with like-minded students who are passionate about dance and keen to expand their learning with experiential learning.

Curriculum Connections

The OSSDF philosophy values, above all, the role of the Ontario Dance Curriculum’s Creative Process in the development of student created compositions. Artistic collaborations are choreographed by students, with guidance from dedicated teachers. In attending our OSSDF event, students and teachers receive positive, formal adjudication using criteria and rubrics rooted in the Ontario curriculum and developed by The Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators (CODE), our provincial subject association. In addition, Ontario Secondary School DANCEFEST addresses all four of the central ideas found in the Arts curriculum – developing creativity, communicating, understanding culture, and making connections. 

OSSDF is pleased to have a strong relationship with CODE as well as DANCE Ontario, and Drama Sound. These organizations provide support to OSSDF and information to keep dance educators up to date with what is available for them and their students. 

In 2020, we initiated the OSSDF Teachers’ Council which we host virtually once a month. This provides an opportunity for teachers to network, share information and resources, participate in “live'' teacher workshops, and discuss the changes in education. 

Background and Evolution of DANCEFEST

DANCEFEST began in May 2003. Dance teachers from North Bay to Windsor attended the event, accompanied by their students who came eager to share and celebrate the creative artistry of their original choreographies and performances. The Council of Drama and Dance Educators (CODE) was a supporter of this event. 

Over the next ten years, DANCEFEST was hosted by dedicated teachers from schools in North  Bay, Barrie, Windsor, Chatham, Kitchener, Waterloo and Guelph. As our registration numbers grew, we moved away from school venues, and hosted the festival at professional venues, such as the Niagara Convention Centre in Niagara Falls and St. Clair College Centre for the Arts in Windsor. 

During Covid, two VIRTUAL OSSTF dance festivals celebrated dance in backyards, basements, bedrooms and living rooms and found an audience through the OSSDF website. OSSDF2021 hosted 85 dancers and 38 dance entries, while OSSDF2022, hosted 265 dancers and 85 dance entries - an increase of 145% !

Joyfully, OSSDF2023 is currently organizing for a live DANCEFEST event returning to the stage at the Modern Arts Building of the University of Waterloo. It will be wonderful to unite our youth to celebrate dance again, LIVE. In order to maximize access, we will also celebrate VIRTUAL dance entries.

Creating Connections and Building a Future 

Making connections is evident in the genuine spirit of friendship and community amongst the DANCEFEST participants who come from across the province to proudly share their artistry. Every student and educator attending exudes empathy, trust, and mutual respect. Regardless of when students begin to participate—from those who are celebrated from Grade 9 and continue performing into their graduating year, as well as those who may join later in their studies—all are immensely proud of the huge network of supportive, like-minded individuals that they have met and shared the DANCEFEST experience with. Many continue their fellowship, and DANCEFEST alumni return, year after year, to volunteer and/or teach dance workshops. 

This event is unique in that the competition itself comes secondary to the learning and collaboration of students and teachers alike who are passionate about dance. At DANCEFEST, students continue to learn from one another and from professional dance artists by participating in a multitude of events including a full day of workshops. Educators also take workshops to develop themselves professionally as dance educators. Students come to DANCEFEST as  part of a small team at their school and leave feeling a part of a much larger united and supportive provincial-wide  dance team.  

 – Katie Knowlton, former OSSDF student participant, current teacher and OSSDF Vice President

Looking to the future, we hope to host smaller regional events to enable more schools, their students, and educators to access the incredible dance experience provided at Ontario Secondary School DANCEFEST. 

OSSDF is committed to expanding our roster to include more BIPOC dance artists and more diverse dance forms, styles and traditions. We want to ensure that all of our students see themselves and the richness of their culture represented in the festival. 

Engaging the Professional Dance Community

OSSDF offers multiple opportunities to broaden knowledge, creativity, and dance experience. For example, generous dance artists whose regular professional employment had been curtailed by the pandemic, helped to create 30 virtual dance workshop resources that were accessed by 5,679 students from 29 Ontario school boards. As part of our commitment to support Ontario drama and dance educators, OSSDF continues to share these wonderful virtual resources with teachers.

The QR code, below, will take you to the OSSDF resources document with an overview of 30 virtual dance workshops that are available for Ontario dance educators.

Connect with OSSDF

Our next DANCEFEST is a live event and takes place May 25  – 27, 2023 at the University of Waterloo. We are nearing the full capacity of 475 students and educators registered for this year’s in-person festival.  Please visit our website at https://ossdancefest.ca/ for more information.

Here is the updated February OSSDF Information Package.