Ontario Secondary School DANCEFEST (OSSDF) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing meaningful experiential learning opportunities for secondary school students with a passion for dance. Each year, the event brings together students, educators, and professional artists from across Ontario to celebrate creativity, collaboration, and dance education.

Founded in 2003 by Laurel Brown, OSSDF has grown into a province-wide event where students perform original choreography, participate in workshops with professional artists, and connect with peers who share their passion for dance artistry. The volunteer Board of Directors welcomes over 500 student dancers each year for the 4-day dance event to elevate dance education with meaningful experiential learning outside the classroom. During the pandemic, OSSDF served over 10,000 educators and students with their virtual resources.

This year, we are excited to host the event from May 27th-30th, 2026 at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo where participants will share their original choreography and celebrate their passion for dance in a supportive and inspiring environment.

The video OSSDF submitted to Provocations highlights the vital role of dance in education. While Ontario’s Ministry document, The Importance of the Arts in the Curriculum affirms that arts education is essential to students’ intellectual, social, physical, and emotional development, dance and other performing arts courses are steadily declining in both secondary and post-secondary programs. As educators debate the value of STEAM versus STEM in preparing students for life beyond school, it is important to recognize that the soft skills developed through the arts—such as creativity, collaboration, and communication—are highly transferable and equip students with greater adaptability and opportunity in an ever-changing world.