- Start playing the video
- Click CC at bottom right
- Click the gear icon to its right
- Click Subtitles/CC
- Click Auto-translate
- Select language you want
Citadel Dance Program Provides Dance Classes to Children in Regent Park
By Fred Alvarado
Fred is a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE
The Citadel Dance Program, established in 2012 and led by Laurence Lemieux, provides weekly Saturday dance classes for children in Regent Park. Through these classes, students learn from experienced dance teachers, building confidence and self-respect through artistic expression.
The Citadel Dance Program at 304 Parliament St. returns for in-studio weekend dance classes beginning October 14, 2023 until May 11th, 2024 with classes for students in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 in Creative Movement, Ballet, Bharatanatyam, and Tap.
"The kids really love the program, it’s good exercise, you get to develop coordination skills, musicality, and working with team. We thought it would be great for the kids to have an opportunity to learn dance, and we know that dance could be very costly too, said Lemieux. "The Citadel Dance Program offers free dance education for kids living in Regent Park, there’s only a $25 registration fee for the whole year, but everything else is free. If families need financial assistance to pay the tuition, we do case by case and we never refuse a student because of financial reasons.
This accessible local program welcomes students of all levels of training and experience, from curious beginners to practiced movers. Its goal is to foster a positive, inclusive environment that supports the individual development and creative expression of each student.
"It is important for them to do things other than just going to school, moving is healthy; it’s also good for self-esteem and feeling good about yourself. The dance program is not very competitive so there’s not too much pressure put on the kids, it’s more about enjoying dancing, learning about dancing and eventually if they want to pursue their studies we are very well connected within the city to guide them towards whichever schools they want to continue because our dance program is actually more recreational, they just get to know a little bit about dancing,” said Lemieux.
Add new comment
FOCUS Media Arts Centre (FOCUS) is a not-for-profit organization that was established in 1990 to counter negative media stereotypes of low income communities and provide relevant information to residents living in the Regent Park area and surrounding communities.
We seek to empower marginalized individuals and under represented communities to have a voice, through the use of professional training, mentorships and participatory based media practices that enable the sharing of stories, experiences and perspectives on relevant matters and issues. In brief our mandate is to empower marginalized individuals and under-serviced communities to have a voice and tell their own stories.
Recent Media
Regent Park Marks 34th Annual Sunday in the Park Celebration
Regent Park Town Hall: Councillor Chris Moise Updates Residents on Key Issues
Building Healing Pathways for Families: Inside Native Child’s Work in Toronto
We encourage comments which further the dialogue about the stories we post. Comments will be moderated and posted if they follow these guidelines:
The Community Media Portal reserves the right to reject any comments which do not adhere to these minimum standards.