Ontario Secondary School DANCEFEST
OSSDF Board of Directors c/o 127A Northlake Drive N2V 1H4 Waterloo, ON, Canada

WORKSHOP RELEASE This is the first workshop we're releasing with the new lockdown measures, so what better time to dance it out and get moving! You can take the class as a school OR as an individual! Both links are in our bio to register! FUN FACT: Did you know that Ryan has been the host of DANCEFEST in the past?! He's a singer, actor, dancer and overall talented and diverse performer! ... Stay safe and stay home with our Tap workshop! Link is in bio to register and of course, DM us with any questions you have! Let's dis-DANCE!

Our OSSDF HIP HOP Workshop led by our 2017 Adjudicator, Jordan Washington is available upon request. Jordan is a favourite workshop leader at DANCEFEST and a former core stepper for the legendary BLACK ICE Step Company. He is an entertainer and a soul movement enthusiast with the objective to develop and cultivate the minds of artists through quality education and higher learning. Jordan’s knowledge and ear for music, complimented by his diligent practice and persona, has ...made way for him to provide vital service to the under-served dance community nationwide. His new ideals and extraordinary visions can be seen in his works with media outlets Bravo, MuchMusic, BET, and CTV. OSSDF is thrilled to have Jordan provide this workshop for you and your students. He has shared how hard work, perseverance and a good attitude has served him well as a dancer from Chatham, Toronto, New York to Paris, France. We hope you will enjoy rockin’ to his exciting choreography that we hope will inspire everyone especially students from grades 7-10. Teachers from other grades are invited to modify. Complete the Workshop Request Form and have your OSSDF HIP HOP Workshop and Lesson Plans emailed to you TODAY! https://docs.google.com//15G9QKmy8nPXnRBuOuitj5bTKWv/edit Workshops are only FREE until October 30th!

BLACK FRIDAY DEAL! Shop online from the safety and comfort of your home while supporting your local businesses! All of our DANCEFEST 2021 merch is from $15-$55 ONLY! And...... The FIRST student to purchase from their school, will get a double-layer 100% cotton face mask for FREE but only until this Friday! Our face masks are size-customizable and pass the flame test! All profits go back into DANCEFEST so we can continue to bring you great on-demand workshops and content coming your way next year! We are also looking for students to model our merch! DM us if you're interested! The link is in bio to shop

WE'VE GOT MERCH! We are SO excited to announce the soft launch of DANCEFEST's 2021 merch line! We have a lot of great products that are now available to purchase, with inclusive sizes ranging from small to extra large and youth large sizing! Send us a DM or email at [email protected] for purchases and inquiries! SHIPPING... All orders will be shipped out on the following Tuesday, and if you purchase more than one item the shipping is FREE! We will be shipping with Canada Post, please keep in mind delays can occur that are out of our control once we release the package to Canada Post. All orders are prepared in COVID-19 free environments, under tight sanitization guidelines. PAYMENT We are currently working on updating our website and social platforms to make them shop-able! Until they are released, we will be accepting ETRANSFERS ONLY! EXCHANGE AND RETURN POLICY Due to COVID-19, we will NOT be accepting exchanges or returns at this time unless under extraordinary circumstances. We will be giving an in-depth look of our line on Monday, October 19th 2020 with another Instagram LIVE!

DANCEFEST BOARD MEMBER RELEASE Say hello and welcome to our Events Coordinator, Angelina Bong! Let's get to know your new Events Coordinator! Angelina is thrilled to be a part of this year’s OSSDF’s board. Angelina grew up in Singapore and started dancing in her early years, exploring the various dances of ballet, tap and hip-hop. Upon moving to Canada, she continued dancing through her university years. Angelina graduated with a Bachelor... Degree of Commerce at McMaster University and has a diploma in Events and Venue Management from Trebas Institute. Angelina is currently an events producer with KMI Publishing and Events based in Toronto, focusing on corporate events. She still dances, focusing on hip-hop and heels dance. She dances recreationally with the Army of Sass Toronto and Tripoli Agency in Montreal. She believes that the arts are an important aspect of a child’s education to learn skills outside of the classroom, and to act as an outlet for self-expression. She is excited to combine her passion for dance and her expertise in events to make OSSDF a success for the year 20/21. How long have you been with OSSDF? Angelina: First year! If you could choose one genre to dance forever, what would it be? A: Probably HipHop, I love grooving and I start bouncing when I hear music. Favourite thing to do outside of Dancefest? A: Reading, Hiking, Watching Sports Advice for a dancers first time at Dancefest? A: Have courage, smile and be that dancing queen you always dream to be! Are you a choreographer or teacher that wants to contribute a workshop or event with Dancefest? Contact Angelina at [email protected]!

HAPPY PRE-BLACK FRIDAY EVERYONE! The Black Friday sales have already started, and we've got amazing items being modelled by Alice Sutherland! Alice is in Grade 11 with Chatham Kent Secondary School and is an Honours Student, Dance Team Choreographer and Dancer, taking all the curricular dance classes, and has worked all the way through the pandemic as a front line essential worker. Leave a comment below to thank Alicia for her front line work!... Want to model for us?! It looks amazing on your resume, and you're helping support a local group during these tough times. Purchase your favourite merch from us, email us with what you bought, a photo of yourself wearing it and you will be featured on our Instagram! You can purchase the face mask and sweater Alicia is wearing (and much, much more!) with the link in our bio. During the upcoming Holiday season, your purchases from local business' allow them to grow beyond the pandemic and continue to let their magic shine

FREE WORKSHOP RELEASE As members of both the dance and teacher community, we understand that the start of the school year has come with new routines and changes that we are all still adjusting to. We are so excited to announce that our first three workshops of the DANCEFEST season are FREE to teachers and students! ... This Friday, September 25th we have our first workshop with the wonderful, Sarah Vance! Sarah has brought her contagious spirit and choreography to DANCEFEST in the past and this Friday she will be showing us how to Hand Jive with choreography from Grease the musical! FUN FACT: Did you know that Sarah played Patty Simcox along side Janel Parrish from Pretty Little Liars?! There's still time to sign up! Teachers and students, contact Melanie at [email protected] or send us a DM!

DANCEFEST BOARD MEMBER RELEASE Say hello and welcome to our Secretary and Treasurer, Cathy Bowman! Let's get to know your Secretary and Treasurer! ... Cathy is a long time dance lover and former dance mom (in a good way!). She believes it's important to support dance education. She is a CPA, CA and worked in the Waterloo region insurance industry for many years. When Cathy retired in 2017, it was important for her to find rewarding opportunities. DANCEFEST has allowed her to combine her interest and skills to assist young dancers achieve their best. Cathy has been helping with DANCEFEST by confirming registrations, program preparation, keeping the books and working the registration desk at DANCEFEST. How long have you been with OSSDF? Cathy: Three years. If you could choose one genre to dance forever, what would it be? C: Ballet! Favourite thing to do outside of Dancefest? C: I love to attend theatre and dance performances! Advice for a dancers first time at Dancefest? C: Dance, watch, learn and enjoy! See more

ARE YOU READY?! LET'S DIS - DANCE! Today, we are so excited to announce what we've been teasing over the past few weeks; we are officially launching our 2020 - 2021 DANCEFEST season! 2020 has been a major shift for everyone, and to continue the efforts of keeping everyone safe and healthy, we are launching Dancefest as a digital event over the next year. ... Launching September 25th, 2020 we will be having digital workshops once a month with FREE access to lessons plans for teachers that can be completed through in person teaching or e-learning. In May of 2021, we will be holding our annual event, online! We've made some changes to our student entries to be more inclusive, the details are outlined in the Teachers' information sheet and information package. We have NEW merch coming your way! We're adding some great new pieces that you'll be able to purchase in October, with social distancing in mind! We are also making changes to make shopping and purchasing event tickets more accessible for everyone. And that's not all; we have more exciting launches and updates coming your way this year, watch our socials for their announcements! Are you a teacher and want to get involved? Send us a DM or email us at [email protected] OR [email protected]! We have so many flexible pricing and teaching resources to help your students make the most out of this year. See more