DanceWeekend’25 Artist Feature: Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre/ Steph Harkness
Come Dance with Steph Harkness in a LIMÓN TECHNIQUE AND CCDT REPERTOIRE WORKSHOP
Sunday, February 23, 2025 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm at City Dance Corps, 950 Dupont Front Street Dance$15 at the door
Description of workshop you are sharing at DanceWeekend’25?
Former CCDT company member and rehearsal director, Steph Harkness, will lead a warm up based in the d principles of breath, weight, and suspension. Dancers will learn an excerpt of CCDT repertoire, BYTIYE, choreographed by Mississauga-born, NYC-based Jennifer Archibald whose fierce hip hop/ballet fusions have mesmerized audiences across North America.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself/your company?
Steph Harkness is a performer, teacher, choreographer, and rehearsal director from Mississauga. They trained, performed and rehearsal directed with Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre and graduated from Purchase College, SUNY in 2022. Steph performs with Rock Bottom Movement and has performed works by Colleen Snell, Eilish Shin-Culhane, and Rakeem Hardy. Steph teaches Limón Modern dance at CCDT and is a certified Conditioning with Imagery instructor. Steph’s artistic practice explores the potential of dance as a means for cultivating cathartic experiences, fostering community, and promoting healing.
Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre is a Toronto-based repertory company of exceptional young artists founded in 1980 by Artistic Director Deborah Lundmark and Managing Director Michael deConinck Smith. Highlights include appearances at Toronto’s Princess of Wales and Royal Alexandra Theatres, five invitations to the Canada Dance Festival, and tours to Singapore, Malaysia, China, Scotland, and NYC. CCDT has introduced over 350,000 young people to dance through its Ontario Arts Access program. In recent years, CCDT celebrated the José Limón Dance Company’s 70th anniversary, performing The Winged at the Joyce Theater as part of their International Dance Festival, helped to launch Harbourfront’s inaugural Junior International Children’s Festival and was featured in Canada’s premiere international dance festival, Fall For Dance North.
Workshop level/target audience and suggested attire and footwear
This workshop is geared to Intermediate level dancers. Dancers should bring socks that are suitable for dancing in.
Do you have any up-coming performances/workshops/events you would like to share?
AUDITIONS! for CCDT Company & Apprentice Dancers’ 2025 season & for SunDance Summer Intensive (July 7-25, 2025) Ages/Dates: 8-10 — February 23rd, 10 – 11:30 11-13 — February 23rd, 12 – 2:00 14-19 — March 2nd, 10 – 1:30 Location: 509 Parliament St, Toronto Auditions: https://www.ccdt.org/auditions SunDance: https://www.theschoolofccdt.ca/sundance
What does dance mean to you?
Dance to me is breath, it is innate and essential to life.
Learn more about DanceWeekend’25 here
photo of Steph Harkness by: Kendra Epik
photo of BYTIYE by: David Hou