History
Based in Ottawa, Propeller Dance is the only organization in Ontario with the sole mandate of providing dance programming to children, youth and adults with and without disability.
A committed staff and board created Propeller Dance, becoming a leader in mixed-ability dance in Canada, providing inclusive, accessible and integrated dance programming to people with and without disability. All professionals are dedicated to the needs of people with disabilities. Shara Weaver and Renata Soutter were hired as contractual Co-Executive/Co-Artistic directors, and are eagerly propelling this initiative into the future, both administratively and artistically. Alan Shain was hired as a contractor to provide guidance to the co-directors regarding disability issues and disability arts programming. We are innovators in the Canadian field of dance and disability.
Propeller Dance became incorporated as a non-profit organization in May 2007 and a registered charity in 2009. Although a new organization, the staff (Shara Weaver, Renata Soutter and Alan Shain) has been innovators in the field of mixed-ability dance in Canada since 2001. Prior to Propeller Dance’s birth, staff Shara Weaver, Renata Soutter and Alan Shain were co-founders or co-directors of the DanceAbility program and Performing Group at The School of Dance.
Mixed-ability dance is highly innovative in that it pushes movement research boundaries by exploring new principals of movement with dancers previously excluded from dance and performance. Propeller Dance signifies forward motion, propelling mixed-ability dance into the future, creating new aesthetics in art and continuing to build community.
A committed staff and board created Propeller Dance, becoming a leader in mixed-ability dance in Canada, providing inclusive, accessible and integrated dance programming to people with and without disability. All professionals are dedicated to the needs of people with disabilities. Shara Weaver and Renata Soutter were hired as contractual Co-Executive/Co-Artistic directors, and are eagerly propelling this initiative into the future, both administratively and artistically. Alan Shain was hired as a contractor to provide guidance to the co-directors regarding disability issues and disability arts programming. We are innovators in the Canadian field of dance and disability.
Propeller Dance became incorporated as a non-profit organization in May 2007 and a registered charity in 2009. Although a new organization, the staff (Shara Weaver, Renata Soutter and Alan Shain) has been innovators in the field of mixed-ability dance in Canada since 2001. Prior to Propeller Dance’s birth, staff Shara Weaver, Renata Soutter and Alan Shain were co-founders or co-directors of the DanceAbility program and Performing Group at The School of Dance.
Mixed-ability dance is highly innovative in that it pushes movement research boundaries by exploring new principals of movement with dancers previously excluded from dance and performance. Propeller Dance signifies forward motion, propelling mixed-ability dance into the future, creating new aesthetics in art and continuing to build community.