This is an archived event from Culture Days 2025.
Images
Grooving with Alyssa Amarshi
In-person
Dance Physical activity & movement Music InterdisciplinaryDate and time
Location
Enabling Arts
343 Railway Street
Vancouver, BC
Directions: If you haven’t visited us yet, we’re nestled in the heart of East Vancouver at #104-343 Railway Street. We’re a 20-minute walk from Waterfront Station, and are easily accessible via bus routes along East Hastings, Main Street, and Gore Avenue (#22). There’s also paid street parking along Railway Street.
Access
Free, and accepts optional pay-what-you-may donations for admission.
Offered in English.
Has gender-neutral washrooms.
About
Get ready to move, shake and let loose!
This class is for all bodies, abilities, and anyone who wants to tap into the joy of movement. Come find your groove through the influences of the dance cultures of Hip Hop, Dancehall, Funk and Experimental Movement. Through gentle warm-ups, high-energy exercises, movement repetitions, and explorations, my goal is to facilitate a space for you to find and tap into your body’s own groove.
Whether this is your first or millionth time dancing, this class is an opportunity to let go, move to the rhythms and connect to your body.
The guiding question for this class is: What does a liberated collective body feel like?
What to bring:
-Comfortable clothes for a range of movement
-A water bottle that can be filled up in the space
-Indoor shoes (sneakers suggested but also willing to accommodate those who wish to move in socks)
Politics: As I believe there is no such thing as a politically neutral space, I would love to share a snippet of some of the politics that influence my facilitation so you can see if you resonate -
My practice is deeply influenced by the revolutionary politics of Hip Hop and Reggae culture and artists like Talib Kweli, MosDef, Rapsody, Saul Williams, Noname, Def Sound, Peter Tosh and many more. The dance styles that have influenced me the most have come from Black, Brown, and African Diasporic people. This class pays homage to and is in solidarity with Black Liberation movements.
My dance practice has also been deeply influenced by queer ecology. Your queerness (through gender, sexuality, performance, and expression) is welcome here.
Because this class takes place on the stolen land of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, I will be sharing Land Back initiatives when appropriate.
This class is part of an Apartheid Free Community for a Free Palestine, and I ask that products on the BDS list not be brought into the space. I am also happy to be accountable to BDS, so feel free to let me know of any concerns as we practice liberation through movement and in our lives for Freedom for all people from Turtle Island to Palestine and beyond.
Links
- Visit our website enablingarts.com
Organizer
Enabling Arts
Enabling Arts is a multidisciplinary creative retail space focused on wellness through the arts. We host community events and workshops for sustainable creative practices. We sell books, local/ curated art, natural products, and more.