MANDATE
Dance: To meet and collaborate over drama and dance activities and events that educate, challenge and further our members’ interests in the broad field of dance and drama.
MEMBERSHIP
Dance:
The Dance Section and the Drama Section are currently meeting together. They usually meet informally, often planned in connection with scheduled Dance or Drama Section events, to take place just prior to the event. More formal meetings for future planning of events are scheduled as required. There are approximately three meetings per season.
SECTION ACTIVITIES
Dance:
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
Dance: To meet and collaborate over drama and dance activities and events that educate, challenge and further our members’ interests in the broad field of dance and drama.
MEMBERSHIP
Dance:
- Criteria: potential members should either have a practical or research background in any dance form, or a strong interest in actively supporting the dance field.
- Current members include a broad range of practitioners including dancers, choreographers, teachers, historians, critics, writers and administrators who work in a variety of dance genres.
- Criteria: potential members should either have a practical or research background in drama, or a strong interest in actively supporting the dramatic arts.
- Current members include a broad range of practitioners including actors, writers and teachers.
The Dance Section and the Drama Section are currently meeting together. They usually meet informally, often planned in connection with scheduled Dance or Drama Section events, to take place just prior to the event. More formal meetings for future planning of events are scheduled as required. There are approximately three meetings per season.
SECTION ACTIVITIES
Dance:
- Appointment of a Dancer-in-Residence each season since 2011. The artist presents two performances during the season, the first is an informal rehearsal with Q&A and the second performance occurs near the end of the season.
- Occasionally host small performances of local performing organizations. In the past these have included Toronto Heritage Dance, Ballet Jorgen, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, various solo performances.
- Periodically host scholarly Dance Research presentations
- Occasionally hold movement and dance workshops and classes
- Participate and collaborate in other section events, i.e. Art Exhibitions, Concert Series
- Planning and executing an annual Dance Salon event to reach a wider audience of Club members and their guests
- Appoint a Playwright-in-Residence.
- Present an annual Drama Salon to reach a wider audience of Club members and the public.
- Hold workshops lead by the Playwright in residence.
- Attend theatre productions with an introduction by the playwright, director or member of the cast.
- Participate and collaborate in other section events.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
- Day trips and performance outings with reduced group rate tickets

CURRENT CHAIR
Mary Jane Warner is professor emerita in the Dance Department at York University. For many years she taught courses in education, history, movement analysis, ballet and dance documentation. In addition, she held several administrative positions: Chair, Graduate Program Director in the Department of Dance and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Fine Arts. A specialist in Canadian dance history, her book Toronto Dance Teachers: 1825-1925 was published in 1996. She co-edited Canadian Dance: Visions and Stories, an anthology of Canadian dance, with fellow Heliconian Selma Odom, in 2004. Her articles have appeared in Theatre History in Canada, Canadian Dance Studies, Canadian Theatre Review, Journal of Dance Education and in numerous dictionaries and conference proceedings. Currently, she is co-director of Toronto Heritage Dance, a professional dance company dedicated to presenting revivals of Canadian contemporary dance. She served as President of the Club for four terms and is currently serving on the Planners Committee and as editor of the Heliconian Bulletin.
Mary Jane Warner is professor emerita in the Dance Department at York University. For many years she taught courses in education, history, movement analysis, ballet and dance documentation. In addition, she held several administrative positions: Chair, Graduate Program Director in the Department of Dance and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Fine Arts. A specialist in Canadian dance history, her book Toronto Dance Teachers: 1825-1925 was published in 1996. She co-edited Canadian Dance: Visions and Stories, an anthology of Canadian dance, with fellow Heliconian Selma Odom, in 2004. Her articles have appeared in Theatre History in Canada, Canadian Dance Studies, Canadian Theatre Review, Journal of Dance Education and in numerous dictionaries and conference proceedings. Currently, she is co-director of Toronto Heritage Dance, a professional dance company dedicated to presenting revivals of Canadian contemporary dance. She served as President of the Club for four terms and is currently serving on the Planners Committee and as editor of the Heliconian Bulletin.