About Donna

Donna began dancing at the age of 12.  Curious about humanistic studies, she was sure she would pursue a career in social work however her passion for dance and improvisation, inspired by her classes with Linda Rubin in Saskatoon in the early 1980‘s, altered her plans.  Upon finishing her B.A. in sociology (1986) - at the University of Saskatchewan, where she had danced with the University Outreach Dance Program -  she began her professional dance training at Grant MacEwan College of Fine Arts in Edmonton (now MacEwan University) and 1991 graduated with a Dance Teacher Diploma.  It was during her intensive dance training that she discovered her interest for dance composition and choreography, as well as her intrigue for Laban/ Bartenieff methodologies of practice, introduced to her by Charlene Tarver. Tarver worked with Honya Holmes and Irmgard Bartenieff in New York,  two mavericks in the dance and movement field whose worked had been directly influenced by Laban’s ideas on moving dynamically in space with 3-dimensional shaping. 

 

In 1991 Donna headed to Vancouver to begin her professional career as a choreographer and dance teacher.  Her continued interest for the Laban/ Bartenieff work and re-introduction to the material in Helen Walkley’s classes in the mid 90‘s jumpstarted Donna to do the Laban/ Bartenieff Certification Program. Donna pursued her Laban/ Bartenieff training through the Laban Institute of Movement Studies, hosted at York University in Toronto under the direction of master teacher Janet Kaylo (founder of Laban/ Bartenieff and Somatic Studies International) and in 2004 she became a Certified Movement Analyst.  The methodologies and practices of both Laban and Bartenieff have greatly influenced her work ever since. She enjoys how the principles and concepts of movement, within the Laban/ Bartenieff framework,  support universal movement principles that are accessible to all ages and abilities as a language of movement.  

 

Donna also holds a Masters in Dance Creative Practice with a somatic approach (with distinction) from Trinity Laban, in partnership with Independent Dance London and Siobhan Davies Dance.  Her time in London and her thesis research focused on sensing in performance and the intersubjective relationship between performer and spectator through a philosophical lens based in phenomenology and post-structural theory. Donna received her Masters in 2012.

 

In 2015 Donna became a Registered Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist and founded Moving Arts and Somatic Studies (MASS) with the intent to continue to support individuals and her growing clientele to move to their full potential. MASS fosters the growth of somatic dance practice, movement re-patterning, movement analysis, and developmental movement - for all ages. In 2022 Donna graduated as an Infant Developmental Movement Educator (IDME), from Movimiento Atlas (Spain), a Body-Mind Centering® Program. Her private practice now also includes working with infants and their caregivers. 

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In 2023 Donna was granted designation as a Master Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist with International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). 

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Teaching History

Donna has 33 years of professional teaching experience which include 28 years at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.  At the Shadbolt Donna founded and worked as Artistic Director of Continuum Dance Company (a community based contemporary dance company for adults) and she directly assisted the Dance Program to develop a program and curriculum of modern dance for all ages. She also worked as director with the Youth In Motion Dance Company for fifteen years. 

 

Donna taught movement to actors as an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Theatre and Film Department (2021-2022).  She has taught as a sessional instructor for Simon Fraser University (SFU) School of Contemporary Arts, as a teacher for the MainDance Bridging Program (a three year professional contemporary training program that ran in Vancouver), as a guest teacher for SFU’s Dance Diploma Field Program, as a guest teacher and choreographer with the Roundhouse Community Dancers, as an artist in residence for the Vancouver School Board, and as a guest Instructor for the BC Teacher’s Federation. In 2008 Donna was hired as core faculty for the Vancouver Certification program with Laban/ Bartenieff and Somatic Studies International™, under the continued tutelage and direction of Janet Kaylo.  She taught on the LSSI program in both Vancouver, Canada (2006-2008) and on the Zagreb, Croatia program (2016-2017).  Donna has also taught for Westcoast Movement Therapy (Vancouver) and The Movement Arc (founded by Hana Kamea). 

 

Choreographic History

Donna has been working as a professional choreographer since 1993, when she founded Donna Redlick Dance. She has presented in numerous venues and festivals in Canada, US and England. For a full CV click below.  

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