​Donna Redlick is the founder and director of Moving Arts & Somatic Studies (MASS) and the artistic director of Donna Redlick Dance

About Donna

Donna began dancing at the age of 12. Curious about humanistic studies, she decided to 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. with a major in sociology (1986) at the University of Saskatchewan - where she also danced 4 to 5 times a week with the University Outreach Dance Program - Donna decided to pursue a career in dance, rather than social work. In the Fall of 1987 she began training at Simon Fraser University's School of Contemporary Arts and from there she then attended the Grant MacEwan Dance Program in Edmonton in 1989 as they were known for their excellent Dance Teaching Program. In1991 Donna graduated with a Dance Teacher Diploma from Grant MacEwan College (now University). 

 

It was during Donna's intensive dance training at Grant MacEwan that she discovered her interest for dance composition and choreography, as well as her intrigue for Laban/ Bartenieff methodologies of practice within pedagogical studies, introduced to her by Charlene Tarver. Tarver had worked with both Honya Holmes and Irmgard Bartenieff in New York, two mavericks in the dance and movement field, and she was one of the first to bring Laban/ Bartenieff Movement Studies to Canada, in direct applications to dance.  

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In 1991 Donna headed to Vancouver to begin her professional career as a choreographer and dance teacher. It was then that she began working at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (previously known as the Burnaby Arts Centre). It was during this time in the early to mid 90's that Donna continued with Laban/ Bartenieff, and its applications to dance, in Helen Walkley’s classes - this jumpstarted Donna to do the Laban/ Bartenieff Certification Program, along with Tarver's nudge to go do the training. Donna pursued her Laban/ Bartenieff training in 2002 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 Donna 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.  

 

Having such a thirst for learning, Donna went back to school as a mature adult, once again, and pursued her Masters in Dance Creative Practice, with a somatic approach (with distinction), from Trinity Laban, in partnership with Independent Dance London and Siobhan Davies Dance, London, UK. 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 and students 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.  To find out more about movement re-patterning sessions with Donna visit here. 

 

Wanting to deepen her studies in developmental movement, Donna went back to school yet again and in 2022 she 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. ​In 2023 Donna was granted designation as a Master Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist with International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). Master Educators and Therapists have done 1000 hours or more of training in somatic courses (approved by ISMETA). 

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Teaching History

Donna's first professional teaching 'gig' was for the Jeux Canada Games in 1989. From this moment onwards she knew she would always teach.  Her 36 years of professional teaching to date includes 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 has taught movement to actors as an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Theatre and Film Department (2021-2022).  She has also 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 on many occasions. 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.  To find out more about her dance projects visit here.

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