everyone belongs

Madison Fleming loves to dance. In fact, some may even say it’s in her blood. Her great-grandmother was a dancer, and Madison has used her natural talent to explore different styles of dance over the years.

Though she focused on taking ballet lessons for three years, she always wanted to learn how to belly dance. For Madison, the moves looked challenging but fun, and she says she was drawn to the beautiful costumes: “[They] make everything look bigger. If you look at yourself and you’re not doing the moves right, when you have the costume on you think, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m awesome at this!'”

Madison began taking lessons nearly a year ago and has already moved up to level four. Her goal is to work her way up to the troupe level, which is made up of senior dancers who can be hired to perform. “I’d like to someday maybe do it as a profession,” she shared with a smile.

During the month of February, Madison hosted five belly dancing workshops at the DDRC because she wanted to share her knowledge with other clients and staff. “It was a lot easier because I know everybody and [they] caught on really well,” Madison said. “I also have a really good instructor who explains it to me really well, so I was able to explain it to them.”

Though she enjoyed passing on her skills during the workshops, Madison would ultimately prefer to create her own set of instructional DVDs rather than become a teacher. She loves talking to the camera and describing the different moves. “Not a lot of people know what belly dance is,” she explained. “They just see it and [think] it looks difficult. But the moves become very fun and easy once you get it.”

One of her favourite parts about her classes is that she also learns about the history of belly dancing. Her instructor often has the students watch old Egyptian and Arabic films on YouTube, so Madison is discovering more about the culture in these countries.

Madison highly recommends that people try belly dancing for themselves to discover how unique and fun it can be. “What I like about belly dance – and dance [in general] – is how you can express yourself,” she shared. “It’s a really good stress reliever!”

 

Morgan Gehring can’t stop smiling when talking about her upcoming role as a volunteer for the Juno Awards. On Sunday, April 3, the PACE client will be distributing programs at the Songwriter’s Circle, an interactive event where musicians share the stories behind their songs. “It’s at the Jack Singer Concert Hall,” Morgan shared. “And after, I get to hang out and watch the concert!”

When Kim Taylor, Morgan’s Community Resource Worker, first heard that the awards ceremony was coming to Calgary, she knew immediately that it would be the perfect role for Morgan.

“Morgan loves to sing, dance, act and perform. Basically, anything involving a stage,” Kim laughed. Morgan also writes her own songs, so having the chance to hear what inspired these musicians is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Normally, volunteer applications are submitted online but Kim found some of the questions difficult to answer in a way that would really let the Juno team to get to know Morgan. She decided to reach out to the Volunteer Coordinator directly to introduce Morgan and ask if they could set up an in-person interview.

On January 11, Morgan and Kim met with the Volunteer Coordinator. “Morgan was able to ask questions, talk about her past volunteer work, and share why she wanted to be at the Junos,” Kim said. More than 1,000 people submitted applications for the Junos, so Morgan certainly made a great impression.

More details about the event will be sent to Morgan and Kim at the end of February, including which musicians will be at the Songwriters Circle—which may be what they’re most excited about! According to Morgan, this is already her favourite volunteer position, even though it hasn’t happened yet: “I really like music and I can’t wait!”