Bold, glowing pink font reads: “Freewheeling! with festival details and location within text boxes below. Illustrations of six individuals line the bottom of the image, some of whom use mobility devices. The Realwheels and Roundhouse logos are present.
Freewheeling!
Realwheels and the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre thank you for attending FREEWHEELING!
A Mini-Festival of free workshops and performances by, and for, the disability community!
Freewheeling Mini-Festival took place from Monday, May 8 to Saturday, 13, 2023
All events were free of charge and took place at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
The Festival had a little something for everyone – Workshops, Open Mic Night, a Disability Market, and a Closing Cabaret!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
(Workshops, Disability Market, Open Mic Night, Closing Cabaret)
WORKSHOPS (Free to attend, Registration Required)
Daily from Monday, May 8 to Thursday, May 11
📍All workshops will take place in the Performance Centre
Dancing Stories | Monday, May 8
Facilitated by: Harmanie Rose @harmanierose
Time: 11 am to 12 pm
Facilitator Bio: There’s magic in moving together, especially when you move in a way that feels good to you. As an artist with Spina Bifida, Harmanie dances in and out of her manual wheelchair, facilitating spaces for all bodies to work collaboratively to create connections that uplift disabled, MAD, and marginilized artists. Her dance practice explores the vulnerability of the disabled lived experience, exploring movement authentic to bodies not often represented in dance. As a dancer, she has danced in nature, onstage, and in several short dance films. As a dance teacher, She has taught people with and without disabilities online, all across Canada, with the National Access Art Centre (AB), Propeller Dance (ON), and Embrace Arts (BC). Harmanie also facilitates the Ready Dance Youth Project (BC) with the All Bodies Dance Project and the Movement Classes for Realwheels Academy (BC).
Stories Danced | Monday, May 8
Facilitated by: Janice Laurence @dancewithjanice
Time: 1 pm to 2 pm
Facilitator Bio: Janice Laurence (MA) is a life long learner, disabled dance and performance artist, educator, and world traveller. Her unique movement practice includes the joyful exploration of using various mobility aids. Janice was born with the neuromuscular disease Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) Type 1A. She enthusiastically believes that movement, community, connections, and diversity are our strengths.
Janice performed in the Realwheels productions of “Crip Cabaret: A Reclamation!” (2023) “Act of Faith” (2019) and Wheel Voices Power Play (2018). She takes great delight in being part of All Bodies Dance Project and facilitates their online classes hosted by ConnecTra and the Disability Foundation. Janice is an instructor for Dance for All Bodies, and is a Movement Ambassador for the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation.
Poetry/Spoken Word | Tuesday, May 9
Facilitated by: Alex Masse www.alexkmasse.ca
Time: 1 pm to 2:30 pm
Facilitator Bio: Alex Masse, AKA Fairything, is a writer and musician from what is colonially known as Surrey, BC. They’ve had work featured in Autostraddle, The Lyre, WMN Zine, and more, and have performed spoken word poetry at Vancouver Pride, Vancouver Fringe Festival, and others. For Alex, writing is a means of connection and expression, within themself and with others, as well as a major source of joy. They’re also one of the co-creators of We Were Here, We Were Queer, a literary arts zine highlighting queer SFU and FIC students, and a member of the Flaming Balloon Collective, a local youth poetry group. The subject matter of Alex’s poetry varies, but common themes include queerness, neurodivergence, nature, and recovery from trauma. It’s not uncommon to see their musical background enter the fray, fusing words with soundscapes and compositions–and live, they are often accompanied by their trusty Suzuki QChord. Find Alex Masse on Instagram Website: www.alexkmasse.ca
Stand Up Comedy | Wednesday, May 10
Facilitated by: Janice Bannister www.laughterzone101.com
Time: 3 pm to 4:30 pm
Janice is a stand-up comic, writer, and actor. She has coached over 743 students, ages 8-86 years old, to bring their stand-up comedy and stories to the live and virtual stages. She has co-written and directed two interactive plays, and her own one woman show. Janice is also the producer of BC’s Funniest Female, the Mother of All Comedy shows, Pride Storytellers NWest, Laughs from the Past, & the F is for Funny series.
She began her stand-up comedy twenty years ago, and has performed internationally and at Just For Laughs, JFLVancouver, CBC, Women’s Network, YukYuks and the House of Comedy.
Janice is also a corporate speaker, on “Laughter as a Wellness Tool”. She combines her years as a Psychiatric Nurse with her life as a stand-up comedy to bring audiences good laughter tips for your mental and spiritual well being.
Janice does not have a podcast, but she is writing a children’s book. Find Janice on Instagram and Facebook. Website: www.laughterzone101.com
Improv | Thursday, May 11
Facilitated by: David C Jones www.davidcjones.ca
Time: 1 pm to 3 pm
Facilitator Bio: An “inspiring combination of hilarity, gentleness and challenge” is how David C. Jones (teacher and coach) is described. David C. Jones has taught workshops across the country and around the world. He is performance and confidence coach for performers and public speakers. As a facilitator he has designed or adapted programs to cover a wide range of topics from self-esteem and empowerment to team building. He worked for several years with YMCA International creating role-plays and popular education activities. As a teacher he works in a variety of performing arts, acting, scene study, text analysis, and improvisation. His authentic character workshops and status and body language classes to awaken the creative spirit. He has worked on set as an acting and sometimes a comedy coach. He is currently a teacher at the Vancouver Film School (and won Teacher of the Year in 2019) and a graduate of Studio 58. He also recently graduated from Rhodes Wellness College – Life Coach Certificate.
His Get Inspired Talk Happy Employees Produce Happy Customers has over 10,000 views on You Tube. www.audienceengagementacadaemy.com
David loves to laugh and loves to learn.
Socials – Insta/Tik/Twit/ @iamdavidcjones
Workshops are free to attend. Registration is preferred.
👉🏾 REGISTER FOR WORKSHOPS
Please email info@realwheels.ca if this form is not accessible, or if you have any questions.
CLOSING EVENTS
Open Mic Night | Friday, May 12 | 7 pm to 9:30 pm
In the Roundhouse Performance Centre
Hosted by Realwheels Acting Academy!
Emily Grace Brook | Jennifer Burgmann | Charlene (Charski) Jacobson | Aranka (Boby) Lukacs | Cadence Rush Quibell
Disability Market | Saturday, May 13 | 3:30 to 7 pm
Find artisan wares from community makers in the Exhibition Hall!
Featured artists:
🧿 Amy Amantea | @theblindbeader (Beading/ Jewellery)
⛓Justin Albay | @super7justin (Chainmail Jewellery)
Website: www.designsofglory.wordpress.com
📸 Darrell Hyatt | @darrell.hyatt.10 (Photography)
Website:www.darrellhyatt.com
🎨 Kristy Kassie | @kristykassie (Painted Rock Art)
Website: www.kristyk.ca/
✍🏽Samantha Levy (Bespoke Poetry)
👩🎨 Studio 73 | @studio73_surreybc (Fused Glass Products, Soaps, Candles)
Website: www.studioseventythree.ca
📍Margaux Wosk | @retrophiliacart (Mixed Media Work / Patches)
Website: www.shopretrophiliac.com
Closing Cabaret | Saturday, May 13 | 7 pm to 8:30 pm
Hosted by David C. Jones | Performance Centre of the Roundhouse
With performances by:
Greg Labine
Sticks and Tones: Dave Symington and Jim Meyer
The Rachael Ransom Band: Rachael Ransom and Dave Symington, with Jim Meyer and Bryden Veinot
Melanie Rose
Ryan Lachance
Drinks available for purchase at the bar. Door prizes!
💕 Realwheels offered all of the events of this festival free of charge. Help us continue to be able to support our community in this way by making a donation! Donate safely and easily through CanadaHelps and receive a tax receipt: https://bit.ly/RealwheelsDonate
In partnership with the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
Thank you to our generous funders: Canada Council for the Arts, Province of BC, City of Vancouver