Creating Community Through Movement

Heydon Park is an all-girls, inclusive Toronto District School Board school that supports students who thrive in non-traditional settings  with enhanced academic, social and emotional supports. 

The partnership emerged as an opportunity to connect BSS dance students with Heydon Park’s Physical Education classes. Through this experience, BSS dancers stepped into leadership roles that enabled them to learn about the importance of building relationships,communicating clearly, and planning thoughtfully.

Over the course of four visits throughout the fall, BSS students led dance workshops and collaborated closely with Heydon Park students to create original choreography. Working alongside peers with a wide range of physical and intellectual abilities, they learned the importance of preparation, flexibility, empathy and responsiveness.

Their work culminated in a joyful shared performance featuring dancers from both schools. While the BSS students initially approached the experience with some uncertainty, they quickly grew more confident and reflective as the relationship developed. More than a performance, the collaboration demonstrated the power of dance as a universal language that fosters belonging, understanding and connection. Through shared movement and creative expression, students from both schools discovered that community can be built not only through words, but through the act of creatively moving together.