- This event has passed.
Thinking Spaces: Melissa Noventa, “Movement Across Borders: Improvisation, Diplomacy, and Transcultural Dialogues”
Please join us on Friday, October 25 at 11:00 AM (ET) for Thinking Spaces: “Movement Across Borders: Improvisation, Diplomacy, and Transcultural Dialogues” with Melissa Noventa, accompanied by percussionist Mario Allende.
This presentation will take place in person at ImprovLab, MCKN 108 at the University of Guelph, as well as online via IICSI’s new Twitch Stream. As always, our Thinking Spaces events are free!
To attend the talk in-person or online, RSVP via our Google Forms.
More About the Workshop
In a world with ever increasing migration and cultural exchange, dance holds a unique power to facilitate dialogue across cultural and political boundaries. Combining an informal talk with an interactive movement session, we’ll dive into how movement can act as a tool for diplomacy, offering new ways to engage with people from different backgrounds and experiences. Participants will be encouraged to engage with the nuances of improvisation as both a personal and collective practice, experiencing how movement can communicate across borders. Whether you are a seasoned dancer, or someone just curious about how the body communicates, come ready to move, experiment and reflect. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to move and explore new ideas!
More About the Presenter
Melissa Noventa is a dancer and ethnographer originally from Guelph, Ontario. She has over 15 years of experience performing and teaching a wide range of dance genres, including classical, contemporary, urban, West African, Latin, and Afro-Caribbean vocabularies. Melissa has collaborated with renowned institutions such as NYU Tisch and performed alongside a diverse range of artists from Canada’s Arcade Fire to some of Cuba’s premier folkloric ensembles. Most recently, she performed in the Obeah Opera which toured South Africa over the summer. Melissa holds a BFA and MA in Dance from York University and is currently a PhD candidate at Queen’s University where her research focuses on cultural diplomacy through music and dance, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between Canada and Cuba.
For this presentation, Melissa will be accompanied by percussionist Mario Allende.
