The BIPOC Advocacy Working Group is pleased to announce that our very first Emerging Artist Scholarship was awarded to Gabriela Ortiz! ​Gabriela Ortizis an emerging dance artist based on Treaty 1 territory and member of Mujer Artista, a Latin American group of artists located in Winnipeg, MB. She is currently obtaining her B.A in dance through the Theatre and Film department of the University of Winnipeg and the School of Contemporary Dancers. Gabriela has worked with choreographers like, Gaile Petursson-Hiley, Rossana Filomarino, Sarah Matry, Paula Blair and Jolene Bailie and has had the opportunity to collaborate with The Mariachi Ghost music band. Gabriela is the recipient of the "Talentos" scholarship provided by the Mexican government institution EDUCAFIN. Over the years she has also been a volunteer for different non-profit organizations like Mentores UG and Foro Inudacion located in Guanajuato, Mexico.

The BIPOC Advocacy Working Group was also able to offer another scholarship this year due to a generous donation from one of our members, K.V.K. Athletics Inc. Thank you so much for your participation in our program! Hayley Ng received this scholarship because of her desire dance but to also help dancers through herlove of science. Hayley is a Chinese Canadian ballet dancer, physiotherapy resident, and PhD student at the University of Toronto. She started dancing at age 3, and trained in pre-professional ballet throughout high school, where she competed in international ballet competitions and performed in various ballet productions. While obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University, she performed soloist roles with Hamilton City Ballet in full length ballets, such as Coppelia and the Sleeping Beauty, with her favourite being the lead role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker. Furthermore, she choreographed ballet pieces for McMaster’s Recreational Dance Team. During her master’s, she continued her ballet training and launched her professional dance career, where she performed in virtual dance projects with the Dance: Corps company, as a dance artist for the Youth Day Global event, and as an artist in the Quarantine Qapsule digital archive on the Museum of Toronto website. Hayley is passionate in both dance and physiotherapy, as they both fill her soul in different ways. Dance provides an opportunity for her to express herself artistically, while physiotherapy provides an opportunity to help others regain their independence and improve their mobility. As she works on her PhD in using dance as a rehabilitation tool for people post-stroke, while continuing her pursuit of dancing professionally, she hopes to integrate her passions together in her future career.

We would also like to acknowledge Emily Duckett and Swadhi Ranganee Thanabalasingam for their applications and participation in our Emerging Artist Scholarship application. All artists will be receiving an HDC membership as well as mentorship from some of our HDC members.

Healthy Dancer Canada is pleased to partner with Human Kinetics Canada for a book giveaway. The winner will be able to select any book from their dance collection page!

​HOW TO ENTER: Be the first HDC member to email the Healthy Dancer Canada Newsletter with an answer to the following question: What is the mission of Healthy Dancer Canada? Email your response to newsletter.healthydancercanada@gmail.com. The first person with the correct answer will win the above mentioned prize. The winner will be contacted by Human Kinetics in order to arrange receival of your prize. The winner must meet the "How to enter" guidelines above.

This contest is open to contestants in Canada only. The prize will be mailed to contest winner and is transferable to another Canadian address should the winner wish to provide their win as a gift. One prize bundle per winner.

Join Dr. Donna Krasnow and Dr. Virginia Wilmerding for Motor Development and Dance on Sunday May 29 at noon EDT / 9AM PDT. Pre-register for this FREE webinar.

Healthy Dancer Canada is pleased to announce three new workshops!

• Motor Development and Dance with Donna Krasnow & Virginia Wilmerding
• Motor Learning and Dance with Donna Krasnow & Virginia Wilmerding
• Self-Care for the Artistic Soul with Nicole Inica Hamilton

​See our full list of workshops and consider hosting an in-person or online Healthy Dancer Canada workshop for your dance or healthcare community.

We are also pleased to share our newest resource Nutrition Tips for Dancers by Marie Scioscia, currently available to members through early-access on the members-only page. We also now have available to the public Encouraging Continued Participation in Dance at Adolescence by Siobhan Mitchell on the open dance resources page.