HDC was recently awarded a Canada Council for the Arts grant for a strategic planning and organizational development initiative. Since then, the Board of Directors and Committee Chairs have been working closely with consultant Marlene Stirrett-Matson and met in Calgary from May 5-7 for an intensive retreat. Informed by input provided by a membership survey distributed in March, and an environmental scan conducted by HDC practicum student Allysan Lui, we are currently discussing the organization's values, vision, mission, structure and goals. Work will continue into the fall of 2023.

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.