Guelph Dance's Artistic Director, Catrina von Radecki, tells us what she is most exctied about at the 2019 Guelph Dance Festival

Of course, I am very excited about all the artists we are bringing to Guelph! I get so excited to have so many brilliant artists from across the country come to Guelph the first weekend of June each year!  Some of the artists will be at the festival for the first time and others are returning as audience favourites!

One of the things I am most excited about however, is our partnerships.  Our community partners help us expand our programming, reach new audiences and learn more deeply about the people who make up our community.

This year, in partnership with KidsAbility, a not-for-profit organization that empowers children and youth with special needs to realize their full potential, we have invited Montreal-based BBoy Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli to Guelph so that he can deliver an excerpt of his very popular motivational conference “No Excuses, No Limits”. Luca Patuelli will perform, include audience members and motivate the audiences with his incredible break-dancing skills as part of our In the Park Series on Friday May 31st at 7pm and Saturday June 1st and Sunday June 2nd at noon. As a complement to his performances he will also lead a 60-minute motivational conference and workshop at Centennial High School.

With these performances and workshops, we are hoping to provide meaningful experiences for children, youth and people of all ages abilities to experience dance and its transformational power.

In the motivational conference “No Excuses, No Limits” Luca Patuelli shares with the audience his inspirational story and his passion for dance. Born with Arthrogryposis, a neuromuscular disorder affecting the bones and joints of the body, he has undergone a total of 16 surgeries since he was seven months old to support his legs, hips, spine, and shoulders. Despite facing physical challenges, Luca learned at an early age about the power of adapting positively to any situation.

With growing notoriety as a break dancer, Luca has had opportunities to appear on both Canadian and American media, including appearances on the Ellen Degeneres Show, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, The Today Show, America’s Got Talent, Tout le Monde en Parle, Star Académie, TF-1 and Paul O’Grady. Luca’s work in dance is a testament of what we are all capable of and of the transformational power found in the arts.   

A huge thank you to Heather Granger from KidsAbility for helping us make this happen and to the KidsAbilty Youth Advisory Council who are assisting Guelph Dance to ensure all our events are fully inclusive.

If this new partnership was not exciting enough, we also have a new partnership with Guelph Pride!  Following our In the Park series on Sunday June 2^nd, Guelph Pride will provide family friendly programming for all ages from 1:30-4:00pm at Exhibition Park. Activities will include a Bouncy castle, Pride pets in the park, Crafts, performances and much much more!!  We hope with this new partnership to introduce more people to contemporary dance while celebrating Guelph Prides mission to celebrate diversity, education, and visibility within the 2SLGBTQI and communities and beyond.

We are also proud to continue our incredible partnership with the Exhibition Park NeighbourhoodGroup’s Creativity Picnic on Saturday June 1^stfollowing the In the Park Series, 1:30 pm-4:00 pm.  As in the part the Creativity Picnic will include musicians, comedians, crafts and vendors that are sure to entertain audiences of all ages.

So the In the Park series is clearly NOT TO BE MISSED!  So many fun things are planned for the park series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!  Our inclement weather location is Old Quebec Street.

AND this event is pay-what-you-can which of course is very exciting!