Pop-Up Classes at Danceworks
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Class Description
This class delivers an approach to partnering where participants from all experience levels are on an equal playing field. Momentum, anchoring, and the architectural structure of the body allow participants of all genders to soar through the air, defying expectations and moving beyond the limitations of typical partner work. Skills to be developed include multi-level movement, articulate and sophisticated response to the point of contact, lofting through propulsion, and weight transfer. No partner is required.
Biography
Philip Andrew McDermott is a first-generation Canadian, born and raised in St.John’s, Newfoundland, with his family hailing from Liverpool, United Kingdom. As a dance artist, choreographer, dramaturg and director, McDermott’s practice encompasses his diverse training, his own life experiences, his network of professional connections, and a dynamic performance style. McDermott started dance classes at the age of four with Marie Steffen at her school, The School of Dance. In, 2014, he was accepted into The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Against the ongoing challenges of dyslexia, ADHD and Central Auditory Processing Disorder, he successfully graduated from the school in 2017. Repertoire works include those by: Massimo Agostinelli, Kate Alton, Paul -André Fortier, Peggy Baker, Marc Boivin, Danny Grossman, Allen Kaeja, James Kudelka, Sharon B. Moore, Julia Sasso, and Darryl Tracy. Whilst still in his first year of school, McDermott danced professionally in Sharon B. Moore’s commissioned work for The PANAM Games, A Thirst for Love & Water, which was nominated for a Dora Award. In his second year, he also appeared in Apolonia Velasquez’s work, Unmoored, at Dance Ontario Weekend. In 2018 he continued his education in the form of a mentorship with Paul André Fortier in Montreal, and as a guest student with Nederlands Dans Theater. Upon graduating in 2017, McDermott continued to work with local companies in his home town of St. John’s, as well as performing and working to establish his career nationally and internationally.
