TZABIA SIEGEL
nutrition, coaching, creative dance/movement

About Tzabia
Weightless Creativity is Tzabia’s creative brainchild. It is the fruit of a seed that was planted when, 23 years ago, she immersed herself in photography and creative movement and found herself 25 lbs. lighter. Since that time Tzabia has been passionate about her body of work as a coach, nutritionist, movement educator, and visual artist. She is the founder of The Food Coach, creator of Moving Space, a creative dance practice, and Freedom from Dieting, a lifetime weight loss coaching program, with a focus on both behaviour (mind, emotion, soul) and physiology (food, movement, rest). The focus of all of her coaching and teaching is grounded in non-judgment, mind-body awareness and a balanced blend of the art and science of living a graceful and creative life.

Weight Loss Coaching
The coaching part of Weightless Creativity is to guide you towards the inspiration, commitment, training, tools, and support that you need to stay on course towards your goals. There is a science to weight loss, but without the artful understanding of how human beings create change, the science has its limitations. The coaching will take the form of demonstrations, exercises, thought provoking questions and discussions, creative games and personal challenges. There will be training in the six areas of food, movement and rest as well as the mind, emotion, and soul. Supplementation to support the physiology will also be discussed.

Creative Dance/Movement
Moving Space is a practice that invites you to dance and use your voice freely. Minimalist structure stimulates creativity, but does not limit you to someone else's steps. Eclectic music from different genres and cultures inspires your natural rhythms. Breath, movement and sound have the inherent capacity to change the way you think and feel. If you are stuck in routine patterns of movement, you are likely to be stuck in routine patterns of thought. If you have trouble letting go of negative emotions that keep you behaving in ways that do not serve your highest goals, then movement provides the outlet to break old patterns. It gets you into your body and into the moment, rather than being stuck in the past or the future. You will explore various rhythms, impulse, design and edge - all intended to expand your movement range, capacity and creativity. It is always a fun, non-judgmental and supportive environment, requiring no dance experience, only an open mind and a willingness to explore.

www.foodcoach.ca
www.freefromdieting.com

NATHALIE VACHON
creative writing, abstract intuitive painting

About Nathalie
Nathalie Vachon (BBA, M.Ed. Creative Arts in Learning) is a painter, writer/storyteller and teacher living in the Toronto Beaches.  From a young age Nathalie was drawn to the arts not knowing that it would eventually serve as a lifeline and a way of rising above difficult life situations.  Growing up in a tumultuous and often toxic family, food became a coping mechanism; a way to stuff down emotions and numb pain.  Painting and writing and eventually studying singing helped her get back into her body and gave expression, compassion and play where there was repression.  And it eventually led her to what she had always wanted to be… an artist. 

Creative Writing
There is incredible healing, strength and empowerment that comes when we listen deeply, when we share our words, images, voice etc. and when our words are met with compassion and encouragement (by others as well as ourselves).  This workshop explores timed writings, poetry, personal stories and some of the fundamentals of getting past the head and into the heart of writing.  For those who love to write or would like to try, this 6 week session goes gently and more deeply into our ‘first thoughts’, authentic feelings, playful inspirations and often delightful creations!

Abstract Intuitive Painting
Sometimes the most daunting thing is to stare at a blank canvas or sheet of paper. Where to start? What to draw? Can I paint? This course gives accessible, inspiring and creative springboards to get you started. Using colour, mood, music, dreams etc. and exploring different shapes, media, techniques each person will explore and work on developing their own unique style. Sometimes all you need is an entrance way to get in… you will be amazed at what you can do.

www.nathalievachon.com

JENNIFER MOORE
singing

About Jennifer
Originally trained in the Western Classical vocal tradition, Jennifer has developed a style that integrates Western Classical elements with various world music and jazz influences.  Jennifer has performed across Canada, in the United States and in Europe.  A teacher of voice and elementary piano for the past nine years, Jennifer works with students of all ages.  In addition to her private practice, Jennifer works as a facilitator at Keys to the Studio, a music school that works with youth who have been diagnosed with developmental or intellectual disabilities.   Jennifer also co-writes music for film and television.

 Singing
Jennifer’s teaching offers a supportive and inclusive environment that celebrates the unique quality of each human voice. Participants will focus upon breath work as a form of relaxation and preparation for singing, vocal warm ups that will explore range, flexibility and ear training, improvisation with words and images as sources of inspiration, ensemble singing in unison and harmony and creative work done in small groups that will be shared with the class. Our 6 weeks together will also be informed by the hopes and feedback of those participating. Time will be allocated to small group work, and this work will be shared with the full group during our last class.  Participants will be invited to write new lyrics to pre-existing songs, or write original songs as well as to bring in musical instruments and any other material that feels appropriate to the work of their small group.

www.jennifermoore.ca

NATALIE BRETON
theatre/clown

About Natalie
Natalie Breton is an actor and creative facilitator. She has been acting for 20 years and has played on many stages including The Lincoln Centre (NYC), Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre (China) and CanStage (Toronto). She studied at the AADA (Hume Cronyn Scholarship) and then formed her own “Under the Bridge Theatre Company”. She has studied voice, clown and movement and practices Kundalini yoga (15 years). She has taught theatre and clown for organizations and individuals seeking to expand their creative skills. Natalie has also traveled to India to study Gandhian Thought and Peace Studies and to Africa to work at orphanages and homes for the destitute.

Theatre/Clown
We will begin a journey together of transformation and possibility by engaging our minds, bodies and endless imaginations. Through a variety of theatrical tools, games and styles, we will explore the individual and the group in terms of emotional life, physical life and soul life. An actor uncovers many parts of herself in her search for the truth. In this workshop you will be allowed full freedom to travel to the many parts of yourself that have remained dormant, locked up and/or restricted. We will discover the “play” behind our own “baggage” that we carry and learn to release, accept and make peace with it. Each class of our 6 weeks together will begin with a physical and vocal warm-up followed by a theatre game to enhance total awareness. Then we will delve into the theme of our class for that session (ie: “Our Fantastic Place and our Place of Fear”). We will “warm-down” with individual, paired or group reflections. Students will be encouraged to keep a journal to chronicle their journey.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein.

NINETTE GYORODY
textile art

About Ninette
Ninette Gyorody is the Curator of Studio Nine Gallery in Leslieville.  Ninette is also a freelance arts educator, teaching design and art appreciation workshops throughout the GTA .  She is an instructor at the University of Guelph, Fanshawe College and the University of Western Ontario.  With a BFA in Theatre, specializing in costume design and an MA in Art History, both from York University, Ninette has over ten years of professional experience as a curator, designer, educator, writer, and programmer. She has worked at McMaster Museum of Art, London Children’s Museum, McIntosh Gallery and the Living Arts Centre.   

Textile Art
Through the beauty of textiles, we are going to engage our creativity and begin an emotional and creative journey through a process-oriented exploration of embellishment and sculpture. Participants will practice and experiment with techniques that enrich and add colour, light and pattern to surface textiles. Through sketching, experimenting, and sharing of our designs, we will encourage each other to further explore the two-dimensional and three-dimensional possibilities of textiles.  Each week, we will begin with some preliminary designs, work with our materials, and share our process with each other.  By the end of our program, we will have realized the development and uniqueness of our artistic and creative exploration and reflected on our creative accomplishments. 

www.studioninegallery.com

CHRISTINE MITCHELL
mixed media/collage

About Christine
Christine Mitchell has over 10 years of experience as an artist educator, arts programmer and art therapist. She has a BA in Visual Arts with a focus on mixed media and a graduate diploma in Art Therapy. Christine’s passion lies in process based art and the power of creative expression. Her work experience includes positions at The Living Arts Centre and the Home for Creative Opportunity in Regent Park.  As an art therapist, she worked with the Children’s Aid Society, Career Quest and The Toronto District School Board. Currently, Christine works at The Harbourfront Centre as an Education Coordinator. Christine is excited to be offering mixed media workshops as part of Weightless Creativity.

 Mixed Media/Collage
Take a journey that explores your thoughts and feelings through the use of collage.  Collage is creative, fun and it's easy to get started. In the workshop and the 6 weeks to follow you'll learn collage basics and how to combine acrylics with collage, adhering found objects, using specialty papers and magazine clippings with acrylic mediums. You’ll then expand your skills through the use of different gel mediums to create texture, embossing and stamping, blending of pastels, and die cutting. We will explore different themes each week such as ‘before and after’, body image, the circle and the mandala, and the mind map. In the last class we will celebrate our artist journey as well as our life journey by creating a free piece of work using all the techniques and materials that were used in the previous weeks.

STELLA WALKER
acrylic painting, vocal technique

About Stella
Stella Walker is a painter, singer, writer, performer, producer and teacher. Her work as a writer and performer has been broadcast nationally on the Comedy Network, CBC, CTV, and Bravo!  Stella sings in several languages and styles and has premiered songs by North American composers. She studies cantorial art with Cantor Maissner at Holy Blossom and sings in the professional choir at Beth Sholom Synagogue. A voice coach for 20 years, Stella works with actors, singers, ensembles and pop bands and is an expert at repairing damaged voices.  Her paintings are found in the homes of many art collectors.

Acrylic Painting
Throw on some painting clothes and grab a brush, it’s time to paint! In this dynamic, hands-on process, participants are encouraged to make a mess in order to create art, and have fun while doing it.  Composition, materials, and colour are explored. Learn how to produce colours using the primary colours, experiment with iridescent and metallic effects, and plan, paint and finish a painting.  Try new approaches to seeing, expressing, and communicating through art, balancing risk-taking with skill. Working solo and collaboratively, advance with courage and create art - a still life, landscape, figure, or self-portrait. Visual art is our magnificent mirror.  Painting provides a unique non-verbal vehicle for expression. Luckily, acrylic paint is fast drying and very forgiving, so you can always add another layer of paint until you know your painting is finished.  How will you know?  Perhaps when the painting does the talking for you.

Vocal Technique
Stella teaches vocal technique with classical foundations for singers at all levels who would like to improve their singing, speaking and performance skills. Beginners are welcome. In this fun and fascinating workshop, all aspects of vocal production are examined: care and longevity of the voice, breathing, posture and resonance. Learn how your voice works; explore the relationship between your speaking and singing voice through exercises, games and projects. Enjoy stretches, vocal warm ups and exercises, singing songs and performance success. Explore the connection between the mind, body and soul, expressed as sound. The goal is to develop a happy relationship to the voice, with an understanding of healthy vocal technique.  The standards are high, and the process of getting there is a blast of odd sounds, laughter and epiphanies. Voice practice is like yoga with sound.  Daily practice improves breathing, well-being and concentration. Singing is a natural high, an artistic antidepressant, a wonderful boost to self-esteem, and a blessing to share with others. A vocal coach with 20 years of teaching experience, Stella understands the concerns, anxieties and challenges that many individuals feel about their voices and has developed techniques that work.

www.stellawalker.com

ROULA SAID
bellydance

About Roula
Roula Said is a Middle Eastern dancer who has been performing and teaching bellydance as well as sufi-inspired movement for nearly 20 years.  She leads an innovative theatrical dance troupe, The Roulettes,
produces the hippest bellydance event in town, FunkaBelly, and teaches her unique "Om Laila System" of bellydance.  Roula is a warm, funny and inspired teacher who speaks to the soul as well as the body. 

Bellydance
In your time with Roula, she will transmit her profound knowledge of Middle Eastern movement and music in a way that is very accessible and relevant for the woman of today.  The Om Laila System, Roula's method for holistic bellydance instruction will bring you into a joyful, inspiring and empowering relationship with yourself by awakening and attuning you to a series of "waves".  These waves are organic pathways through the body and can be explored in many relationships to gravity - seated, standing, lying down, and so on.  The system is deeply healing and seriously fun.  Your core muscles will begin to wake up and get very strong as you celebrate your juiciness every step of the way.  You will feel a sense of inner freedom and lightness, shimmy away your stress, and embrace the glorious might of your hips!  Through the Om Laila System, bellydance is approached as a "Love Yoga": a very powerful tool for self-acceptance, self-nurturing and transformation.  

www.omlaila.com

ZULEKHA NOORMOHAMED
jewellery

About Zulekha
Zulekha Noormohamed is a self-taught jewellery artist and bead store owner. After completing university, Zulekha began exploring her creative passion for jewellery and design. What began initially as a part-time business selling her jewellery at craft shows and outdoor festivals, eventually led to the creation of her two stores, The Blue Sapphire Bead Boutique and The Blue Sapphire Bead Loft. Zulekha teaches beading classes at both stores as well as at George Brown College. Zulekha's precious beads can often be seen at bead and gem shows across Canada.

Course Description
Beading, or jewellery-making, is a multi-dimensional practice. In one sense, it nurtures creativity through use of colour, design, patterns, etc. On another level, beading is an important form of stress relief - many beaders claim that this creative outlet stimulates the mind while relieving tension in other areas of our lives. Beading is also a healing practice. In India, Greece, Rome, and Native American societies, beads and beading have been used to heal all sorts of ailments. They have been used for physical healing in the past, and continue today to be used for emotional and mental healing and support. Each and every type of stone contains unique characteristics that can help you find emotional and mental balance. Above all else, beading is a fun and rewarding practice, whether it’s making beautiful bracelets and earrings or being creative and experimenting with colour. This course will explore all of these provocative elements to beading.