TWO Spring Break Workshops for Body Talk HiP HoP PoW Wow 2025

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Friday, March 28th, 2025
•March 17 – 21: Hip Hop Dance Class daily with Olivia Rockall (10 years old -19) •March 24:-28 Forum Theatre with Renae Morriseau (14 years old – 19) 10 am to 4 pm

The annual Spring Break event, Body Talk HiP HoP PoW WoW, 2025, takes place this March in Nanaimo!

SPEAK YOUR MIND. SHARE YOUR STORY. ALL TOGETHER.

Nanaimo, BC – The Body Talk Program’s HiP HoP PoW WoW is designed by and for Indigenous and allied youth.

This year workshops will span both weeks of Spring Break in two distinct workshops.

March 17 to 21, youth 10 to 19, get to take a 1.5 hour hip hop dance class daily with Olivia Rockall at VIBE Dance Studios, 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM. On March 29, they will join the members of the second workshop to show the community what they learned!

Olivia Rockall has trained at Nanaimo’s Vibrant Studios and in Vancouver. She has been a crew member of the Vancouver based dance company, Gigabots, and as a member of Team Canada in 2023 where she competed at the IDO International Hip Hop competition in Poland. Olivia performs competitively, teaches and choreographs. “Performing is something I enjoy very much, however, Hip Hop has given me much more than dance. It has given me an opportunity to learn about my culture and background while also providing me with a community and a sense of belonging. This has been invaluable to my development as a dancer and as a young person growing up Black here in Nanaimo.”

March 24 to 28, youth aged 14 to 19 will collectively develop a Forum Theatre performance with renowned director/dramaturge Renae (Ra-Nye) Morriseau. Kyle Shepard, of The Big Mess fame, joins Renae to help draw out loud and proud youth voices.

Renae will guide youth through the Forum Theatre format—an interactive, dynamic approach to storytelling, connection, and community learning. Forum Theatre, developed by Brazilian practitioner Augusto Boal in the 1970s, empowers audiences to actively engage with real-world issues and explore solutions through drama.Why Forum Theatre?

It creates a safe environment for participants to explore real-world problems, raise awareness, and empower change.

Forum Theatre Workshop Schedule:Monday – Friday, March 24-28: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM 

Saturday, March 29, 7:30 PM: Body Talk HiP HoP PoW WoW Culminating Performance will take place at Snuneymuxw Gym, All participants from BOTH workshops will share what they learned.