Wednesday 17 December 2014

SHOP- Luv2Groove Threads!


Have you ever wanted your very own Luv2Groove t.shirt or sweatshirt? Well nows your chance! We've created a variety of different logo's and sizes for adults (unisex sizes available in Medium, Large and Extra-Large)! 

Orders can be made online via our online shop @: http://luv2groove.bigcartel.com


Limited quantities available, so order yours today!
One Luv!

Happy Holidays!


Happy Holidays from Luv2Groove!
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season from all of us at Luv2Groove! Thank you for your ongoing support! We had an amazing 2014 filled with new adventures, experiences and opportunities. We're looking forward to many more in 2015!
Recently, we asked some teacher's for their thoughts and feeback on our program... 
Due to high demand, we only have a few dates left for dance workshops/units! Book before it's too late!
We're also offering 50% off workshops during May 25th-June 5th, 2015. All workshops are 1/2 off during those weeks. Please contact us to get the discount rate at: info@luv2groove.com

Other NEWS....
Global Groove with Ms. Natalie! Celebrate culture and diversity through dances from from all over the world including African, Bollywood, Latin dances and more...!
Ms. Julia teaching @ Ottawa University for pre-service teachers in the Bachelor of Education program!
Celebrate in style with the Luv2Groove team! We offer 1 hour dance parties for ages 5 and up! Only $150 for the hour, which includes a "I love to Groove" t.shirt for the birthday boy or girl!
A great article written on Julia in the Ottawa University Magazine, read what it's all about here:http://tabaret.uottawa.ca/en/2014-11/campus-dancehall
Did you know that Luv2Groove is touring BC school boards for 7 weeks! That's right, we're taking our program across Canada at the end of April to June 2015! Not to worry we're still offering workshops in Ontario with our instructors Ms. Natalie and Ms. Christine!
Did you know we offer students co-op placements, as well as the chance to gain volunteer hours for high school over the summer months at our summer camps? Well we do... and it's awesome! Email us to find out more!
Thank you for your support!
For more information visit our website at: http://www.luv2groove.com
For bookings email us at: info@luv2groove.com
Until next time, have a safe and groovin' holiday!





Tuesday 23 September 2014

Welcoming new educators to L2G!

We're super excited to announce that we have added 3 new instructors to our team!

'Ms. Christine', Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop instructor
From a very young age, Christine Couture has always been a dynamic, creative and versatile dancer.  Specializing in contemporary dance, Christine completed the Professional Contemporary Program from The School of Dance in Ottawa in 2011 and is certified in ‘Contemporary Dance Teacher Training’.  Since then, she has been working in the Ottawa area as a teacher, choreographer, performer and stage manager.  Aside from her professional contemporary certification, Christine has trained in jazz, hip-hop, ballroom and creative movement.  Over the years, she has had the opportunity to work with amazing teachers and choreographers such as Sylvie Desrosiers, Yvonne Coutts, Peter Boneham, Susie Burpie, Anik Bouvrette, Sasha Ivanochko, Emmanuel Jouthe and Sylvain Émard. Currently, Christine has been working with Tara Luz Danse ( a contemporary dance company in Orleans), as a dancer and teacher.  Independently, Christine works with different institutions offering dance workshops in different dance styles and providing choreography to different dance groups.  Christine has been teaching dance for the past 10 years in different schools across Ontario and Quebec, including studios such as the Double Creation Dance, The School of Dance and the Shenkman Arts Centre. 





'Ms. Danielle', Yoga Groove instructor
Danielle Kerr’s yoga journey began in 2007 and brought a profound and immediate transformation in all aspects of her life. It not only improved her strength and flexibility, it also nourished her mind and greatly enhanced her confidence and self-awareness. These benefits fueled her desire to share yoga with the world.  From a young age, Danielle knew she wanted to work with children and yoga gave her a fun way to live that passion. Her classes bring yoga to life through stories, visual imagery and encouraging self-expression while maintaining a safe environment. Danielle holds certificates in ‘Radiant Child’ Yoga, Moksha Hot Yoga and Off The Mat. She is very grateful for the opportunity to teach and guide others in their own yoga journey. It's never too young to start!   

Christian “Mr. Cee”, Hip Hop/Breakdance Instructor

Christian Ancheta has been dancing since he was three, starting out in the Philippine Dance Troupe of Ottawa, learning and performing cultural dances from the Philippines. In 2001, he discovered his passion: bboying (breakdancing). Initially exposed to the dance in music videos, he drew inspiration from the dance styles and aspired to learn and perfect the different moves and make them his own, travelling and learning form all the teachers he could find.  13+ years of Bboying have taken Cee all across Canada as well as to the Philippines, dancing for TV commercials and shows, modeling and being featured on product packages, and dancing onstage with artists such as Masia One, Talib Kweli and the Beastie Boys. He was invited for three consecutive years to the National Breakdance Forum in the Yukon, and being recruited to the Blueprint for Life organization (Social work though Hip Hop). In more recent accomplishments Cee has traveled to South East Asia to places like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam to dance, teach, work and explore the world.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

UPCOMING EVENTS THIS FALL!

We are every excited to be apart of so many great events this Fall! We look forward to sharing our passion for dance with people of all ages, all abilities and all walks of life! 


SEPT 27, 2014 from 10am-12pm @ Andrew Hayden Park, Ottawa ON

Luv2Groove will be getting participants warmed up and ready before and after the walk! CDSS has created a uniquely Canadian brand for raising awareness for people with Down syndrome and has chosen Ottawa-Gatineau as one of the first cities in Canada to pilot the new  Go21: Walk For Down Syndrome Awareness, on September 27.

This brand-new event is Canada’s answer to the Buddy Walk; it’s something for the nation to get behind!


You enable all Canadians to SEE THE ABILITY by participating in and donating to Ottawa-Gatineau’s Go21: Walk For Down Syndrome Awareness!

Sept. 28th, 2014 from 12-12:50pm @ the National Arts Centre, Ottawa ON

For our 4th year in a row, we are excited to be back to Ottawa's annual celebration of Cultural Days. Luv2Groove will be teaching a FREE workshops for families on the Southern Hall stage! Get ready to move, groove and have FUN!


Oct.10th, 2014- 'Ms. Christine' from Luv2Groove will be teaching a workshop at the 'Better Me, Better You' Conference for the Ottawa Catholic School board. 


Oct.17th, 2014- OPHEA HEALTHY SCHOOLS CONFERENCE, @ Allstream Centre, Toronto ON

Luv2Groove will be presenting a workshop for educators on Friday Oct.17th! This is our first time presenting at this conference and we are thrilled to be sharing our program with educators form all over Ontario! For more information, please visit the website and register ASAP! http://conference.ophea.net/blog/register-now-ophea’s-healthy-schools-conference-2014


Oct. 17th-19th, 2014- The Council for Drama and Dance Educators of Ontario will be hosting their annual CODE CONFERENCE @ the Delta Hotel in Ottawa!

Luv2Groove is honoured to be part of this year's conference. We'll be offering a workshop for educators on Saturday! For more details visit the website and register asap! 
http://www.codeconferences.ca/welcome-2/

"Deep learning Now" Small School Summit by the Upper Canada School Board: October 23rd and 24th, 2014@ NAV Canada - Cornwall

Luv2Groove is back for their second year in a row. They'll be presenting a workshop to Educators on the 23rd! For more information, please visit the website and register ASAP! http://www.ucdsb.on.ca/teams/smallschoolsummit/about/summitinfo/Pages/default.aspx

Nov. 13th, Luv2Groove and NRG will be performing at the 'Runway to Camp' World Diabetes Day @ St. Anthony's Banquet Hall! All proceeds go to supporting children with Type 1 diabetes go to camp! 


Tuesday 26 August 2014

Back 2 School! Get back into the GROOVE this Fall with us!


DANCE CLASS WITH LUV2GROOVE-FALL 2014!
Hi everyone, we hope you're having a fabulous summer! We had a successful 4 weeks of camp this summer and can't wait to get back into the swing of things this Fall! 
There were some dicussions about running 2 classes this fall, however unfortunately we could not get the space we wanted for 2 hours. Therefore, we have decided to keep it to 1 class instead of 2. We both agree that the dynamic of a bigger group is way more fun for everyone then having two smaller groups. 
That being said, we will continue to make sure that all our students continue to learn new skills and moves each week, as well as sweat, have fun and most of all get their GROOVEon!  
DETAILS FOR SEPTEMBER HIP HOP/BREAKDANCING SESSION:
DATES: Tuesdays, Sept.16th-Dec. 2nd, 2014 (12 week session)
WHERE: Greely Public School, 7066 Parkway rd. 
Greely, ON
Time:  6:00pm-7:00pm (ages 7-13)
COST: $144.00 plus HST for session 
Register and pay online via our website-CLICK HERE
*drop in fee is $15/per class
 WE ALSO OFFER....
  • Dance workshops/units in schools
  • Birthday parties
  • Performances
  • Private lessons
  • Summer camps and more!
For more information please visit our website at: http://luv2groove.com






"Thank you for your ongoing support"! 
Julia and Raul-Directors of Luv2Groove

Monday 26 May 2014

Luv2Groove NEWS!


Hi everyone, we hope you're enjoying the warm weather that has finally arrived! We can't believe there's only 1 month of school left! We've had an amazing year so far full of great  memories and moments we will cherish forever! 
One moment in particular that stands out for me, was when I was asked by Elizabeth Park PS to paint my hand and put it on their tree in the gymnasium of all their special guests that have taught in their school! I got to sign Luv2Groove's name on the all next to my hand print while a group of 40 kindergartens watched me! Super FUN!




On May 1st, 2104 Luv2Groove had the opportunity to get the host grooving on CTV morning live a few weeks ago! If you missed it, check out the link below to see the video! We even had some of our students from our weekly kids class & summer camps join us! 
In addition, we are super excited to have been chosen to present our "Groove is in the HEART" workshop at Ophea's upcoming conference in October 2014!
The Ophea Healthy Schools Conference is an invaluable professional learning experience that will present essential information and new insights on ways to support the healthy active living of children and youth.
Delegates include elementary (generalists and specialists) and secondary teachers, administrators, health and physical education consultants, public health professionals, community leaders, and others interested in the health of children and youth. 
For more information visit: http://conference.ophea.net

SUMMER CAMP NEWS!
We are extremely excited to have Troy Sexton from Rhythm Works join us this summer as our special guest! 

From Toronto, Troy is a high energy dancer, drummer, beatboxer, Stomper, teacher, motivational speaker and performer. Troy has performed with the international percussion sensation STOMP all over the world for the past 8 years. At age 19 Troy joined the cast of STOMP and was the youngest cast member and only Canadian to ever perform with STOMP. He has played the lead cast member along with other roles in the show and has been rehearsal director for the company. Tv credits include, Dancing with the stars (Poland), SO You Think You Can Dance (Australia), Much On Demand (Canada), We Day 2010 (Canada) to name a few. Troy has also danced and drummed in many music videos for artists such as “Rich Kidd” and “The Used”. Troy Now is back and forth from over seas “Stompin” and living in toronto where he runs is own company “Rhythm Works” performing at schools, teaching and motivational speaking all over Ontario. Troy loves to share his passion for dance and performance and inspire people to listen to their gut and follow what they love.

Don't forget to register for summer camps! Camps start July 7th! 
www.luv2groove.com

Thursday 6 March 2014

A Sneak peak into a week at Luv2Groove Summer Dance Camp!


Summer’s around the corner and we’re super excited to announce that we’ll be running five weeks of summer camp in five different locations this year! For those of you considering a Luv2Groove summer camp here’s a sneak peak into what our week looks like and includes.

First of all, your kids need to be prepared to have fun, sweat a lot, play games, dance, meet new friends, create and customize their very own hip hop hat, tye dye camp their camp t.shirt, swim, learn from a guest artist and perform at little show at the end of the week for family and friends!

Every morning campers will arrive between 8:30 and 9. During this time, campers have free time to settle in, play games and relax before our 9 a.m. start. (On the first day we play icebreaker games and get to know ALL the campers names).  Once everyone has arrived, we begin our warm-up by getting everyone moving, grooving and having fun! This consists of a dynamic warm-up getting the blood flowing and heart pumping. We then lead the kids into a groove follow along where we go through a variety of dance steps that are funky and easy to follow. After a few groove songs, we lead a thorough stretch to prepare everyone for the awesome day ahead!

After that comes our morning dance class, this where we teach new dance steps, skills, drills and dance routines. Our morning block usually runs for an hour and 15 minutes. We then give the students a short 15 minute snack break after our morning dance class. After snack, we try to head outside for games before the sun gets too hot! During our outdoor activities, the whole group will engage in games such as, man hunt, capture the flag, cops and robbers and more…

After being refreshed from the outdoors, we enjoy our lunch in the gym! We give the students roughly 35 minutes to eat, digest and have some free time before our afternoon sessions begin.

After lunch, our afternoons vary from day to day, they may include more dancing, swimming, a guest artist workshop in beatboxing or stomp, tye dyeing or hat design.

Our days are fun-filled from 9 to 4 every day. Pick-up is between 4 and 4:30pm.

Everything is included in the camp fee except for the purchase of a camp t.shirt, which costs $15 and is available for purchase all week long. Tye dyeing takes place on Thursday.
Campers are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing runners and bring lots of water to stay hydrated!

Friday 21 February 2014

Win a full day of Dance workshops 4 your school!


Luv2Groove is looking for a "catch phrase" or slogan to add to our company logo and needs your help! All you have to do is come up with a catch phrase that "CATCHES" our hearts and attention and YOU WIN!  Your school will receive a full day of dance workshops (4 sessions maximum per day) valued at $500! 
What is a catch phrase? Something that is catchy and grabs people's attention. For example, M &M's catch phrase is "Melts in your mouth...not in our hands",Maxwell House Coffee, "Good to the last drop", and Nike, "Just do it"! 
For more information on our mission statement and the work we do in schools, please visit our website for ideas @ http://www.luv2groove.com
To Apply: Please email us your idea before March 31st to: info@luv2groove.com with your school name & catch phrase. Winners will be announced on April 4th! GOOD LUCK!!


Tuesday 21 January 2014

Groovin' into 2014!


HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We hope you had a wonderful holiday and are getting through the cold weather by staying warm and practising your dance moves!
2014 is off to a great start for us! So far this month, we have successfully completed dance workshops/units at Laggan Public School, Farley Mowat Public School, Williamstown Public School, Devonshire Public School and Bishop Hamilton Montessori. This week we'll be at Roxmore Public School, Queen Elizabeth Public School and Arch St. Public School!
We are currently accepting bookings for April, May and June! Dates are limited, so book as soon as possible!
Testimonial:
"The hip hop workshop for my Grade 6's was outstanding! Julia hooked the students in the first few minutes and engaged them throughout the session. The kids entirely bought in, even those who claim to hate dance or who usually feel inhibited! I was impressed by their final performances at the end of a single 40-minute session! Loved it!"                  Carol Montgomery, Gr. 6 teacher from Roland Michener PS
Luv2Groove in Vancouver Schools!
We are very excited to be on the roster for this year's Artstarts Showcase and Conference 2014 in Vancouver, BC.
Luv2Groove was chosen from hundreds of companies to deliver their educational dance programs to school boards across BC in 2014/2015 for 4 weeks.
For more information on Arts Starts visit their website at: http://artstarts.com/blog/register-artstarts-showcase-and-conference-2014
Upcoming Teacher Workshops!
Feb. 20th from 5:00-9:00pm @ North Grenville High School
Cost: TBA
Workshop Description: Our teacher workshops support the dissemination of dance to schools, broadening student exposure and enabling dance enrichment. Express Dance is an inclusive, simple approach, which helps unleash the potential for physical expression latent within each and every individual. Facilitated by Allen Kaeja, Express Dance workshops provide educators with the hands-on tools and strategies they need to build curriculum-connected dance units for their students, regardless of their cultural background, dance exposure, experience, age or physical ability. See more at: http://www.kaeja.org/education/workshop/item/express-dance-teacher
Registration: If you are interested in taking this workshop, please email Julia at: julia.gutsik@code.on.ca to be put on the list. Details will be finalized in the next couple days and will be sent out to those who are interested in attending!
____________________________________________________________________________________
May 3rd, 2014- Drama/Dance workshop with Luv2Groove & Drama Educator (TBA). 
Details TBA
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Save the date! CODE Conference 2014 in Ottawa, ON!
Oct. 17th-19th, 2014, the Council for Ontario Drama and Dance Educators will be holding their annual conference in Ottawa, ON for the first time! 
As Eastern Representative for CODE, Julia from Luv2Groove is very excited to be apart of the conference committee for 2014.  
CODE | Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators
Be inspired. Stay Connected.
Are you a member yet?  Visit: http://www.code.on.ca
Food for thought...
A quote from Dr. Rena Upitis from Queen's University who has completed a comprehensive Arts literature review for ETFO, identifying ways of supporting and advancing an education for the development of the whole child. This literature review highlights ways to support and advance Arts education to make it a central part of the education of the whole child.
RECOMMENDED ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES AND TIME ALLOCATION GUIDELINES: Dance
The following instructional considerations take into account ARTSECO’s position that:
• In order to teach the subject-specific knowledge and skills inherent in each of the four Arts disciplines, adequate dedicated instructional time must be allocated for each art form on a regular recurring basis. (learning in and about the arts)
• In addition to this subject-specific instruction, integration of the arts with a variety of subjects is strongly encouraged. (learning through the arts)
It is important to note that even though the Phys Ed teacher might also teach Dance, the Dance curriculum is not directly connected to the Physical Education curriculum other than as it relates to physical literacy, fundamental movement skills, and health and wellness. The specific Dance curriculum expectations must be intentionally taught and assessed.
• Further, it is rarely appropriate to assume that DPA meets the Dance curriculum expectations. Within educational dance, students are involved in creative and critical processes which do not necessarily or typically relate to aerobic work.Therefore, DPA time cannot qualify as Dance instructional time unless specific Dance expectations from the Arts Curriculum document are directly addressed in the lesson.
• On the other hand, Dance instructional time (i.e., time spent engaging in activities intended to help students meet Dance curriculum expectations) may be use to meet the DPA requirement as long as students are engaged in physical activity for at least 20 minutes of their Dance period.
• While an open space clear of obstacles is recommended, Dance instruction can occur in a variety of spaces, including a classroom, stage/pit, protected exterior location, etc.
• Where possible, a dedicated Dance room with a clean floor, a sound system appropriate for the room, and adequate shelving/storage space for props and equipment is optimal.
• We recommend a minimum of 40 minutes of instructional time per lesson to allow students time
to engage in the creative process, through guided and independent experimentation with the elements of dance, exploration of source material and opportunities to revise and refine work based on peer and teacher feedback.

Vote for us!
We our pround to annouce that Luv2Groove has been nominated for the 2014 Macaroni Kid Family Favourite Awards for favourite dance classes and summer day camp.

Businesses with the most nominations make it into the final voting round for a chance to win free advertising in a online family-friendly newsletter and website business directory! Help us by voting for us!
Summer Camps with Luv2Groove!

Stay tuned for details regarding our summer camps 2014! We'll be releasing all the details on our website in the next month or so. Keep checking our website for information on how to get the early bird rate! 
Camps will be starting July 7th-August 8th, 2014! We're already looking forward to another fun-filled summer! 

Until next time, stay warm and keep groovin!
The Luv2Groove Team