ART CLASS
Hi, we are Tobi, Elaine and Danielle, the Art teachers! We all love to paint and draw in our spare time. Tobi paints wonderful oversized canvases (even taller than herself!) while Elaine is known for her adorable portraits and being a multitalented artist. Danielle likes to incorporate humor into her playful drawings. All three of us love coming to Monday’s art class- a place to explore different creative techniques, but most importantly a place to have fun and make connections with friends! We create a unique work of art in each class - everything from collage to printmaking, to crafting with felt, to seasonal paintings. We end each class by presenting our artwork to our friends. We always have a great time!
Dance
Hi, I’m Emma, a freelance dance teacher, choreographer, and performer based here in Montreal. I graduated from the Contemporary Dance program at Concordia University in 2017 and I strive to create an atmosphere at Friendship Circle that is engaging, welcoming and allows everybody a chance to experiment different ways their bodies can move. We use upbeat music to play with different rhythms and dynamics. We work together to learn choreography and support each other while having fun. Emma is passionate about using movement to create community while exercising! I’m so excited for this oppurtunity, let's dance!
IMPROV + FILMMAKING CLASS
Hi, we are Mariel and Danielle, the Improv + Filmmaking teachers! We met at Concordia film school, and have worked together on many film shoots over the past 5 years! Mariel is a lover of genre cinema and a jack of all trades- writer, director, producer, and camera person. While Danielle enjoys both being in front of and behind the camera, acting in comedy and also writing and directing her own films. We are so excited to explore filmmaking and performance at the Friendship Circle with this amazing and talented group! We have fun using ipads, costumes, green screens, and making skits and music videos! We start each class with a silly improv game which makes us laugh, next we dive into a fun filmmaking activity, and finally, we end each class with performance. It is so incredible to watch each person’s talents shine!
GF Cooking
My name is Angela Maciocia & I am the new cooking instructor of the gluten/dairy/nut/free kosher Tuesday cooking group! I was first introduced to Friendship Circle in 2017 as a contributing blogger writing about special needs from the perspective of an Autism mom & Special Education teacher (adult sector). It was a wonderful experience & I really enjoyed sharing my experiences. I am truly grateful for this new opportunity to share my love of cooking & baking with the FC community! My main goals for the group are to expose them to healthy gluten/dairy-free recipes, work as a team to create meals, empower them with kitchen skills & have fun along with way! Nothing makes me happier than watching everyone enjoying & eating what we made together at the end of each session! I will share more about what we have been making and the types of recipes that we have been using in the next newsletter.
Karate
Hello, my name is Sensei Meghan and I am the teacher of Karate for the children at the FC and Self Defense for the young ladies. I have been studying Wado karate for 26 years, and I have my own martial arts school called Tsuyosa Martial Arts, which is located in the West Island. In addition to the classes that I teach at my own "dojo", I travel around to schools and organizations teaching the other programs that I have developed for preschools, seniors, teens, women, etc. At the FC, my goal is to get my students moving, develop their body awareness, increase their strength, balance, coordination, sharpen their attention and focus, and teach them some techniques that they can use to protect themselves. I use lots of games and humor to do this, along with pool noodles, whoopie cushions, balls, and other manipulatives to give everyone a fun and fulfilling experience.
Music
Shalom everyone,
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cantor Daniel Benlolo and I am proud and honoured to be part of the Friendship Circle team as your Music Program instructor. This past month I had the privilege of meeting a wonderful group of ´friends’ and ´buddy’s´ whom together demonstrated their love of music. This inclusive group of singers are dedicated to celebrating the power of music, to bring joy and to inspire and unite people of all ages and abilities.
Sports
Sportball offers a weekly Multi-sport class. The 8 sports presented are Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Hockey, Baseball, Football, Tennis and Golf. Our goal is to build the participant's confidence, competence, and physical literacy. Weekly classes provide ample opportunity for participants to refine, rehearse and repeat the skills they’ve been working on, sending them home with a sense of pride and accomplishment and stoking their inner fires to keep going.
Yoga
I am Debra Berke the yoga teacher. I have been teaching children for 12 years and at Friendship Circle for 5 years. My yogis at Friendship Circle are the most enthusiastic and loving students. From the moment I walk into the building, I am surrounded with love and excitement. Every week we do poses that help them stretch and bend and twist. Very often I come into the class with a plan of what I want to do that day but the students themselves have their own ideas. I follow their suggestions because it is important to encourage them to have some control over their own bodies and to understand what their bodies need. We always end with a few minutes of relaxation to maximize the benefits of the poses we did. Hopefully, everyone enjoys the class. My ultimate goal is to encourage their love of yoga so that they take it into their daily lives and continue to practice. Looking forward to another amazing year at an amazing place.
Drama
Hi, I’m Jessica, I started teaching drama at Friendship Circle this Fall. i’m passionate about the performing arts and how it can play a role in the development of young people. The drama class is helps particpants build their self-confidence and have fun. We’ve incorporated improvisation games, situation games and observation games. The students also got to put their creativity to test by making their own puppets.
