A shocked reaction by Miss Coco in the moment she was announced the 2019 recipent of Toronto Arts Foundation's Community Arts Award
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Check out Coffee Table Talk with Cultural Pluralism Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO). Executive Director, charles c. smith in conversation with artists: Miss Coco & Aria Evans, who performed at The Gathering 1.0 (Intersections of Community Arts and Socially Engaged Art Practices) - December 2018 |
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Click left to view the November 2018 interview on What Matters with TCN host Erica Edwards
Click here to see Coco's article for Canada's national dance magazine, The Dance Current - The Roots and Realities of Colourism |
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Professional Development 2018-2019
With the generous funding support of Explore & Create (Canada Council of the Arts) and the Access & Career Development grant (Ontario Arts Council), Miss Coco was in Trinidad & Tobago. She was learning, documenting cultural and artistic life, such as Tobago Heritage Festival, with mentor and international choreographer, Delton Frank. She connected with other master teachers like Assane Konte in USA. Additionally, she trained in drum and dance in Conakry, Guinea (West Africa) with master teachers - Mohamed Diaby, Youssouf Koumbassa and djembefola Sekou Balandougou Keita. Added opportunities to dance in classes with Tady Sangaré of ballet djoliba and dancers from les ballet africains and ballet merveilles de guinée were beneficial.
Writing & Publishing
Altered Beauty: African-Caribbean Women Decolonizing Racialized Aesthetics in Toronto, CanadaAccess Coco's published research in Volume 2 (2015) of Revue YOUR Review
(York Online Undergraduate Research) |
Click here to read the online column for the Dance Current Magazine
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Feature article in November/December 2018 print edition of The Dance Current MagazineCoco was featured as one of 3 featured contributing writers in Vol 21, Issue 2 (Feb/March 2018)
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Miss Coco after 2 weeks in Senegal training with Pape N'Diaye's roster of artists for the Ndaje festival. Fortunate to have a performance in Les Enfants Du Soleil in Dakar. Thank you to the Canada Arts Council for providing a funding contribution to Miss Coco's professional development in Senegal.
Senegal 2017
Miss Coco in Vancouver, British Columbia accepting the 2013 Canadian Dance Assembly's I love Community award from guest speaker RBC Olympian, Darcy Marquardt.
Awards2019
Toronto Arts Foundation's Community Arts Award 2015 Best Poster & Research Presentation York University's 2nd annual Undergraduate Research Fair 2014 Role Model - Black Canadian Awards 2013 Recipient of Canada's Dance Assembly's I love Dance Community Award 2012 Recipient of the International Golden Key Honours Society's Canadian Study/Volunteer Abroad Scholarship |
NominationApril 2015
Runner-up in Neighbourhood Arts Network's BMO Seed Grant January 2015 Nominated by Professor Ramin Jahanbegloo for York University's CERLAC -Michael Baptista Essay Prize (research paper on Toronto's Caribbean carnival) |
MediaYork Region Arts Council - Artreprenuer Alumni spotlight - January 2018
Performance pic, dancing in community circle CBC News - July 2016 "Underground Freedom Train: Toronto group remembers day slavery ended with symbolic subway ride" Workshop feature in pilot Waterfront Toronto project - July 2016 Performance pic dancing at Afrofest main stage Now Toronto - March 2016 "City of Toronto restores Afrofest to two full days" Independent Artists feature for Culture Days - August 2015 Workshop feature in Hillside Festival blog 2015 |