Leslie McCurdy’s movement class offers the opportunity for anyone, regardless of age or experience, to move their body through time and space in the way that best fits them. A gentle warm-up is followed by exercises that allow each individual to explore their body’s range of movement using breath as the basis. There will be some “technique” as a guide to moving one’s body safely, but mostly it is an opportunity to move and groove to the music, with a little bit of an aerobic component and a chance to be creative built-in. Open to anyone 12 and up with or without prior dance experience.

About the Instructor:
Recipient of a Silver Jubilee Pin in Honour of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, an International Vigor Award, the 2014 Elizabeth Havelock Grant from the Windsor Endowment of the Arts, and the 2014 and 2000 Mayor’s Awards for “Artist of the Year” and “Outstanding Performing Artist” of Windsor Ontario respectively, Leslie McCurdy, has performed internationally as an Actor, Dancer/(Choreographer), and Singer for over 35 years. Originally a teacher, with an Honors B.F.A. in dance performance plus teaching certification from the University of Michigan, and five years of teaching experience in Detroit Public Schools, Leslie served as choreographic and teaching assistant to Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre during several of Judy’s Detroit Residencies, and was slated to go to New York to apprentice with the Ailey Company when she literally tripped, fractured her hip, and fell into acting. Her many theatre, TV and film credits include a starring role as Dorothy in the musical “The Wiz”, a featured role in the TV show “Detroit 1-8-7”, a small part in the film “The Ides of March” directed by George Clooney and a supporting role in the film “Amanda and the Fox”. She is, however, most “famous” for the one-woman plays that she writes and performs. Her first play, “The Spirit of Harriet Tubman”, with which she celebrates 27 consecutive years of touring in 2023-24, was a finalist for a Canadian Chalmers Award for “Best New Play for Young Audiences” in 1998 and was performed at the 2010 Los Angeles Women’s Festival, The 2011 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem North Carolina, the inaugural Living Legacy Series of the DC Black Theatre Festival Washington DC in 2012 and the inaugural Paul Robeson Art is a Weapon Theatre Festival in London England in 2013, is a favorite of audiences everywhere. Her second play, “Things My Fore-Sisters Saw”, touring for 25 years, is about four Black women who impacted Canadian history, featuring Viola Desmond the new face of Canada’s ten-dollar bill, and was filmed for TV premiering on the Bravo Network in Canada in February 2006. A two-person adaptation of that play entitled Voice of the Fore-Sisters was commissioned by Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal Que. for one of its more successful school tours. Leslie has also created an age appropriate adaptation of Harriet Tubman’s story for K-2 audiences entitled, “Harriet Is My Hero”. Of Leslie’s latest entries, “Lady Ain’t Singing No Blues”, a one-woman play about Billie Holiday, has received rave reviews from Windsor Ontario and Louisville Kentucky audiences and recently her latest play, “The Darktown Stutters Ball” had its “World premiere” in Theatre Orangeville’s 2024 season. She finds time for community activism and volunteer work as often as she can by serving as the Founder and Chair of The Black Council of Windsor-Essex, Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Windsor Women Working with Immigrant Women, Acting Chair of Sister-to-Sister Think WISE, a delivery person for Meals-On-Wheels, a mentor to young aspiring performing artists though volunteering as a dance and drama teacher and Lead Mentor with ACT (ARTS Collective Theatre) and as Producer and Co-director of SWAGGOR, (Students with a Genuine Grip On Reality) a youth theatre group she helped create. She continues to dance as often as she can though hot yoga is her new passion. A documentary film entitled “The Leslie McCurdy Story: On the Money,” about her work as an artist/activist premiered at the Windsor International Film Festival in October 2018 and was broadcast nationally for two years in Canada on CBC (Canadian Broadcast Corporation).

This class is part of ACT’s 2024 workshop series which is supported by the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

All Saints Anglican Church
330 City Hall Square W
Windsor, ON N9A 1J3

Sunday, July 7, 2024
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Sunday, July 28, 2024

32:00 PM – 4:30 PM