Denise Mireau is a dance artist and teacher in Middle Eastern Dance based in Toronto, Canada. She is also a certified Alexander Technique (member of ATI) and Pilates Teacher. She is the owner and director of The Studio For Movement.
Performance
Denise was a lead dancer with the critically acclaimed Arabesque Dance Company from 1992 to 2006, performing in theatrical productions such as Descent of Ishtar, Dance of the Almeh and Isis. Other notable performances with Arabesque included the UN Millennium Summit (New York City), the International Conference of Middle Eastern Dance (Los Angeles), as well as dance contracts in Greece and Lebanon. Other theatrical endeavors include performing with the Candid Stammer Theatre 1995-1999 (dir. Jacob Wren) at festivals in Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal and Sufi whirling with Alpharabius (dir. Dr. Geroge Sawa). She has also had the opportunity to work on her own creative projects, working both with improvisation and choreography.
Teaching
Denise’s passion for teaching began in 1996 at Arabesque Academy as a creative movement instructor and extended to belly dance instruction where she continued teaching until 2008.She taught a belly dance program in Burlington, Ontario: DM Bellydance at the Dance Centre for Adults from 2000- 2009. Previous teaching contracts have been with the Royal Ontario Museum, Earl Haig Collegiate, Greenwood College, Upper Canada Law Society, Trinity Bellwoods Summer Camp, North York Seniors Center and the Helen Duquette Yoga Studio.
Dance and Movement Training
Denise’s 20 years of experience with Middle Eastern Dance began in Saskatchewan with Dancegypt (Elaine Mantyka, Monika Krueger), and continued with Yasmina Ramzy, whom she credits as being her major influence in Middle Eastern Dance. She has studied with Master Teachers Aida Nour, Tito Seif, Magdy Lacy and Momo Kodous and traveled to Egypt and Jordan to further her study. Over the years, Denise has explored Modern Dance, Flamenco, African Dance, improvisation, yoga and alternative movement and somatic disciplines such as Skinner Releasing and BodyMind Centering. These experiences led her to train in both the Alexander Technique and Pilates with Susan Sinclair of Alexander Alliance Toronto. She has enriched her training with workshops and conferences in Sweet Briar,Virginia and Lugano, Switzerland. The Alexander Technique, along with her continued practice of Tai Chi and Pilates inspire and inform her approach to teaching and love of dance.
