Oshun Dance Studios

“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” — Kurt Vonnegut

Today was a day filled with inspiring conversations and days like these makes me know that I’m doing the right thing.

🎙️ Tune in to CBC PEI Mainstreet today, June 17, 2026, at 4:30 PM AST for an inspiring conversation about creativity, courage, and reconnecting with the arts.

Hosted by Nicola MacLeod, this special roundtable brings together Reequal Smith, Artistic Director of Oshun Dance Studios, Patrick | Fine Artist Patrick Guindon of Creative Rebel, and Nick MacDonald Nick MacDonald of the Confederation Centre to explore what it means to return to the artistic passions many people loved as children.

Through the lenses of dance, visual arts, and music, the conversation reflects on embracing creativity as adults, letting go of perfection, navigating self-doubt, learning through failure, and rediscovering the joy of artistic expression. Together, they highlight how the arts create spaces of belonging, connection, wellness, and inclusivity within Prince Edward Island’s vibrant creative community.

Whether you’re an artist, arts enthusiast, or someone considering revisiting a creative passion, this conversation serves as a reminder that creativity belongs to everyone—and that it is never too late to reconnect with the things that bring us joy.

📻 Listen live on CBC PEI Mainstreet at 4:30 PM AST.
CBC/Radio-Canada CBC P.E.I. Nicola MacLeod

CreativityForEveryone CommunityThroughArt ArtsForAll

OPEN STUDIO ARTIST FEATURE
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In our final artist feature, we are so pleased to welcome Reequal Smith, who is bringing her trio, “Elysium — An Excerpt from Journei to Paradise.” “A powerful journey of spiritual awakening, ‘Elysium’ explores the tension between darkness and light through expressive, soul-driven movement. What begins as inner struggle transforms into clarity, healing, and liberation. Rooted in resilience, connection, and truth, this work invites you to witness the evolution from shadow to radiance—where dancers become embodiments of light.”
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OPEN STUDIO
April 24 + 25, 2026 @ 7:30PM
DANSpace, 1800 Argyle Street (3rd floor), Kjipuktuk \/ Halifax
$17 \/ $15 \/ PWYC
kineticstudio.ca
tickets ON SALE NOW: link in bio!

💜
this event takes place in Kjipuktuk, on the ancestral and unceded traditional land of the Mi’kmaw people.
💜
photo credit: Emmanuel Albert
[ID: 1-Three women stand on stage lit faintly by purple light. You can see their arms in various shapes framing their upper bodies, and the woman on the left looks up and out. 2- Three women stand on stage lit by purple light. They face the right of the image, weight on their left legs with the right leg behind them, one arm up in front of them. They wear black skirts and crop tops.]

This weekend is going to be everything you dreamt about and more. Oshun is super excited in presenting and can’t wait to hit the stage.

Come out and support the amazing artists and performances this weekend in Halifax at DANSpace.

OPEN STUDIO
April 24 + 25, 2026 @ 7:30PM
DANSpace, 1800 Argyle Street (3rd floor), Kjipuktuk / Halifax
$17 / $15 / PWYC
kineticstudio.ca
tickets: linktr.ee/kineticstudio
 

🌍 Move, groove, and celebrate culture this Black History Month across Prince Edward Island!

Join Reequal Smith for joyful, high-energy dance experiences where rhythm, heritage, and community come alive through Afro-Caribbean and Bahamian movement.

✨ Feb 13 – PD Day: Move & Dance!
Charlottetown Library Learning Centre Auditorium | 10:30–11:30 AM
Family-friendly • Discover dances from around the world

✨ Feb 27 – Free Afro-Caribbean Dance Workshop
Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean | 5:30–6:30 PM
Live music • Ages 8+ • Free childcare with registration
Register: www.carrefourisj.org

📚 Feb 28 – Summerside Library Dance Workshop 1:00 PM | Open level | All are welcome!
Bahamian Folk Dance Experience
Immerse yourself in a vibrant blend of African roots and European ballroom traditions. Learn flowing torso, pelvis, and arm movements—plus the joyful Quadrille, a beloved Bahamian celebration dance.

Bring your energy, your family, and your love for movement—let’s rise together through dance. 💛

❤️🖤💚

Happy Black History Month 2026

I am so grateful for this opportunity, especially when I need it the most.

Thank you for community , thank you to This Town Is Small for offering this opportunity to me so that I can continue to put time into creating and continuously working towards being my whole self as an artists.

Thank you for supporting artists of colour and the stories that we continue to tell through our lenses.

2026 has brought some trials and setbacks but this is one step forward I am grateful for in my endeavours ❤️❤️❤️

Adult Dance Conference HERE I COME!! Thank you for this amazing opportunity.

New styles are part of what makes our Adult Dance Conference so special. We’re excited to welcome Reequal Smith, bringing Jazz Funk and Bahamian Folk to this year’s lineup.

Reequal Smith is a multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, and visionary cultural leader. As the Founder and Artistic Director of Oshun Dance Studios in Prince Edward Island, Reequal draws deeply from her Bahamian roots to create work that rhythmically and spiritually bridges Caribbean traditions with Canadian contemporary movement. Her artistic practice is one of celebration and reclamation—evoking the pulse of island life while building spaces that honour the lived experiences of Black and Caribbean communities.

An alumna of Holland College’s School of Performing Arts, Reequal has over a decade of performance and choreographic experience across theatre, film, festivals, and self-produced works such as Calypso Secrets, Elysium, Unfold, and Caribbean Flamingo(premiered at Coastal Currents 2024). Her body of work includes such credits as Neptune Theatre, River Clyde Pageant, Kemi Craig’s ”Bearing Witness”, Washington Black, Breaking Circus, Robert Hengeveld “Where Phantoms Meet” and collaborations with artists like Liliona Quarmyne and Charles Campbell.

Beyond the studio, Reequal serves as Program and Events Coordinator for the Black Cultural Society of PEI and Administrator/Outreach Coordinator for the Canadian Women of Colour Leadership Network in Ottawa. She actively champions equity and representation in the arts, holding board positions with the Island Fringe Festival, Fusion Charlottetown, and Kinetic Studio  in Halifax.

In 2025, Reequal was honoured with the Kerri Wynne MacLeod Women of Impact Award and the Diane Moore Creation Award by Live Art Dance for her commitment to equity, cultural celebration, and transformative storytelling through movement.

✨ With Gratitude & Joy ✨

2025 Thank you for the unwavering and overflowing blessings.

Thank you to our community for your continued love, presence, and unwavering support. Oshun Dance Studios is deeply grateful to walk this journey alongside you. Because of you, we are able to keep sharing culture, honouring stories, and creating spaces where movement becomes a language of connection and belonging.

We remain committed to nurturing more opportunities for equity-seeking artists and to strengthening a vibrant, sustainable dance ecosystem here on the island—one that uplifts, empowers, and celebrates the many incredible dance artists who call this place home.

This is only the beginning. Thank you for believing in the work, the vision, and the power of dance to build community. 💛🌊

Welcoming 2026 with Open Arms ❤️❤️🙏🏽🙏🏽

Join us at the Charlottetown Library Auditorium for the PEI premiere of Why We Dance, a joyful and inspiring documentary — and stay afterward for a community dance led by Reequal Smith of Oshun Dance Studio! All are welcome, and no dance experience is needed.

📅 Event Details

Date: Sunday, November 30, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
(Doors open at 1:30 PM)
Venue: Charlottetown Library Learning Center Auditorium
Address: 97 Queen Street, Charlottetown

🎟️ Tickets

Tickets are Pay What You Can with all proceeds graciously being donated to Women’s Network PEI.

Reserve your spot: https://whywedancepei.eventbrite.ca/

🎬 About the Film

Why We Dance explores how a diverse group of women rediscover joy, resilience, and community through dance. Set during the Pandemic, the film follows an online dance class led by Ketty Rosenfeld — a charismatic, compassionate Indonesian immigrant living in the U.S. As dancers invite friends, a virtual community forms, bringing together women from across the country. The project is truly grassroots, filmed by the dancers themselves.

At this PEI premiere, you’ll also have the chance to meet Academy Award–winning filmmaker Michal Goldman.

🌿 The Compassion Fund: Supporting the Whole Artist

This season, we’re taking a meaningful step toward caring for dancers not just as performers, but as full human beings.

In rural and underserved communities, dancers often navigate physical strain, emotional stress, and caregiving responsibilities without the support they deserve—especially women and members of equity-seeking groups. The Compassion Fund was created with these dancers in mind.

Through this pilot initiative, artists can access direct support for:
✨ Mental health services
✨ Physiotherapy + recovery
✨ Childcare
✨ Transportation
✨ Adaptive + wellness care

Because a life in dance should never come at the cost of well-being.
We move better when we’re cared for.
We move forward—together.

This initiative welcomes and prioritizes support for women and femme-identifying dancers, and those who identify with equity-seeking groups, including:
• Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC)
• Parents or Caregivers
• Rural Residents
• Artists with Disabilities or Chronic Conditions

Artists from all dance pathways are invited to apply:
• Company Dancers
• Professional Artists
• Mid-Career
• Pre-Professional / Training Artists
• Student / Training Artists
• Senior/Veteran Artists
• Administrative / Production Support

The application process is fully confidential and allows artists to share their care needs with dignity. Funds will be distributed based on need and available resources from November 2025 – March 2026. All applications are reviewed directly by Artistic Director Reequal Smith.

If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected].

Link to apply: https://forms.gle/dJD8LjVs6mGhAUmu9

This pilot is supported in part by Balancing Act Canada through the Level UP! Initiative, advocating for equity, accessibility, and meaningful support for artist parents and caregivers across the arts sector.

Together, we move with compassion. 🤎
Together, we support the whole artist.