Body & Movement Focused Expressive Arts Therapist & Teacher
Kathleen Rea danced with Canada’s Ballet Jorgen, National Ballet of Canada & Tiroler Landestheater (Austria). She fell in love with contact improvisation (CI) 21 years ago and has been involved in the CI community ever since. She has choreographed over 40 dance works and been nominated for 5 DORA awards. Kathleen has a learning disability that throughout her life has meant that writing takes 4 to 8 times longer than the average person. It is one of life’s great surprises and mysteries for her that despite the struggle she developed a love of writing and is a published author (“The Healing Dance” -Charles C. Thomas Publisher, as well as blog and academic writing). She has a Master’s in Expressive Arts Therapy with a minor in Psychology (Create Institute and the European Graduate School). She has a passion for functional movement and has been studying the Axis Syllabus for the past ten years. She is the director of REAson d’etre dance productions a not-for-profit contact improvisation-based dance company that produces dance-theatre productions, festivals, and weekly dance jams in Toronto. Being on the autism spectrum she also identifies as being neuro-atypical and works to educate the world about neurodiversity. Kathleen was a psychotherapist in private practice for 17 years and left her practice in 2020 to pursue work with her company REAson d'etre dance productions where she uses her studies and experience in expressive arts to create community/art-based programming that she hopes will bring vitality and joy to her community. To see her offerings please visit http://www.reasondetre.com
Credentials:
Expressive Arts Therapy Masters degree
Psychology Certificate (Ryerson University)
Certified in counselling and psychotherapy by the OACCPP
8 years in private practice
Experience with agencies such as Central Toronto Youth Services
Former dancer with the National Ballet Company of Canada and Tiroler Landestheatre
15 years experience as a dance teacher.
Currently a faculty member at George Brown College Dance
Choreographed over 30 ballets for main stage productions
Areas of expertise & experience: Body and movement focused Expressive Arts Therapy. Experience working with anxiety, stress, crisis and depression, body image issues, life-transitions, loss, the effects of trauma, post traumatic stress and a desire to become more embodied. Arts practice: Dance
