Summer Camps (4-11)
Summer Camps
Dates: July 6-10th and July 13-17th, 2026
Join us for an exciting summer of dance, creativity and outdoor fun!
Our Summer Camps offer a unique blend of movement and artistic exploration for children ages 4–11 years. Guided by professional artists, campers will immerse themselves in dance, yoga, visual art, and singing throughout the week while enjoying the beautiful natural spaces around them and within.
Location: Studio Danse Chelsea
1337 Route 105, Chelsea, Quebec
Cost: $350 per week or $600 for two weeks.
Camp Schedule:
8:30-9:30 am: Drop off and free play time
9:30-12:00 pm: Opening Circle, Dance and Singing workshops
12:00-1:00pm: Lunch.
1:00-3:30 pm: Yoga and Visual Art workshops and closing circle
3:30-4:00 pm: Pickup
4:00-5:00pm: After Camp care is available for an extra charge of $10 per day.
About the Activities:
Exploring Nature Through Body, Breath, and Brushstroke
Visual Art and Dance with Mary Catherine Jack
Nature will act as our inspiration, our atelier and our gallery. Our bodies and imaginations will be our resource. Using mixed medium and found objects we will spend the week gathering, making, moulding and painting. An exploration of the texture, shape, space and colour of our surroundings will guide our process. Much like the spark of invention and the striking nuance of nature, the œuvre that we generate will be a beautiful surprise.
Mary Catherine Jack is an Ottawa based artist. Her ongoing and evolving research centres around creation and instruction, sometimes, performance. Because of her particular interest in collaboration and connection, Mary Catherine is most satisfied in her artistry when she is working with others across disciplines. She is inspired by the challenges of crafting something with an outcome that takes form through process. Mary Catherine has had the pleasure of working with various Ottawa based creators. She has performed as part of The Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, The Canada Dance Festival, Dark Horse Dance Projects, and with The Ottawa Dance Directive. Mary Catherine has been sharing her love of art, both visual and dance, in the Ottawa region, with students of all ages, for the past 20 years. She has had the pleasure of working with elementary and high school students in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board, students of the Faculty of Education and the Depart of Theatre at the University of Ottawa, The School of Dance and Ottawa Dance Directive. Mary Catherine is a graduate of the Professional Contemporary Dance Training Program at the School of Dance (Ottawa) and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Visual Arts Major, Performing Arts Option) from the University of Waterloo. Mary Catherine is constantly exploring the corners of her imagination and expanding her repertoire through ongoing investigation, training and study. She finds inspiration readily and often in nature, in art, in music and in the community she surrounds herself with.
Fun With Music – with Chris White
Chris White will lead the group to participate in a number of music-related activities, including:
- having fun singing songs in English and French about nature, pets, friendship and adventure
- exploring rhythms through clapping, drumming, dancing and percussion instruments
- doing action songs
- making up songs together
- playing kazoos and other simple musical instruments
- doing vocal warm-ups
- experimenting with tone, pitch, tempo, volume, rhyming, harmony and other aspects of music
- learning the stories behind songs that have been favourites with children through the years
Chris has an extensive repertoire of songs that children love to sing, including lots of songs he has composed himself. He will draw on musical experiences that include singing with his siblings as a child, leading singing and songwriting groups for people of all ages and abilities, recording an album of children’s songs he has written, and leading a children’s singing group called The Sparrows for six years.
Chris White is a singer-songwriter, radio host, festival organizer and former high school teacher who produces and hosts Canada’s longest-running folk/roots radio program, Canadian Spaces, on CKCU FM. He co-founded the Ottawa Folk Festival in 1993 and guided its evolution for 16 years in the role of artistic director. Chris enjoys leading sing-along sessions for people of all abilities, including children, newcomers, and people with dementia. He led a singing group for home schooled children called The Sparrows for six years, supporting them to perform in concerts and festivals as well as on radio and television. Chris has recorded three albums of his songs, including ‘Music All Around’, an album “for children of all ages”. He is the recipient of a number of awards, including the Helen Verger Award, the Nortel Networks Community Service Award, the Judy Roy Heart and Soul Award, and the CKCU Service Award. He was inducted into the ‘Order of Folk’ by the Canadian Folk Music Awards organization in 2024.
Dance and Yoga with Celine Richard Robichon
Yoga invites children to explore their senses through movement and imagination while nurturing a strong mind–body connection. Through dynamic physical poses and creative relaxation imagery, children experience yoga as both active and calming. Simple breathwork techniques help cultivate positive self-image, build self-confidence, and encourage peaceful awareness. Balancing movement with moments of stillness supports an overall sense of well-being.
In dance, students build physical confidence, strength, flexibility, and body awareness while nurturing their natural joy of movement and active imagination. They learn fundamental movement skills needed to express themselves through dance and create their own choreographies.
Céline Richard Robichon is a dancer, educator, choreographer, and artistic director. Originally from Ottawa, she trained in ballet, jazz, and tap before moving to Montréal, where she immersed herself in street dance and discovered the heart of community and the freedom of self-directed movement. Céline currently performs with Tentacle Tribe. Her performance career also includes work with companies like Gadfly and Ebnflõh, as well as commercial projects with Québec artists such as Marie-Mai and Eli Rose. She has experience on television and film sets in Toronto with Family Channel and Nickelodeon, and recently worked as a choreographer with film director Jules de Niverville on his short film HUBRIS. Today, Céline’s work is driven by a commitment to creation, inclusive teaching, and fostering a progressive artistic environment.
What to Bring
- A nut-free lunch and/or a snack
- A labelled re-usable water bottle
- Loose-fitting clothing that allows for freedom of movement and which can get dirty
- Weather appropriate clothing: we will go outside at lunch time so children should be prepared for mud, sun and rain.
Camp readiness guidelines
Children will be encouraged to explore new ways of moving, creating and exploring through the arts. To do this all must feel safe and welcome to express themselves in their own unique ways and be free to take risks in a trusting atmosphere.
To encourage a safe and welcoming place for all, please talk with your child prior to coming to camp to ensure they are:
- comfortable taking direction and following direction from staff
- staying with their group
- being comfortable in both large and smaller groups of children they may not know and being able to get along with them.
- understand the importance of snacks, lunch and water and be able to manage them on their own with supervision of a counselor
- being able to dress themselves, knowing and asking when to use the washroom
- be able to apply sunscreen or be able to ask a counselor for help
- be able to keep track of their belongings with the help of counselors
We hope to make camp a positive experience for all children and will work with you to help your child transition to camp. Please share any concerns you may have so that we can help your child thrive at camp. If we have exhausted all means to ensure their success at camp, we reserve the right to refund the remaining fee and ask that they return in another session when they are more prepared for a camp experience.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
In the event of illness or other unforeseen circumstances, any changes to and/or cancellation of your child’s registration must be done in writing no later than three weeks prior to the start of camp in order to receive a full refund less an administration fee of $50. Refunds requested with less than 3 weeks before the first day of camp will be subject to a $75 administration fee. If your child becomes ill before camp starts and is unable to attend, the administration fee of $75 will be waived with a doctor’s note. Once camp has started, days missed for any reason cannot be refunded or made up.
