Centre for Drama

Jackman Humanities Institute

Global

History

Humanities

Theatre & Performance Studies

Anna Paliy grew up loving Isadora Duncan, an American dancer who dazzled audiences throughout Europe and Russia in the early 1900s – not only for how she moved, but for what she said: “It has taken me years of struggle, hard work and research to learn to make one simple gesture, and I know enough about the art of writing to realize that it would take as many years of concentrated effort to write one simple, beautiful sentence.”

“I just love that,” says Paliy, a PhD candidate in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Arts & Science and a former competitive gymnast who views dance as a form of communication.

“This quote inspired me to apply to the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies for a PhD. I feel it expresses the parallels I’m trying to explore between dance, art and language.”

Paliy is currently researching the connection between dance and visual art. Her dissertation examines art inspired by traveling eastern European ballet dancers in the early 20th century, with a focus on the period between 1910 and 1930.

“A group of dancers came to western Europe from primarily St. Petersburg and Moscow, though many of them were born in Poland, Ukraine, Georgia and other surrounding countries,” says Paliy.

“As the situation became more and more unstable in the Russian empire, many Slavic dancers toured, were exiled or defected to cities such as Paris and London. Coincidentally, so did those emigrating from North America, such as Duncan. They formed a cross-cultural hub of creativity.”

Paliy is now on the hunt for artwork that celebrates the dancers’ encounters, and she hopes to learn more about the performers themselves as well as the artists who depicted their movements through sketches, prints and paintings.

“To me visual art is a window into dance which can show otherwise undiscernible details of its transformations across cultures and generations,” says Paliy. “The artists demonstrate this moment in the history of dance. Their works are so dynamic and they seem to have so much intention behind their craft … and many of them are women.”

Most of these women artists are not terribly well known – nor is their art included in what Paliy calls “the larger encyclopedias of ballet.”

“And that’s why I feel the need to study them, to make them known,” she says.

Paliy is especially intrigued with a collection of sketches that are now scattered around the world – from Australia to Russia.

“These artists drew in ways that were really funky – that's the word I think of,” says Paliy. “It was very experimental. The artists liked to try different things, and they didn't take themselves too seriously even though what they created was aesthetically pleasing.”

Before becoming a dance scholar, Anna Paliy was a competitive gymnast (photo courtesy of Anna Paliy)

With Toronto as her home base, Paliy hopes to become somewhat of a global art hunter now that pandemic restrictions are easing. She has plans to travel to New York, London and Paris to find more sketches. Some pieces are in art galleries or museums, while others may be collecting dust in family attics.

Some of these archives are passed down by children and grandchildren of the dancers who settled there, she says.

While pursuing her research, Paliy’s fondness for dance and dance-related artwork has taken her to a new and unexpected direction: She was recently selected as the Jackman Humanities Institute (JHI) Amilcare Iannucci Graduate Fellow for the 2021-2022 academic year. She will join a group of scholars working in diverse ways on the theme of pleasure.

“This fellowship will allow me to view my dissertation project in a new way, expanding my view of the sketches created by women artists specifically in their capacity as dance spectators,” says Paliy.

She believes there's a misconception around artists’ appreciation of ballet, which is often regarded as an elitist, aristocratic form of entertainment.

“The scholarly value of the work of the women artists that I've found is very serious,” says Paliy. “I believe they need to be considered in a serious way in terms of their contribution to the wider field of dance history.

“But then I thought to myself: there's something so joyful about the things I'm studying, there's something so playful about the sketches. They make a solid artistic corpus, but also reveal an energetic history of having fun – of spectators just enjoying themselves and then demonstrating their passion and pleasure for the things they saw on stage.”

Spectators derived such pleasure out of ballet, says Paliy, that they themselves felt inspired to pursue their own creative, artistic outlets that celebrate and reflect the joy of their viewing experiences.

“These artists proactively used their intuitive visual abilities to interpret dance,” she says.

“They didn't necessarily try to create impressive grand scale works of art from the outset, though many of their sketches later became paintings now living in museums. They just went with their gut. And I think that's where the pleasure aspect comes in. These women artists came to the ballet and just genuinely loved and enjoyed what they saw, translating pleasure into art.”

Beyond the stage: �Թϱ��'s Seika Boye on what we can learn from dance

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 17:41:15 +0000

Beyond the stage: �Թϱ��'s Seika Boye on what we can learn from dance

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 03/12/2021 - 12:41

Cutline

Seika Boye, an assistant professor, teaching stream, at �Թϱ��'s Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies, is pictured dancing in Vancouver in 2001 (photo by Albert Normandin)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Theatre & Performance Studies

The University of Toronto’s Seika Boye has performed and presented her choreography across the country with the nation’s top dance companies and worked alongside some of Canada’s most respected artists.

But in addition to being an artist and writer, Boye is also a teacher and scholar. An assistant professor, teaching stream, at the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies and director of the centre’s Institute for Dance Studies (IDS), Boye’s research explores Blackness and dancing in Canada, as well as embodied learning and pedagogy.

She recently spoke with Arts & Science writer Sean McNeely about the magic of dance, its ability to reveal and uncover elements of history and social justice and its potential to elevate interpersonal connection.

What do you find so unique about dance?

Trying to describe dancing as an experience is like trying to describe life. I stopped performing professionally over 15 years ago, I was 30. At first, I thought my dancing life was over. In truth, so many of my realizations about dance came after this.

Dancing shaped who I am as a person, not because of what I can – or could – do physically, but because over a lifetime of training and moving together in space with other humans for hours and hours every day for decades, it taught me how to connect, to fall into rhythm with and sense the world around me – to notice connection between human beings and other creatures, to be carried by that connection, to experience life through movement — in joy, sorrow, protest, gratitude and love.

What draws you to the historical side of dance, particularly Black dance history?

I had been teaching 20th-century dance history and I had students asking me about the history of Black people dancing in Canada. There was a complete lack of resources, especially pertaining to before 1970. I wanted to fill that gap.

My first son was also born in 2007 and I was thinking deeply about Black history in Canada. I’m first-generation Canadian – my father was from Ghana and my mother is from New Zealand. I knew very little about the history which is also my children’s history. Performance studies was a place where my background in dance studies and literary theory, and work in arts journalism could come together.

I started with where Black people were dancing in Canada. What dances were they doing? Where were they allowed to dance? Where was it safe to dance? Then there is the question about what we can learn about Black communities, populations, about the legislation of bodies whether pertaining to immigration or who is permitted into a nightclub or hired into a company when we ask questions through dance. What does dance reveal about a society and its values – and not just about Black people, but all people.

You’re the director of the Institute for Dance Studies, can you talk about the research done there?

The institute is dedicated first and foremost to building community for dance and movement-focused researchers across disciplines, providing platforms and bridges for connecting with one another, and for advocating for the value of dance-focused research in the academy.

There’s a vast range of research happening – some focused on contemporary performance, historical and archival research, social justice and education, ethics in training, archival methodologies, stroke rehabilitation and physiotherapy, skills transmission.

One of my favourite things that we do, in addition to workshops and lectures, is in collaboration with my colleague [Associate] Professor Xing Fan, is called the “Practice Pop Up” that invites graduate students and faculty to ask questions that can be answered through choreography, using props and trying movement experiments which are then followed by discussion. This serves as wonderful preparation for research studies and for developing research questions.

This has supported research about gender and identity in 19th-century Victorian England (Heather Fitzsimmons Frey, MacEwan University); “what dance is” in preparation for a researcher's time at an EEG lab (to record brain wave patterns) for research about movement and Alzheimer’s care (Rebecca Barnstaple, York University); and exploring the relationship to apparatus in rhythmic gymnastics (Anna Paliy, �Թϱ�� PhD candidate).

Are there parallels between being a performer and an academic instructor?

There are so many parallels and they continue to unfold for me. Here are just a few:

Attentiveness to your surroundings – people, place, things – simultaneously on an ongoing, durational basis with your body and mind
Lateral thinking and relationship
Ongoing discipline, practice, preparation and repetition
Respect for the reciprocity between performer and audience, student and instructor
Acceptance that things will go wrong and honing skills to recover in the moment
Managing your nerves, staying the course, pacing yourself
Awareness of self as a member of an ensemble or community that is dependent upon one another

What’s a misconception about the academic study of dance?

That it’s only about dance for the stage and virtuosity and critical analysis. That its value is contained to dance studies itself and not relevant to our overall well-being and relationships to one another as human beings. IDS and Hart House are co-hosting a series this year called Moving Dancing Knowledge that is working to dispel these misconceptions.

The misconceptions are often also connected to the devaluing of embodied knowledge and what it has to offer us as a species. I think we’re all considering questions about connection and touch and moving together as essential parts of our human experience. This connection is something that dancers and people who dance in all and any aspects of life know deeply.

Sharing knowledge and experiences, �Թϱ�� students to lead campus tours of Indigenous history

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 23:33:56 +0000

Sharing knowledge and experiences, �Թϱ�� students to lead campus tours of Indigenous history

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/01/2020 - 19:33

Cutline

Jon Johnson (bottom left), an assistant professor, teaching stream, at Woodsworth College, leads an Indigenous history tour last year. Now, a group of Indigenous students and youth are being trained to lead virtual tours this fall (photo by Jon Johnson)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Drew Rickard is still determining what, and what not, to share.

He’s part of a group of Indigenous students from the University of Toronto and young adults from across the GTA who are being trained to lead virtual tours that celebrate the rich Indigenous history of �Թϱ��’s three campuses and surrounding areas.

The third-year Faculty of Arts & Science student and member of Woodsworth College – who is majoring in philosophy and exploring minors in political science or Indigenous studies – is both excited and a little nervous. He’s never been a tour guide before.

“My interest in this is really in my identity and reconnecting with that,” says Rickard who is a member of the Cree First Nation. “I'm proud of who I am. This is a missing puzzle piece for something that I was already putting together – and so far it's been a great learning experience.”

The guides in training are encouraged to complement historical information with their own personal knowledge and experiences, giving the tours added depth and substance.

That’s the part Rickard wrestles with.

“It's not easy to share who you are in an intimate way with people who you don't know,” says Rickard, who plans on adding elements of his family history from Moose Factory, Ont. “And some of the materials we deal with tend to be very sensitive and very charged.”

Set to begin this fall, the tours are part of an initiative from an ongoing partnership between �Թϱ�� and First Story Toronto, an organization originally known as the Toronto Native Community History Project. First Story is dedicated to researching and preserving the Indigenous history of Toronto and the surrounding region.

Jon Johnson, an assistant professor, teaching stream, at Woodsworth College, has been a part of First Story and the Toronto Native Community History Project for years. Johnson, who is mostly of French Canadian descent and has a small amount of Haudenosaunee and Kichisipirini ancestry, is overseeing the training along with Jill Carter, (Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi) an assistant professor with the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies.

The first cohort of guides, including Rickard, completed their training this summer while a second group is set to begin their instruction later this fall, bringing the number of new guides to 17.

Originally, the plan was to have the guides give in-person tours, but the pandemic forced the tours to shift to an online format, using 360-degree video and other digital resources to host tours through platforms like ZOOM or Microsoft Teams.

The new format will in no way lessen the impact of having Indigenous young adults lead the tours, according to Johnson.

“They're going to bring a whole variety of perspectives and knowledges that may not be as visible in an older generation of guides,” he says. “It's going to really energize the tours.”

Carter expects both the guides and the guided to benefit from the experience.

“Their stories, the lessons they draw from past teachings, the ways in which they have learned to read the land and their experiences as young Indigenous Peoples are crucial additions to First Story,” Carter says. She adds, “These guides are working with elders to recover the language of these territories, becoming intimate with buried histories and gaining skills in oratory and digital storytelling. These skills and this experience will ultimately serve them well when pursuing future academic and professional goals.

“Soon, they will meet faculty and fellow students across departments and disciplines as they conduct tours. Who knows what opportunities such encounters may open up for them?”

For Rickard, leading the tours is an opportunity to better connect with his own roots while bringing the historical information to life.

“There are a lot of themes of identity loss and retrieval and I think having people from the communities is not only a way of addressing that, it will also make the participants’ experience that much more real,” Rickard says.

Still, he says he has no intention of trying to persuade anyone’s thinking or opinions. “I think it's important to allow someone to come to their own conclusions. I think that has more staying power than telling someone what something definitively is.”

Celebrating Indigenous students and International Women's Day: Check out these March events

tom.yun — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 21:33:11 +0000

Celebrating Indigenous students and International Women's Day: Check out these March events

tom.yun Fri, 02/28/2020 - 16:33

Cutline

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

International Women's Day

Italy

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

School of the Environment

Sustainability

�Թϱ�� Mississauga

�Թϱ�� Scarborough

Women and Gender Studies

With spring approaching, there are a plethora of events taking place at the University of Toronto in March. International Women's Day falls on March 8 and will feature a gala, performances from a Syrian women's choir and more. The fourth annual Honouring Our Students Pow Wow is also taking place this month.

Here are some of the many events taking place this month:

March 1

Experience all thing Japan at the �Թϱ�� Japan Association’s Winter Festival, taking place at Hart House. Raffles, performances, food and more will be on hand. Tickets are $8.

March 3

�Թϱ�� President Meric Gertler, a renowned urban theorist, will be discussing his vision of city-building and the challenges that the Toronto region faces at University of Toronto Schools. He’ll be interviewed by Marina Jimenez, �Թϱ��'s global media strategist.

Learn about Italian-Canadian cuisine through this food talk taking place at �Թϱ�� Mississauga’s Noel Ryan Auditorium. Teresa Lobalsamo, an associate professor of language studies, will explore the links between food, immigration, identity and cultural meaning in the Italian community.

March 4

Writer and concert pianist James Rhodes will be speaking at the Isabel Bader Theatre. He’ll be talking about his latest memoir, Instrumental, which details how music has helped him through mental health struggles and childhood trauma.

Comedian and �Թϱ�� alumnus Adam Growe, best known for hosting Cash Cab on Discovery Channel, will be delivering a talk at the George Ignatieff Theatre.

With the decline of print media and the rise of new technologies, what’s happening to journalism in the modern era? CityNews reporter Cynthia Mulligan will be moderating a discussion on this topic at �Թϱ�� Mississauga featuring National Post reporter Tom Blackwell, Toronto Star reporter Wendy Gillis and Globe and Mail assistant managing editor for news Christine Brousseau.

See the story of Sarnia, Ont. and the Aamjiwnaang First Nation through the Broadleaf Theatre’s Chemical Valley Project. This documentary-theatre project is hosted by �Թϱ��’s School of the Environment and is taking place at the Robert Gill Theatre.

It’s Games Night at the �Թϱ�� Scarborough Library Makerspace. You can choose from a selection of board games or bring your own.

March 5

As part of their coursework, students at the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies are putting on a performance of The Winter’s Tale. Catch this Shakespearian classic from March 7 to 14. General admission is $20 while students can snag tickets for $10.

March 7

Ahead of International Women’s Day, the Women’s and Trans Centre at �Թϱ�� Scarborough is holding its annual conference. Tickets to Metamorphosis are $10.

March 8

Celebrate International Women’s Day at �Թϱ��. The International Women's Day Gala is taking place at Hart House. There will be speakers, performances and a dinner. Tickets are $25.

Toronto’s Haneen Choir, a Syrian women’s collective, will be performing at Hart House in celebration of International Women’s Day. The choir aims to promote Syrian heritage and support newcomer women.

As a part of �Թϱ�� Mississauga’s Sustainability Week, the second annual Trashion Show is taking place at Kaneff Rotunda. Fashion designers and artists will be showcasing their sustainability-themed outfits made from re-used and recyclable materials.

March 11

This year marks the 99^th anniversary of Skule Nite, the annual musical and sketch comedy show organized by �Թϱ�� Engineering students. You won’t want to miss Skule Nite 2T0, which runs until March 14 at Hart House Theatre. Tickets are $17 for students and $22 for everyone else.

Explore mental health at the annual Mindfest mental health fair spearheaded by �Թϱ��’s department of psychiatry. The event, held at Hart House, is free and includes expert speakers, peer mentors, wellness workshops and more.

March 13

The Physics Student Union is celebrating Pi Day one day early this year. Free pie will be served at the McLennan Physical Laboratories. In addition, physics professor A.W. Peet will be delivering a lecture on general relativity.

The Afghan Students Association at �Թϱ�� Mississauga is holding a Nowruz Gala at the Blind Duck. There will be performances, food, dancing and more to celebrate Afghan/Persian New Year.

March 14

Architecture and planning students from �Թϱ�� and Ryerson are organizing City Building Expo 2020 at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Panelists will include experts and professionals in urban planning, engineering, architecture and more.

The seventh annual China Law Conference is taking place at the Faculty of Law. Hear about the intersections between Chinese law and current events from scholars and legal practitioners.

March 15

Join the Hart House Art Committee for ArtWORK, a one-day networking event for the �Թϱ�� arts community and leading arts professionals.

March 18

It’s the last Winter Market of the year at �Թϱ�� Scarborough. Local vendors will be gathering at the Meeting Place in the S-Wing selling fresh food and artisanal crafts.

March 19

Nobel Prize-winning chemist and �Թϱ�� University Professor John Polanyi will be at Hart House to discuss the risks and potential of artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies. He’ll be joined by Jason Millar, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Ottawa.

March 21

Join the Indigenous Studies Students' Union for the fourth annual Honouring Our Students Pow Wow, which is being held at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. All are welcome for this celebration of Indigenous communities.

March 25

Come to the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union’s Supper Social for a jam-packed evening of fun activities. There will be food, karaoke, T-shirt screen printing and quiet space to de-stress. It’s taking place at Rex’s Den at �Թϱ�� Scarborough.

March 26

The last Hart House Music Committee Open Mic of the school year is on. If you have a knack for music, poetry, comedy or anything else, now is the time to show off your talents. The show takes place in the Hart House Music Room.

March 26

The Hart House Camera Club is holding an opening reception for its photography exhibition. Awards will be presented for the best photographs from the �Թϱ�� and Hart House community.

March 27

This year marks the 35^th anniversary of the City of Toronto Women and Gender Studies Institute Scholarship. To celebrate, there will be an anniversary party in New College's Wilson Hall, where this year's awardees will be honoured, the creators of the scholarship will be recognized and new scholarships will be announced.

The �Թϱ�� Festival of Dance is taking place at Hart House. The event will feature over 200 dancers performing a wide variety of styles of dance, from ballet to hip hop and everything in between. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors.

'Tis the season to study, reflect and share a meal with family and friends: Check out these December events

tomyun — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 18:52:24 +0000

'Tis the season to study, reflect and share a meal with family and friends: Check out these December events

tomyun Mon, 12/02/2019 - 13:52

Cutline

The semester is almost done, but there's still plenty to do on campus this month (photo by Laura Pedersen)

Tom Yun

Topic

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Hart House

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

December is here, which means the holidays are right around the corner. Get into the festive spirit with an array of holiday-themed events taking place on all three campuses.

December also means it's exam season at the University of Toronto. Fortunately, there are plenty of events to help you de-stress and do your best.

Here are some events to check out this month:

Dec. 2

From Dec. 2 to 19, the �Թϱ�� Students’ Union will be offering free snacks and stress-relief kits for your late-night study sessions. UTSU’s Got You service is taking place at various buildings across the downtown campus, starting with the Dentistry Building on Dec. 2.

Ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, several memorial events are taking place at �Թϱ�� Mississauga in honour of the 14 women who lost their lives three decades ago at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal. A smudging ceremony is taking place at the Student Centre board room followed by a vigil outside and hot drinks and desserts at the Communication Culture & Technology Building’s atrium.

Dec. 3

Get into the holiday spirit at Robarts Library Holiday Market. You’ll find a wide array of �Թϱ�� merchandise perfect for stocking stuffers, as well as free holiday treats.

Renowned Canadian film director Director X, who has directed music videos for artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Rihanna, will be joining several hip-hop artists and activists for Humanz of Hip Hop, a “human library” of hip hop knowledge taking place at Hart House.

If you haven’t already, bring your TCard and get your flu shot on campus. Vaccinations will be available from at Robarts Library and St Michael’s College on Dec. 3 and 4, respectively.

Dec. 4

Victoria College’s student newspaper, the Strand, is celebrating the launch of its magazine at the Goldring Student Centre. The theme of the magazine is “Space” and there will be free snacks courtesy of Caffiends.

A holiday buffet featuring herb-roasted turkey and stuffed acorn squash is taking place at �Թϱ�� Scarborough’s Miller Lash House. Tickets are $42 for seniors and students and $45 for everyone else.

Dec. 5

Exam Jam is taking place all day at �Թϱ�� Mississauga. Instructors will be hosting review sessions alongside therapy dogs, crafts, board games and more.

�Թϱ�� Student Life is hosting a winter social at the Sussex Clubhouse. Decorate gingerbread cookies, meet new people and learn about the various clubs housed at 21 Sussex.

Santa Claus is coming to town! The �Թϱ�� Mississauga’s Communication Culture & Technology Building atrium will be turned into Santa’s workshop in support of the United Way. �Թϱ�� Mississauga principal Ulrich Krull and dean of student affairs Mark Overton will both be dressed as Santa. There will also be a re-gift shop where you can donate or purchase new or lightly used gifts.

See the critically acclaimed animated film Spirited Away with the Students of English Literature and Film (SELF) as part of their fall film screenings at �Թϱ�� Scarborough. Free pizza will be served. On Dec. 6, SELF will also be screening Crazy Rich Asians.

Dec. 6

The �Թϱ�� community will come together for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women to mark the 30^th anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre. The Office of Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre will be holding a memorial event at Hart House at noon. In addition, the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering will join 13 other engineering schools across Canada and shine a light into the sky in solidarity. This will be part of a at 5 p.m. ceremony taking place on Front Campus in front of Convocation Hall. Later in the evening, an outdoor vigil will be held at Philosopher’s Walk. There will be speakers, musicians and a ceremonial laying of the roses.

A memorial event will also take place at �Թϱ�� Scarborough, where members of the campus community will have an opportunity to have conversation on gender-based issues.

Seek some stress relief along with academic review sessions at �Թϱ�� Exam Jam at Sidney Smith Hall. There will be snacks, massages, button making, a therapy dog and a photo booth.

Dec. 7

Celebrate Christmas in the Valley. Over 30 artisan vendors will be selling handmade crafts and transforming �Թϱ�� Scarborough’s Miller Lash House into a holiday market.

Dec. 8

Students from the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies will be performing Eurydice at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse. This modern re-imagining of the ancient myth of Orpheus will be told from the perspective of Orpheus’s wife, Eurydice. Tickets are free and the show runs from Dec. 6 to 8.

Dec. 11

Hit the ice at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education’s Winter Wonderland and Community Skate at Varsity Stadium. Free helmet and skate rentals are available, although supplies are limited. There will also be off-ice activities, dancing and treats. Registration is required.

Dec. 12

If you need a break from studying for your exams, check out the Beck Festival at �Թϱ�� Mississauga’s Theatre Erindale. The festival will feature a variety of one-act plays curated and produced by students. The show runs from Dec. 12 to 14 at the MiST Theatre.

Join �Թϱ�� Mississauga’s Centre for Student Engagement for Giizhiitaa, an Indigenous Spirit Journey Celebration. The event is taking place at Maanjiwe Nendamowinan and will feature smudging, drumming, a multimedia showcase and a light lunch.

Dec. 16

Kick off the festive season with a feast at Hart House's Gallery Grill, which runs until Dec. 20. Choose from a menu including Arctic char, crispy kabocha squash rice cakes, cassoulet and more. Just remember to save room for dessert. You don't want to miss out on the warm chocolate olive oil cake with brandy butter ice cream. Reserve a spot soon before the dates sell out.

Dec. 23

The university is closed for the winter break through Jan. 3. Happy holidays!

From presidential visits to maple syrup magic: Check out these April events

Romi Levine — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:06:12 +0000

From presidential visits to maple syrup magic: Check out these April events

Romi Levine Tue, 04/02/2019 - 12:06

Cutline

Students at the Sugaring Off event at Hart House Farm peer inside the evaporator to see how the syrup is made (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Romi Levine

Topic

City & Culture

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Global

Hart House

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Research & Innovation

Robarts

Rotman School of Management

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

�Թϱ�� Mississauga

�Թϱ�� Scarborough

The semester may be coming to an end, but the University of Toronto is still bustling with events on all three campuses that’ll make for the perfect study break.

Stretch your legs between cramming sessions at Robarts Library with the MoveU crew, take a day trip to Hart House Farm to sample super sweet maple syrup, or sit in on a talk with one of two former world leaders who will be on campus this month – from Estonia and Australia.

On April 5, spend the evening hearing from a number of faculty members at �Թϱ�� and three other Toronto universities, at CRAM, a free festival of ideas.

Here are some of the events taking place in April:

April 2

Join the Black Students’ Association tonight for Black Study Hall at Wetmore Hall. Munch on some snacks while prepping for your next exam.

�Թϱ�� Mississauga’s last Lecture Me event of the season takes place tonight at the UTM Experiential Education Unit. Hear from Sanja Hinic-Frlog, an assistant professor, teaching stream, of biology, about what fossils can teach us about the evolution of modern birds.

April 4

Explore the 16^th-century craft of mask-making at the opening of Unmasked, an exhibit organized by the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies that pays tribute to Italian mask-maker Paolo Consiglio, who was a visiting artist at �Թϱ��.

Give those legs a shake at Robarts Library on April 4 and 5. Brain Break, hosted by the MoveU crew, will be running 10-minute exercise sessions all afternoon.

The lives of people and spirits intertwine in this talk at �Թϱ�� Scarborough by Michael Lambek, a professor of anthropology. He will be speaking about spirit mediums in Madagascar as part of the Celebration of Research Excellence lecture series.

April 5

Satisfy your curiosity about everything from the mysteries of the universe to the future of artificial intelligence at the CRAM festival of ideas. �Թϱ�� faculty members will join researchers from across the city to share their fascinating discoveries with the public.

Read more about CRAM here

It’s cycling season! Bring your bike for a $30 tune-up at the downtown Toronto campus’s Athletic Centre. The initiative is hosted by the Varsity Blues mountain biking team.

Philosophy fans will want to attend this event, featuring �Թϱ�� Mississauga's Rasmus Rosenberg Larson, who will be talking about Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Schelling and the similarities of their work.

April 6

Head to Hart House Farm for the annual Sugaring Off event, where the farm's own maple trees are tapped to be made into delicious maple syrup.

April 9

Take a moment to relax and improve your focus during a guided meditation session at Robarts Library’s reflection room.

April 11

Toomas Ilves, the former President of Estonia, will be at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy speaking about how his country revolutionized the digitization of government and became a leader in cyber security.

April 16

There’s just over a week left to see the Nature on the Page exhibit at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. Go back in time to Victorian England where obsessions with ferns, orchids and seaweed spawned an incredible collection of beautifully-illustrated books.

Read more about the exhibit here

April 24

What is the best way to improve the public trust in journalism, and at the same time strengthen the foundations of democracy? That question will be front and centre at (Un) Truth – Journalism and Democracy in the Digital Age, a media symposium co-hosted by the German Consulate General in Toronto, Massey College and University of Toronto Communications.

Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister of Australia, is coming to the Rotman School of Management to talk about Canada-China-U.S. relations.

April 25

The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering will be hosting an open discussion on equity, diversity and inclusion, inviting engineering community members to share their thoughts on how the faculty could create a more welcoming and inclusive environment.

April ??

It’s almost cherry blossom time outside of Robarts Library. While there isn’t a definite date yet, they are expected to bloom at the end of April or beginning of May.

International Women's Day and Entrepreneurship Week: Check out these March events

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 21:07:13 +0000

International Women's Day and Entrepreneurship Week: Check out these March events

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 03/01/2019 - 16:07

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The MaRS Discovery District's atrium during �Թϱ��'s Entrepreneurship Week in 2018. This year's event kicks off March 18 (photo by Laura Pedersen)

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