The National Centre for Dance Therapy offers a 9-hour training developed by Maï(g)wenn et les orteils. Maigween Desbois will guide participants through an in-depth exploration of pedagogical and creative approaches tailored for students from neurodiverse backgrounds.
This training is intended for dance professionals, teachers, facilitators, and artists who wish to adapt their practice to meet the needs of individuals with atypical cognitive or developmental profiles.
Tuesday, October 14 – Neurodiversity, Information Processing, and Environment
On this first day, we will explore the foundations of teaching dance to individuals with neurodivergent diagnoses.
We will focus on understanding different learning mechanisms among students with intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder (with or without intellectual disability), ADHD, dys disorders, or developmental delays in motor or language skills.
We’ll also see how meeting sensory needs is essential — it directly supports mental and physical well-being, improves environmental awareness, and increases readiness for learning.
We'll emphasize the importance of visually structuring time and space to help foster a sense of trust and predictability, and discuss the role of routines in supporting memory and confidence.
Tuesday, October 21 – Class Content
This session focuses on practical tools for dance pedagogy.
We’ll learn to identify movements and exercises that promote learning and help students grasp the fundamentals of dance, including: comfort and sensory awakening, proprioception, crossing the midline, body awareness and schema, lateralization, spatial organization, touch, and "hand-over-hand" techniques.
Participants will also have the opportunity to physically experience the impact of sensory integration exercises, visual structures, and movement-based strategies. Finally, we will explore how using a compassionate and positive teaching approach can support student success and foster a sense of achievement for learners with diverse needs.
Tuesday, October 28 – Support Strategies and Creativity
This final session will focus on creativity and supportive structures.
We’ll explore strategies for supporting both individuals and groups in artistic creation and research contexts.
We will also discuss the practical aspects of developing dance projects such as choreographies, performances, flash mobs, dance videos, and more.
Space is limited. Please reserve your spot, and if you’re unable to attend, let us know so we can offer your place to someone on the waiting list.
After training in classical dance, Maïgwenn transitioned to contemporary jig. She presented her first work as part of the Biennale de gigue contemporaine (BIGICO) at Tangente, choosing to collaborate with professional artists from neurodiverse backgrounds. In 2012, she adopted the name Maï(g)wenn et les Orteils, and in 2014 she founded her company as a non-profit organization. From 2011 to 2016, she created and presented Dans ta tête, Six pieds sur terre, and Avec pas d’cœur, all at Tangente. Each piece was revived for tours that took the company across Quebec and into Europe.
In 2017, the company partnered with Danse Carpe Diem | Emmanuel Jouthe to adapt the site-specific work Écoute pour voir. In 2021–2022, she led the creation of the dance film Dans mes yeux, directed by Philippe Meunier, which was presented as an official feature-length selection at the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA). In 2024, she premiered the company’s latest stage production, Les Dauphins et les Licornes. Each new work fosters a deeper understanding of the unique conditions of atypical performers and broadens the perspectives of audiences, who come to see that individuals living with differences possess a unique creative strength, revealing impressive boldness and professionalism.
In parallel with her work as a director, performer, and choreographer, Maïgwenn teaches dance and has led hundreds of workshops in schools (as part of Artistes à l’école and Une école montréalaise pour tous). She has developed expertise in teaching dance to neurodiverse populations—both in recreational contexts with GymnO Laval, and at a professional level with Les Muses: centre des arts de la scène, as well as in a variety of other settings.
Roxane Charest-Landry graduated from Les Muses: Centre des arts de la scène in 2021. During her training, she had the opportunity to work under the direction of acclaimed stage directors such as Angela Konrad, Lorraine Pintal, and Hugo Bélanger.
In 2015, she joined the contemporary step dance company Maï(g)wenn et les Orteils as a performer and took part in the creation of several projects, including the show Avec pas d’coeur (2016), the site-specific performance Écoute pour voir (2018), the dance film Dans mes yeux (2022), and the production Les Dauphins et les Licornes (2024). These projects have taken her on stage and on tour across Quebec, the Greater Montreal area, and Europe.
She also actively participates in numerous cultural mediation workshops — mainly with elementary school students from underprivileged backgrounds, but also in a variety of other settings with diverse audiences.
