Waacking is a dance style created in the 1970s in the underground clubs of Los Angeles.  The movement, lead by gay men of African and Latin American descent was popularized by the television program SoulTrain and has made its mark as a powerful, striking dance style that exudes character, sensuality and charisma.

In this dance class, Diana Reyes (known as Fly Lady Di) will lead participants through the basics of the style in order to gain new vocabulary, movement pathways and characters which they can acquire for their own use, whichever their discipline.

Starting with warm-up, isolations and stretching, through to basic vocabulary breakdowns, simple combinations, explorations in posing, character, storytelling and mood, the 2-hour workshop is sure to be a rich experience of expression, physical challenge and fun.

No former experience required. Please RSVP here. 

This workshop is part of the CDTPS Performance Masterclass Series. 

Accessibility note: Movements / principles / techniques can be modified if needed to suit one's level and abilities. The Leonard Common Room (LCR) is an accessible space, however please note the men's washroom is not accessible. 

About Diana Reyes (Fly Lady Di)

Toronto born and raised of Filipino descent, this multidisciplinary artist has been rocking stages for over a decade through Dance, DJing and Visual Art. Voted Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Design by NOW Magazine, Diana Reyes (FLY LADY DI)'s one-woman dance creation THIRD WORLD presented by SummerWorks Performance Festival sold out a 3-show run and received a 4N review by NOW with funding from the Toronto Arts Council through the City of Toronto. In addition, Di choreographs for rapper HAN HAN who she recently performed with at Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco as well as Grand Performances in Los Angeles with members of HATAW - for their first official US mini-tour.

As a DJ, she has played events for Twitter, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, SOHO House, Art Gallery of Ontario, FUNKBOX NYC, Harbourfront Centre, Manifesto Festival to name a few. Diana has danced with some of the top artists in dance and music namely Jason Derulo, Ciara, Fall Out Boy, Fabolous, Luther Brown, LaurieAnn Gibson, MOPTOP/Elite Force/Dance Fusion to name just a few.

Her work has been featured on such media platforms as etalk, CP 24, CBC's The National, Chatelaine Magazine, Toronto Life, the Dance Current, YRB, TRACE and was supported by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council for her artistic pursuits.

Di also teaches a popular dance class in Toronto called #SweatySundayswithDi - updates about this can be found on her Twitter and Instagram @flyladydi. Check out flyladydi.com for more info!