Sara Coffin, Co-Artistic Director and Program Director of Mocean Dance, has spent nearly a decade building Moving with Mocean into Halifax’s most accessible dance offering—a free, inclusive class that has reached over 1,800 participants since launching in 2016 through a partnership with Halifax Public Libraries. Designed for all ages and abilities with seated and standing options, live musical accompaniment, and ASL interpretation, the program awakens body and breath connections through gentle warm-ups and playful movement rather than conventional step-learning.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
For more than twenty years, Mocean Dance has provided fertile ground for artistic endeavours and potential in the field of dance. Led by Co-Artistic Directors Susanne Chui and Sara Coffin, Mocean is recognized nationally as a leading contemporary dance company from the Atlantic region.
Sharing perspectives of our region, we create opportunities to engage local artists and connect to the national performing arts milieu. Through our work and collaborations, we are an artistic catalyst and contribute to making Halifax a hotspot for creation, research, experimentation, interdisciplinary dialogue, and performance. Our programming and community engagement activities cultivate opportunities for artists to transform themselves and connect with audiences, to build community through dance and creativity. Our most popular community programming with the Halifax Public Libraries, reaching over 1800 participants since 2016 – Moving with Mocean is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this season.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Moving with Mocean is our most popular community programming. We offer this program three times a year in a four-week series in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Since its inception in 2016, we have reached over 1800 participants.
Moving with Mocean is a dance class for everyone.
Designed for inclusivity and aimed to create a sense of community in a creative atmosphere, this open dance class is truly for everyone; all ages, all abilities. The class awakens body and breath connections, mobilizes the joints, and bring a little extra movement excitement to your day.
The gentle warm-up is designed to engage the physical senses and activate weight flow through a playful approach to movement. The class features live musical accompaniment to challenge rhythmic flow and lift your spirits, seated and standing versions of the class are demonstrated, and ASL Interpretation is provided.
“I am 74 years old and have not felt younger in years. I felt so free and relaxed in your style, anyone any age would feel at home and the joy in their bodies.” ~ Library Class Participant
When did you start/join it?
Moving with Mocean was first created in 2016 to bring the visibility of the company’s activities and resources to a larger population and greater reach through our partnership with the Halifax Libraries. We offered free movement classes, open artist talks and sneak peek into our latest or newest creative developments. We quickly realized through the attendance and desire for the class for the need and demand for an inclusive open-ended dance class that focused on community engagement and empowerment through creative potential, instead of offering the conventional dance class the mainly focuses on learning specific steps.
What made you want to get involved?
Easy! The creative question of how we share our work, our special skills as dance artists, and the wisdom of the body with more people, the partnership with Halifax Libraries was an easy fit and a way to reach more people.
What was the situation like when you started?
When we first started the program, the Halifax Central Library was one year old. Brand new and barely used. We knew that the Paul O’Regan Hall wasn’t exactly suited for dance performances as the floor isn’t sprung, there is no side rigging for curtains for proper entrances and exits and its difficult to change the lighting grid…. but the potential of the larger lecture hall space could still be tapped into and as a company had many other resources and skills to offer the community. So, Moving with Mocean, a free dance class for all, was created.
How has it changed since?
When the classes first started, we had attendance of 10 to 15 participants. During the pandemic, is dropped to 5 people per class for the online classes and for the first year after the pandemic. It slowly grew back to 10 to 15 participants. Then in 2024, we had a sharp turn where 20 to 25 people showed up, and now we have 45 people participating weekly and sometimes up to 65.
What more needs to be done?
The biggest challenge for the program now is finding consistent funding to run the program. For this season, we have a two-year commitment with J & W Murphy Foundation and one-time small grant support from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia and Shannex Community Spirit Grant
How can our readers help?
Try a class, look up our next session dates in May 2026. Tell people about the class and Mocean Dance.
And if you believe in the power of the dance arts for all to enjoy, make a donation to Mocean Dance Society. We can be found on Canada Helps or through our website.
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
Mocean Dance, of course!
But there are so many non-profit performing arts companies in Halifax in dance, theatre, and music.
We encourage readers to take time to follow their interests and find new events and companies each month.
