About Denise

Denise Mireau is a Middle Eastern dance artist and teacher based in Toronto, Canada. She is also a certified Alexander Technique and Pilates Teacher.

Performance

Denise was a lead dancer with the critically acclaimed Middle Eastern Dance Company: Arabesque Dance Company from 1992 to 2006, performing in theatrical productions such as Descent of Ishtar, Dance of the Almeh and Isis. Other notable performances with Arabesque included the UN Millennium Summit (New York City), the International Conference of Middle Eastern Dance (Los Angeles), as well as dance contracts in Greece and Lebanon.Other theatrical endeavors include performing with the Candid Stammer Theatre 1995-1999 (dir. Jacob Wren) in festivals in Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal and Sufi whirling with Alpharabius (dir. Dr. Geroge Sawa). She has also had the opportunity to work on her own creative projects, working both with improvisation and choreography.

Teaching

Denise’s passion for teaching began in 1996 at Arabesque Academy as a creative movement instructor and extended to belly dance instruction. She runs a bellydance program in Burlington, Ontario: DM Bellydance at the Dance Centre for Adults . Previous teaching contracts have been with the Royal Ontario Museum, Earl Haig Collegiate, Greenwood College, Upper Canada Law Society, Trinity Bellwoods Summer Camp, North York Seniors Center and the Helen Duquette Yoga Studio.

Dance/Movement Training

Denise’s 20 years of experience with Middle Eastern Dance began in Saskatchewan with Dancegypt (Elaine Mantyka, Monika Krueger), and continued with Yasmina Ramzy, whom she credits as being her major influence in Middle Eastern Dance. She has studied with Master Teachers Aida Nour, Tito Seif, Magdy Lacy and Momo Kodous and traveled to Egypt and Jordan to further her study.Over the years, Denise has explored Modern Dance, Flamenco, African Dance, improvisation, yoga and alternative movement and somatic disciplines: Skinner Releasing and BodyMind Centering. These experiences led her to train in the Alexander Technique with Susan Sinclair. She was certified as an Alexander Technique Teacher in 2007. Since 2004, she has been practicing Tai Chi with Phillip Nessel. Denise continues to learn and explore possibilities in teaching and her own dance.