Jelena Vasic​, M.Ed

I started my teaching career in a language school, teaching English to international adult learners and newcomers. I loved teaching in this environment because it gave me a sense of community and belonging. Being an immigrant whose first language is not English, I could relate and connect to my students through storytelling and sharing our life experiences, cultural backgrounds, traditions, and customs. Not knowing it at the time, I was indirectly conducting my first ethnographic research. The deeply rooted interest in other people and their stories was - and still is - the underlying current of my work. 

 

Two years after teaching in Toronto, I moved to Asia to immerse myself in another foreign culture. Living in and travelling through Asia broadened my perspective, and challenged and shaped me in many ways. It altered my worldview and deepened my interest in languages, cultures, traditions and local customs. 

 

After five years in Asia, I moved back to Canada, where I started teaching at the University of Toronto. While teaching at the university, I pursued a Masters in Adult Education and Community Development. I chose this program because I wanted to expand my teaching toolbox and learn about the factors that affect adult learners so I could understand my students better. I explored many adult learning theories, with a specific interest in embodied and transformative learning. I also resonated a lot with a holistic education’s philosophy and pedagogy, so I pursued coursework in the Curriculum & Pedagogy program with an emphasis on well-being. At the time, I had no intention of pursuing a PhD program, but the last course I enrolled in was a Research Methods and Methodologies course– just in case I changed my mind about a career in academia. I discovered that I’ve been doing research all my life - I just never called it that. I am a people person, so qualitative research comes more naturally to me, but I also love mixing methods for a more well-rounded result. After having an expedited ethics review approved by my professor, the late Dr. Bonnie Burstow, I’ve decided not to renew my contract as an Academic Listening and Speaking Instructor at the University of Toronto but to pursue my research project and become an independent artist-scholar, educator and researcher.

 

My research took me to an island in Croatia, where I participated in a week-long 5Rhythms workshop and interviewed participants about their experience with the practice. Having a background in contemporary dance and a passion for arts education, I focused my research on the transformative power of dance. I was curious to find out if and how participants use movement and bodily knowledge to gain insights into themselves and their life experiences. The research was inspired by transformative and embodied learning theories and indigenous-based research methods, challenging the mind-body dichotomy and educational systems that value rational over other ways of knowing.

 

Since 2019, I’ve been expanding my understanding of embodied epistemologies, dance/movement and somatic practices through diverse lenses and disciplines. Currently, I am interested in researching the impact of community dance programs, intersecting dance, community and well-being, and facilitating weekly community-based movement labs with local communities. I also still enjoy teaching international students during the summer at the University of Toronto. 

 

I love working with others and creating spaces where community, culture, and creativity thrive and enable others to express themselves freely and creatively. 

 

For a complete curriculum vitae, please check here. 

 

DANCE & SOMATIC MOVEMENT PRACTICES

African and Contemporary Dance, Gaga Movement Language, 5Rhythms & Yoga

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Impact of community-based dance practices and programs; Dance Anthropology/ Ethnochoreology and Cultural Identity; Ecosomatics