
TA DAA LADY AS TEACHER
tadaa@angelabrown.ca 604.649.1979
Angela (Ta Daa Lady) combines performance with teaching and/or interactive storytelling. She is both a performer and educator for children and adults. Angela teaches; Dance, (modern, tap, Baroque, Renaissance, Jazz) Commedia dell’arte, theatre, improvisation, mime, storytelling, drawing and puppetry.
For example, one option of many. Angela will offer her solo presentation of Peter & the Wolf . This solo rendition is based on the world-famous piece of classical music written by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. It is designed to introduce various musical acoustic instruments to children using exquisite masks, body puppets and a rod puppet with a blend of mime, pantomime, and dance to bring the story vividly to life. With a little help from the audience, the result is a musically exciting, humorous and vivid performance of this timeless piece.
See ‘Peter and the Wolf for Schools and Interactive Storytelling on her site.






TA DAA LADY AS TEACHER
Angela is known for her Ta Daa Lady Show (clown, puppets, song and dance) and she is Canadian storyteller for Nylon Zoo (originally created by Evelyn Roth -(evelynrothoz.com). She has toured all over B.C. to various festivals and to Australia and Asia.
Brief Bio
Angela has taught Baroque Dance at Langara University, Capilano University, Langley Community School, Yukon Winter Music Camp, North Vancouver and Vancouver Music Association. She has taught acting, to adults and musical theatre to youth at Gateway Theatre and at the Okanagan School of the Arts, numerous classes through Art Starts and Learning through the Arts Angela has also taught classes and workshops for Vancouver Youth Theatre and Learning for the Arts for children of all ages. The material she offered was the inspiration for our show based in the history of B.C.
Art in the Classroom
- At Simonds Elementary in Langley Angela collaborated with two of the teachers to create an elementary school version of ‘The Fraser River Revue’ songs and short scenes about settling along the Fraser bask in the early 1900. Written by Ms. Brown.
Theatre and Dance Workshops
Baroque History, Dance and Mask
Thank you drawings are from a grade six at Martha Currie in Cloverdale B.C.
Mask, Movement and Playmaking
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Puppets for learning
- Angela regularly uses puppets in performance as well as in teaching. Above is a photo taken at Whistler Children’s Art Festival. Ta Daa had a Make a Puppet’ workshop followed by Make a Puppet Play workshop. Over the years, she has worked as a puppeteer with Whole Loaf Theatre in Toronto and Canadian Folk Puppets in Richmond B.C. She has studied puppeteering in Montreal with puppeteer Zack Fraser. Angela has teaches workshops to pre-school teachers using puppets as an important component. In a workshop Angela offered to pre-school teachers in New Westminster ‘Pre-school Promenade’ ( pre-school teachers in New Westminster) in storytelling techniques and she incorporated mime and puppetry. A few years back., she was invited to Nanaimo B.C. to offer a workshop to teachers who would like to incorporate puppetry into their teaching.
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Puppets as an Educational Tool
“I am mailing you the Feedback sheets, so you can smother yourself with pride. Well done and thank you. As your workshop participants made it obvious, you were a great success.” Colin Gorrie Nanaimo Teacher Pro-D Day “Wellington School, Nanaimo B.C.
“My grade 1/2 class had the pleasure of working with The Ta Daa Lady! I was very impressed with how attentive she was with my class. Angela was able to adjust the stimulation and energy as needed to keep all 23 of my students engaged and having fun, while building their self-confidence, imagination, and problem solving skills. They can’t wait to see her again!! The students had tones of fun working with her and keep asking when she will return to our school. She has a wonderful way of communicating with children through puppetry. Angela clearly loves what she does and I would have her back in my classroom anytime!” Georgia Goundouvas, Grade 1/2 Teacher, Tecumseh Annex, Artist in Residence sponsored by the VSB Vancouver B.C. 2017
“Angela taught “French Made Fun‘ through drama and movement for grades 8 to 12 at John Oliver High in Vancouver. Angela is very professional and dedicated to her art. She is wonderfully skilled and enthusiastic when it comes to inspiring and communicating with young people.” Ellen Stewart, teacher of French studies, John Oliver High School, Vancouver B.C.
Baroque & Renaissance Dance and Theatre recomendations
“I am writing to commend Angela’ s work with our company as well as her creative output. She has contributed as a dancer, actor, singer and teacher and has extensive knowledge in Commedia. She is tremendously talented in all areas of her endeavors as both as creator (songs, dances, comedic scenes, historical plays, etc) and as interpreter of song, dance and comic character. She is a dynamic teacher she is full of wonderful creative ideas for any project in which she involves herself. ” Catherine Lee, Former Artistic Director, Historical Performance Ensemble & True North Performance, Teacher of Dance and Movement at “Studio 58”, Langara College, Vancouver B.C.
“In three days she managed to introduce 2 dozen youngsters and older students to the intricacies of Baroque Dance. To see 5-11 year olds enthusiastically demonstrating the steps they had learned in “baroque dress” and style to the sound of live musicians playing familiar tunes was uplifting for all present. Teen and adult students also enjoyed learning to parade around in proper Baroque style and design their own dances using “pas de bourees” and “pas coupees”. In her free time, Angela worked with keen youngsters who choreographed their own baroque dance. Angela also filmed the camp and contributed a DVD of the camp to the Suzuki Strings Association.” Karen McKenna, Coordinator SSAY Yukon Winter Music Camp 2012
“The organizers and the students were delighted by her workshops. She was tireless in her presentation of the material – she did nine workshops in three days!! She was really well organized and as well as teaching the dances she also provided a wealth of historical information about the work the students were doing. Her enthusiasm was infectious. I think it is a testament to her teaching that at the wind up banquet the students got up and enthusiastically performed some of the dances that they had learned. She is one of the reasons that our festival was so successful. ” Linda Beaven, organizer of Goodwill Shakespeare Festival, Summerland B.C. 2011
Education: Classes & Workshops
BFA in Visual Art/Theatre Concordia, Montreal
BFA in Dance from York University in Toronto
British Theatre Association certificate in Directing, London England, Masters in Directing (one year) from UBC
Body work Jane Ellison, Western Front Vancouver B.C. (on-going)
Historical dance & singing with Catherine Lee, Historical Performance Ensemble (on – going)
Voxy workshops Kate Hammett Vaughan & Carol Sawyer, Various movement and Voice workshops, VVC Vancouver B.C. 2010- ____
Arnie Aslove (US) Various workshops Commedia Characters, Neutral masks and scenes Vancouver B.C.2011-2012
Anna Yepes (Fr) Baroque Dance 2012
Angene Feves (US )San Francisco Early Music, Baroque Dance workshop 2006
Margie Gillis Master Class in improvised dance, Dance Centre Vancouver B.C.2006
Edgar Tumak (Can) Baroque Dance workshops 2005
Orestes Mask workshop Intensive Dance Center Vancouver B.C. 2004
Commedia dell’ Arte workshop BellaLuna Productions,Vancouver B.C .April 2004
Paige Whitely Baugess and Thomas Baird (US) Baroque Dance workshops 2003
Marco Piravano( Italy) Commedia dell’Arte workshop, Scotia Bank Dance Centre Vancouver B.C.
Acting Workshop William Esper, Vancouver Theatre Alliance B.C.2002
British Theatre Association Intensive Course in Directing. London England1989
Voice Intensive Simon Fraser University Burnaby B.C. 1991
Dance Intensive Simon Fraser University,Burnaby,B.C.1987
Michael Fields (US) Commedia dell’Arte workshop UBC 1985
Voice Intensive Simon Fraser University Burnaby B.C.1986