Festival Entertainment – Forest of Reading

The Festival endeavours to have entertainment going on the Stage in the Park to ensure that every minute of this event is fun. See who we have booked so far!

*More entertainment to be added in coming months.

FESTIVAL HOST

Ainara Alleyne is a 15-year-old elementary student from Hamilton, Ontario. Ainara curates the Instagram page @ainarasbookshelf, where she highlights books for young people whose authors and main characters are Black, Indigenous, people of colour, differently abled and other underrepresented communities. She believes that by experiencing other cultures and perspectives through books, we can not only acknowledge our differences but understand and embrace them. Ainara was Hamilton Public Library’s first Junior Librarian in residence and speaks to student teachers at various Universities and pedagogy symposiums, and has been featured in the New York Times, CBC, CTV and numerous podcasts. Her middle book review TV show, also called Ainara’s Bookshelf, which she created, co-wrote and produced, airs on TVOkids and is currently available on YouTube.

FESTIVAL DJ & HOST

KVGE is a Canadian producer and DJ invigorating the dance music scene with her undeniable ability to tap into the vibrational frequency of her audience, creating a uniquely curated musical experience. Her ascent in the music industry has been nothing short of remarkable, punctuated by a series of impressive milestones and unforgettable live performances. Servicing as a supporting act for some of the industry’s most revered artists including Maroon 5, Hannah Wants, ESSEL, Zeds Dead, AC Slater, Wax Motif, and HNTR, KVGE consistently demonstrates her remarkable ability to captivate audiences and command the stage with confidence and finesse.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

https://woundcloud.com/ragewithkage

Spotify: KVGE| Spotify

YouTube: @theycallmekvge

Instagram: @theycallmekage

Email: theycallmekagekage@me.com

BUST A MOVE DANCE – Ceremony Warm-up and Stage Performer

Bust a Move Dance is a leading international organisation that facilitates inclusive and accessible dance classes for all. Specialising in creating safe dance spaces for people with disabilities, its aim is to use dance as a vehicle for social and emotional development, giving students an opportunity to express themselves, individually and as a community, through a shared love for dance. BAMD also intentionally hires and trains passionate instructors who bring their unique flair to the classroom. Our world class teacher training aims to support dance educators in challenging their perceptions and beliefs around disabilities in order to create more inclusion. We are proud to be assisting these teachers with the tools they need to feel confident in any classroom as this supports our vision of every dance space in the world being inclusive, accessible and safe for any dancer! We are pleased to introduce Mel Hart as our representative for this festival!

Mel Hart is an established dance artist from Scarborough, Ontario with BFA specializing in Dance from York University. Mel is also a member of Hip Hop dance crew DEUCEnDIP and co-director of contemporary dance collective SaMel Tanz.

She has danced for international artists such as Jason Derulo, Sean Paul and the legendary Black Thought of the Roots and opened for Latin artists such as Bad Bunny, Prince Royce, and Gente de Zona.

Working across Canada, Mel takes the most pride in being an Arts Educator, focusing on inspiring and sharing with students the history, technique and art of dance and self-expression in a safe environment.