LEAD | Canada's National Ballet School

Zahra Harriet Badua is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is rooted in the vibrant rhythms and stories of the African diaspora. With a specialty in West African and Caribbean dance forms, she has choreographed, taught, and performed across Canada and the U.S., sharing her passion for movement wherever she goes. 

As the Artistic Director of ZahraMoves, she leads with heart—building a space where African diasporic culture is celebrated and emerging women artists of color are supported and given opportunities to grow and shine within their artistry. Her work blends education and performance to spark connection, joy, and cultural pride. 

Zahra brings dance to life not only on stage but also in classrooms, community spaces, podcasts, and workshops—creating experiences that honor the depth, beauty, and history of Afro-Diasporic dance in all its forms. 

Outside of her artistic work, Zahra is a movement coach supporting people with diverse developmental abilities. Having completed her apprenticeship in production and stage Management with the National Arts Centre she is now the Production and Engagement Coordinator for dance Immersion - a black-led arts organization. Whether she's in motion or behind the scenes, Zahra is all about building bridges, lifting voices, and using cultural dances to move with purpose. 

 Sid Ryan Eilers is an award-winning dance artist, choreographer, mentor, and educator with a 25-year career spanning Canada, Europe, and New York. Their work is driven by a curiosity about choreography’s role in social change - exploring themes of identity, land-based practice, queering, and community through story telling based movement. 

A graduate of York University’s dance program (2004), Eilers toured extensively with Motus O Dance Theatre from 2002–2006 and later co-founded Lightning Strike Art Productions, performing and teaching in Brooklyn, NY and Dresden, Germany. In 2014, they established Aeris Körper Contemporary Dance, where they created over 18 immersive, site-specific works and launched PROSPECTS and HERE&NOW, Hamilton’s annual dance festival. In 2024, they transitioned out of Aeris Körper. 

Eilers is the founder and Artistic Director of EILERS Dance Theatre (established 2024), where they create performance works that center Trans and Queer embodiment, spirituality, and collective ritual. Their solo dance-theatre piece Kiss The Stormy Sky tours Ontario and British Columbia in 2025. They are also the creator of TRANScendARTS, a program supporting gender-diverse children through dance and storytelling. 

Eilers has attended ImPulsTanz (2011, 2018) and the COLOURS International Dance Festival 2022 (under Shahar Binyamini), and has held residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Crow’s Theatre ( Côté Danse | FLIGHT), and The National Ballet of Canada (Open Space). Their teaching practice -shaped by decades of professional experience - is rooted in technical rigour, creativity, and radical inclusivity, empowering artists to use movement as a tool for expression, activism, and transformation. 

Eilers’ practice is rooted in queer and trans embodiment, collective gathering, and the belief that creativity can reconnect us to parts of ourselves often left out of dominant systems. Their work invites people to move beyond rigid roles and expectations - honouring the complexity, tenderness, and wildness of being human together. They actively challenge oppressive systems by fostering working conditions that prioritize autonomy and tangible support - creating space for radical, uncompromising art. Their public engagement and workshop practices are shaped by ongoing learning with Knowledge Keeper Maria Montejo, Robin Lacambra of GOODBODYFEEL, and Sharing Privilege. 

They serve on the artistic staff at Canada’s National Ballet School and are honoured to be part of LEAD 2025. 

 
Photo Credit: Kylie Thompson

Sofi is a flamenco dancer, drag king and community organizer based in Toronto. Gudiño began flamenco studies as a child at the Academy of Spanish Dance with Esmeralda Enrique, and has since continued in Spain with Úrsula López, Alicia Márquez, Pastora Galván, Lorena Franco and many others. As a choreographer, Gudiño has enjoyed residencies at The Toronto Dance Theatre, Dancemakers, and the National Ballet of Canada’s Open Space. Sofi was nominated in the 2023 Johanna Performing Arts Prizes for their recognized impact on the field, and recently assumed the role of Festival Director at Dusk Dances. 

Photo Credit: Drew Berry

Jasmine is a performer and choreographer, born and raised in Vaughan, Ontario. She is currently a Swing in the Toronto production of The Lion King. Jasmine graduated from Earl Haig Secondary School's Dance Program, followed by Ivey Business School, and then completed Broadway Dance Center's Professional Semester Program in New York City. She received the highest score in Canada for the Beijing Dance Academy's Chinese dance examinations in 2008 and 2009, and she proudly continues to practice and teach Chinese dance. Her artistic mission is to inspire the younger generation, especially those that look like her, to dream big.  

Select theatre credits: The Lion King (Mirvish/Disney); Evita, Rock of Ages (Drayton Entertainment); The Music Man (Thousand Islands Playhouse); Matilda (Lower Ossington Theatre); re:motions (Gotham Dance Theater). Select Film and TV credits: Canada's Got Talent Finale, Kendrick Lamar Tour Campaign Video, Venus and Adonis (Toronto Fringe), Mrs. America (FX). You can follow her journey on Instagram: @jasminehuang__ 

Emilie “Zila” Jabouin, dance artist, researcher, and doctor in communication studies uses her story-telling abilities for collective liberation. Haitian folklore—singing, dancing, and drumming anchor her artistic practice and work. Emilie teaches Haitian dance from a holistic perspective informed by a Haitian philosophy and worldview, connecting technique, historical and cultural grounding, and the harmonization of rhythm, breath, and movement. She is developing and performing two works grounded entirely in Haitian dance. Emilie is also the founder of a performance, research, and production company, Do Gwe [Dow Gway] dance and research: www.emiliejabouin.ca. 

Cree Shawnee Potawatomi, born and raised in Toronto, member of the Mistawasis First Nation Saskatchewan. As the youngest child of the late Urban Elder Vern Harper, cotee merges her heritage as an Indigenous dance artist with a contemporary dance style. Coming from a long family line of healing Influencers she carries this passionately through her work as a crisis intervention worker and a collaborative dance artist. studied classical ballet and contemporary dance at the late Anna McCowan Johnson’s Interplay School of Dance. Cotee participates in powwow trails across north America dancing women's fancy shawl and jingle dress. Has performed for dignitaries opening ceremonies, Award shows, music videos, collaborative improvisation dance showcases and concerts throughout Canada. 

Samantha is a contemporary dance artist, choreographer, and teacher based in Tkaronto.  Her ancestry is Ktunaxa and Scottish.  Samantha has been choreographing dance works since 2021 and has had the pleasure of presenting in festivals across Turtle Island.  Some include the Matriarchs Uprising Festival, Sharing the Stage with The National Ballet of Canada, Dance Made in Canada, and SummerWorks.  She has performed in dance works by Santee Smith, Alejandro Ronceria, Jera Wolfe, and Raven Spirit Dance.  She is currently on faculty at The Centre for Indigenous Theatre, and an Artistic Associate with O.Dela Arts. 

Photo Credit: Drew Berry

Recipient of the KM Hunter, Dance Ontario Innovation, Manifesto Innovation & Originality, and Soul Pepper Dance Awards ApoloniaVelasquez is a director, choreographer, actor, and educator.  

Her dance company GADFLY's work includes Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning ‘Klorofyl'. Apolonia has been commissioned to create work for Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Ryerson Theatre School, Dusk Dances, The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Citadel + Compagnie and the School of Dance to name a few. Her work has been presented in Festivals such as Luminato, Nuit Blanche, Festival DansEncore, 100Lux, Ontario Dance Weekend, and Manifesto.  

Apolonia is also the founder of TUDS Festival of Urban Dance Culture and the Aybrid Dance Intensive. 
 
She has acquired a considerable amount of experience in the television, entertainment and theatre dance industries. She has worked with artists such as: Katy Perry, Kiesza, Serena Ryder, Shawn Desman, Anjulie, Massari, NINEONE#, KHAY, and Jesse Cook. She has directed and choreographed for brands and events such as Ted Talks, Nike, Bench clothing, Make Up For Ever, American Crew, Canada Goose, Revlon, GM Canada, Manulife, Sephora, and for commercials for Pepto Bismol, Quaker, YouTube, Emergen-C, Oculus, Honda, Pizza Hut, Snapdragon, Destination Ontario, MiraLAX, Cox Communications, and Chevrolet; as well as for tv shows such as Beauty & the Beast, Danser pour Gagner and Gwen Stefani's Kuu Kuu Harajuku.

A teacher in the Professional Ballet Academic Program at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS). As Director of Teacher Training and Community Dance, Ashleigh works with partners across the education, community programming and sport sectors to bring the widespread benefits of dance to all Canadians. A graduate with distinction from NBS’ Teacher Training Program, she is a recipient of the Carole Chadwick and the Betty Oliphant Awards for teaching. In addition, Ashleigh has worked extensively as a theatre choreographer and holds an Honours Degree in History and Sociology from the University of Toronto.

Community Dance Coordinator of Indigenous Relations at Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS). She also teaches Ballet and Jazz in all areas at the school. A graduate of the Teacher Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School, she was awarded her diploma with distinction along with the Sylvia McPhee Award. She has teaching associates from the RAD, Cecchetti Society of Canada and the International Society for the Teachers of Dancing. She holds an undergraduate degree in History from York University, a certificate in Dance Performance from George Brown College and is currently completing her MA part-time at Trent University on the effects of colonization on Indigenous dance. She has performed nationally and internationally as a dancer and aerial silks artist since 2010. She now shares her love of dance with dancers of all abilities and ages.

An energetic and vibrant dance and music genre that originated in Trinidad and Tobago. It blends West African and Afro-Caribbean folk dance elements, with a strong focus on body and waist isolations. The movements are largely interpretive, encouraging dancers to express their individuality, let loose, and move freely to the infectious rhythms of Soca. 

This Introduction to Chinese Dance workshop will give you a glimpse into an art form that originated thousands of years ago and continues to be widely practiced today. In addition to learning about Chinese dance’s many forms and rich history, we will dive into some fundamental movements, postures, and sequences of one of the many styles of Chinese dance - Classical Han dance (古典舞). You can look forward to storytelling through movement, being enriched by history, beautiful music, and learning a dance piece that you can enjoy well after the workshop ends! 

This contemporary dance workshop, led by Sid Ryan Eilers (they/them), blends athletic movement, physical theatre, and somatic awareness to develop technical clarity, adaptability, and authentic personal expression. Rooted in 25 years of experience, Sid’s approach encourages dancers to engage with breath, sensation, and spatial awareness as tools for movement exploration. 

Drawing from Dreamwalker’s Conscious Bodies Practice, this workshop invites dancers to tune into internal sensations and use them to inform dynamic, grounded movement and phrase work. Through guided exercises, improvisation, and structured choreography, dancers will refine technique while deepening their connection to their own movement impulses.  

This workshop fosters curiosity, agency, and artistic exploration. Dancers will be encouraged to navigate between form and fluidity, working with both individual and collective movement in a way that is both technically rigorous and creatively open. 

In this workshop, Samantha will be sharing elements of her choreographic and movement process.  Using improvisation we will journey through natural elements of her homelands, Ktunaxa ʔamak’is, to inspire movement and wake up awareness in the body.  She will also share the Ktunaxa Language through voice and movement. 

A beginner-friendly flamenco workshop for folks who want to experience the grounding rhythm and confidence of the form. Harnessing the essential elements such as body percussion, floral hand movements and fierce presence, this workshop will help us access our inner fire through flamenco dance. 

Opening with a traditional warm-up and introducing elements of Ballet and Contemporary Indigenous styles of dance and the relationships between them. Participants will learn the different forms of connecting your body and movements to the universal language of music. 

In this workshop, you'll get introduced to the basics of House Dance: a style that grew out of the House music scene. Expect to move, groove, and explore rhythm through a mix of steps influenced by Tap, Latin, African, and Hip Hop dance styles.