An award-winning Anishinaabekwe actor/playwright working in theatre, television, and film and current Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts. Her plays include Niizh, Frozen River (co-written with Michaela Washburn and Carrie Costello), and do you remember? Joelle has performed at theatres and festivals across the country, including the Stratford Festival, SummerWorks, the Thousand Islands Playhouse, Western Canada Theatre, and more. She can be seen in the hit TV show Shoresy (Crave/Hulu), the film In Her City (Raven West Films Ltd.), and Web of Lies (Discovery+). Joelle has also narrated three audiobooks with Penguin Random House Canada. In 2020, Joelle was selected as the playwriting protege for the Siminovitch Prize by laureate Tara Beagan. In 2021, Frozen River was awarded the Sharon Enkin Plays for Young People Award at the annual Tom Hendry Awards. In 2023, the premiere production of Niizh was nominated for four Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Keep up with Joelle on Instagram: @joellepeters.jpg.

Kelli Marshall is Ojibway from the Mississauga territory of Hiawatha First Nation. She represents the Pike Clan. She's a dancer, activist, storyteller, Mother, sister, daughter and Aunty. Currently an Indigenous Enrolment Advisor for First People House of Learning at Trent University in Peterborough where she lives. Kelli has been pow wow dancing for ten years, but dancing since she could walk. She does multiple styles including Womens Traditional, Jingle, Fancy Shawl, and Smoke dance. She has had the honour of being DJ Shubs backup dancer for six years.

Kemar started his musical career at the age of 4. He studied with various renowned djembe masters at home and abroad including Les Ballets Africains in Conakry Guinea West Africa, Fareta School of Dance & Drum in Harlem New York and many more. He has worked closely from a young age with master Drummer M’bemba Bangoura and many more from the respected Djembe community. Kemar performs regularly with Ngoma Drum and Dance Ensemble and Lua Shayenne Dance Company. Performance highlights include; Dance Immersion Showcases and In-Studio presentations, Sharing The Stage (National Ballet of Canada and Harbourfront Centre), common ground festival, Toronto Raptors Giants of Africa celebration, The Power of Trust Conference, and many more.

A finalist of the 2024 Toronto Arts Foundation Muriel Sherrin Award, Lua Shayenne, a dynamic creator, intertwines contemporary narratives through dance, song, and storytelling. Inspired by her African heritage and the Baha'i Faith, her art ignites hearts and stirs consciences, fostering dialogue and advocacy for ecological stewardship, social equity, and spiritual growth.

Lua is the creator and performer of the dance theatre children's tale, 'Yassama and The Beaded Calabash’. She just concluded a second tour this May and June 2024 at the Junior Festival at Harbourfront (Toronto), Vancouver Children’s Festival, Children's Festival of Saskatchewan and in York region schools (Aurora, Keswick, Black River). Catch her this October at MIFO in Orléans.

Lua is the artistic director and choreographer of Lua Shayenne Dance Company (LSDC). Through LSDC, Lua boldly envisioned and launched YENSA Festival in 2022, a biennial festival that highlights the incredible multiplicity of black women dance practitioners and nurtures an environment where they can have substantive conversations, take risks and be given due recognitions.

Lua’s latest performing highlights include HOLOSCENES tours in the US, UK, Abu Dhabi & Australia, Été au Théâtre in Italy, Francofest, Fall for Dance North, Luminato, Dusk Dances, d:mic, Vox Théâtre, Sharing The Stage, etc.

 Lua teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University’s dance program and brings African dance, music, storytelling and culture to grassroots organizations and schools all over Canada and Europe.

Luashayenne.com | lG/FB: Luashayenne

An independent dance theatre artist with extensive experience in Bharatanatyam and Odissi dance techniques. Her primary training was under the tutelage of Dr. Menaka Thakkar, and Sujatha Mohapatra. She served as the Assistant Artistic Director of Menaka Thakkar Dance Company for 7 years, as well as assistant teacher at Nrtyakala for 20 years. She currently is an Associate Artist at Nova Dance involved in both creative and organizational roles. Neena completed her MA in Dance from York University and was a 2016 recipient of the Chalmers Arts Fellowship Grant. She made her theatrical debut in Theatre Smith’s Gilmour's Metamorphosis. Neena currently sits on the board of CADA west and The Dance Current Magazine and is currently on her own choreographic journey of exploration using her classical roots to fuel a contemporary outlook.

Neena Jayarajan will be teaching an introductory workshop on the basics of Bharatanatyam. This south Indian classical art form is known for its complex rhythms, and its intricate use of footwork, hands, face, and eyes to convey simple to complex stories. This workshop will explore using the body as a tool to hold rhythm while also conveying emotions through the techniques of Abhinaya!

Toronto based choreographer, director, educator, performer and theatre creator.

In 2018 she won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Director in Independent Theatre for a production of Mark Ravenhill’s Pool (No Water) which she co-created with Jill Harper and Cue6 Theatre. Her short film Grey Matter took home “Best Experimental Film” at the 3-Minute Film Festival in Santa Barbara, California in 2018.

Patricia Studied contemporary dance at ladmmi l’école danse contemporaine which she graduated from in 2007. She then went back to school to further her education in the field of dance and earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from York University which she completed in 2019. For the thesis research and project Patricia studied canonical counter discourse and adaptation theory. This developed her passion of approaching the western classics (Shakespeare, Ballet, etc.) through her own feminist, queer, and disabled lens.

Patricia was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in April of 2017 and is an advocate for disabled artists while continuing to familiarize herself with her new body. She is a member of the Shakespeare in the Ruff Leadership Collective and the Director of Communications at Generator. She is the lead producer for ArtistProducerResource.com

Photo by Dahlia Katz

Ravyn Wngz “The Black Widow of Burlesque” is a Tanzanian, Bermudian, Afro-indigenous 2Spirit, Queer and Transcendent empowerment storyteller. Ravyn is an abolitionist and co-founder of ILL NANA/DiverseCity Dance Company, Black Lives Matter Canada, & the Wildseed Centre for Arts & Activism, A Canadian Best Selling Author, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee (with Black Lives Matter) and Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada recipient of 2021. Ravyn is committed to eradicating all forms of anti-Black racism, settler colonialism systems of oppression while nurturing Black and Indigenous solidarity and healing in communities.  Her research is currently being used by DanceMakers to aid in the restructuring of the organization and moving forward with a healing justice community centered approach.

Photo credit: Jackie Brown Photography

A multifaceted performer, emerging choreographer, and dance educator based in Toronto, Ontario. She is a Dora nominated artist whose artistic practice centres art and movement as a powerful vessel for inner transformation, liberation, and healing. Her movement vocabulary has its roots in Jazz, West African, Afro-Caribbean, and western styles of movement. Rosie is also a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University (BFA). Some of her credits include Treemonisha (Volcano Theatre), Evita (Drayton Theatre), you, me, freedom (Rodney Diverlus), Trinity: Music, Dance & You (Vicki St. Denys), Dixon Road (Musical Stage Co), ZAYO (Esie Mensah), Water Spirit (Lua Shayenne Dance Company), and After Midnight (Norwegian Cruise Lines).

A dance artist: director, choreographer, mentor, dramaturg, curator, jury member, producer and performer.  A career spanning 24 years they have performed across Canada, Europe and in New York. Eilers recently attended Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity as Dance Artist In Residence 2023 to develop their newest choreography “Under The Same Sky”. In 2022 they attended COLOURS International Dance Festival (Stuttgart, Germany) with Shahar Binaymini (mentor OAC Chalmers Professional Development Grant 2021). Eilers has worked with artists Andrea Nann, Kathleen Rea, Peggy Baker, Megan English, Red Betti Theatre, Mayumi Lashbrook, Open Hearts Theatre, Industry and Kaeja D’dance. A graduate of the York University dance program (2004), Sid worked with Motus O Dance Theatre (2000-2006). In February 2014, Eilers founded Aeris Körper Contemporary Dance, through which they have produced and choreographed a number of immersive site specific performances and events in Hamilton, Burlington, Toronto and across the GTA. Acknowledging the oppressive constructs of how Canada was founded and continues to be shaped; Eilers engages in anti-oppressive work through Public Delegation with the City of Hamilton, Workshops with: Righting Relations, Neighbour 2 Neighbour, Sharing Privilege and Dodem Kenosha. Eilers is artistic staff at Canada’s National Ballet School, facilitating Contemporary Dance in their Community, Adult and Young Dancers Programs; and founder of TRANScenDANCE thanks to Rainbow One. Eilers cares for their growing child, two sentinel cats, and elderly mother.

"Eilers' choreography is sharp...Filled with exquisite contradictions, movement here is contracted and stark, then suddenly lyrical and lovely." Gary Smith
 
Photo Credit: Ashley Sloggett

E-RYT® 500, YACEP®, is an unapologetic intersectional pan-African abolitionist and fierce womanist from Sudan. As a multi-disciplinary social and healing justice educator and facilitator, she dismantles oppressive systems through her diverse roles as an integrative counsellor, social justice advocate, anti-oppression educator, wellness ambassador with lululemon, and emergency response reservist with the Canadian Red Cross. Her life's mission is rooted in decolonization and the radical empowerment of marginalized communities.

Forced to flee Sudan during the second civil war and following Bashir’s military coup, Tai arrived in Canada as a refugee with a revolutionary spirit. She founded the Red Ma'at Collective and the Red Ma’at Healing Centre to challenge and transform oppressive structures, all while completing her designation as a registered psychotherapist. Tai's relentless commitment to healing her own traumas drives her insurgent efforts to ignite profound change and liberation within the community.

"Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'" ~ Angela Davis

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.