Our Team

Andrew Tay was born in Windsor, Ontario where he attended the Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts. Since finishing his B.F.A in contemporary dance at Concordia University, Andrew has presented his work at venues and festivals throughout Canada, New York and Europe. His work has appeared in films, installations and multimedia projects for companies such as Moment Factory, Bravo! and Gentilhomme. He has worked with well-known choreographer Doris Ulhich (Vienna) in the creation of More than Naked, which toured extensively throughout Europe.

In 2005 Andrew co-founded (with collaborator Sasha Kleinplatz) the company Wants&Needs Danse.  Since then the company has produced the wildly popular dance events Piss in the Pool, Short&Sweet and Involved in Montreal. In June 2012, the duo choreographed the Cirque du Soleil show Les Frontieres de Pixels and were nominated for a Quebec Notables award in the Arts&Culture category.

Residencies have included the Foundation Jean-Pierre Perrault, the summer artist in residency program at studio 303, Usine C (Montreal), Montreal Danse Choreographic Atelier, The Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), the K3 centre for choreographic research (Hamburg), sign 6 (Brussels) and Skånes Konstförening (Malmo, Sweden).

Andrew was awarded the Dance WEB scholarship in May 2012 (Vienna, Impulstanz festival). In 2013 he was chosen to participate in the Rencontres internationales de jeunes créateurs (Montreal, Festival TransAmériques 2013) and 8 Days, an annual intergenerational meeting of dance artists from across Canada organized by the company Public Recordings. He has also participated in The Copycat Academy (as part of the Luminato Festival, Toronto) curated by Hannah Hurtzig (Berlin) for two editions, and created work with dancers at Toronto Dance Theatre through the company’s inaugural Emerging Voices Project in 2015. He has served as a board member of ELAN (the English Language Artists Network in Quebec) and the RQD – le Regroupement québécois de la danse.

In 2016, his work Fame Prayer / EATING was awarded the Vanguard Award for Risk and Innovation from the Summerworks Performance Festival Toronto. Fame Prayer was subsequently presented at Fierce UK (Birmingham) 2017 Theatre La Chapelle (Montreal) 2018 and Diver Festival (Tel Aviv) 2019. Make Banana Cry (co-authored with Stephen Thompson) premiered at the M.A.I in 2017, and was later presented La Galerie de l’UQAM in the context of the exhibit Refus Contraire 2018 as well as the Nottdance Festival and Fierce UK in 2019. The work will continue to tour internationally for 2020.

Before relocating to Toronto in August 2020 to begin his leadership at TDT, Andrew was the Artistic Curator of the O Vertigo Centre for Creation in Montreal since January 2017, reimagining the company’s activities in its new mandate as a choreographic centre and artist incubator. He actively thinks about community, irreverence and resistance in both his performance and curatorial practices.

As a cultural worker, Michael Toppings has worked for some 25 years in both the visual and performing arts in several provinces such as Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and for organizations such as New Dance Horizons in Regina, Dancing on the Edge in Vancouver, the Banff Centre, PPS Danse & Sinha Danse in Montreal. Toppings was the Executive and Artistic Director at MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) where he worked from 2009 through to 2022. Most recently, he has held the position of artistic advisor with La Machinerie.

Toppings is also an interdisciplinary artist who was born and raised in Quebec, although he has lived nearly half of his life elsewhere. He has created works that attempt to modify the reading experience in order to transform the reader’s role to one of spectator, listener and active participant. His artistic practice also, therefore, blur boundaries between publication and exhibition and production. His works are brews of varnish and raw, popular cultural references and social realism, oscillating between the sublime and the pedestrian, between the factual and the fictional.

Rosemary James assumed the role of Rehearsal Director in 1992 after a successful career performing with Toronto Dance Theatre. She has mentored, taught, coached, and remounted the choreographies of Christopher House, former Artistic Director of TDT from 1994-2022. In this position she continues to direct rehearsals, teach, and participate in collaborations with artistic, administrative, and production teams. James has taught in the Professional Training Program at DAI (formerly The School of Toronto Dance Theatre) since 1987 and was the Training and Performing Associate from 2009-2021, under the expert leadership of Artistic Director Patricia Fraser. She has taught modern dance courses at York University, and is currently a contract lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at TDT. James is passionate about sharing the Martha Graham Technique with future generations of dancers. She was invited to teach this valuable and foundational movement vocabulary at Performing Dance Arts  from 2022-2023. Her collaborations with colleagues include an audio series entitled, Reconnecting with Black Dancers from the 80’s and Early 90’s (2021), co–producer for the film, Celebrating Patricia Beatty: Artist, Choreographer, Teacher (2021), and in 2024 she crafted personal tributes for departing TDT ensemble artists. In 2023, James was honoured with The Charles Augins Inspirational Artist Award from the International Association of Blacks in Dance for her dedication and contribution to the dance community. James holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts in dance from York University. 

Katrina Medalle, a Tkaronto-born, Mississauga-raised multidisciplinary artist, navigates the dynamic artistic and digital market with resilience and ingenuity. Emerging from limited resources, she’s founded a creative consultancy and artist collective, evolving from a Unit Production Manager to a skilled Producer and Director, demonstrating growth and adaptability in screenwriting and independent filmmaking. As an artist, advocate, writer and filmmaker, Katrina cultivates inclusive communities and expertly assembles teams across Pilot Programs, TV/Web Series, Short Films, Editorial Photography, Runway Production, Dance, Live Performance and Visual Branding. She embraces transformative leadership, advocating for under-represented artists in the community, and sets higher production standards while constantly engaging in dialogues about diasporic experiences and artistic expressions of resistance.

Sara Khajeh was born and raised in Iran and moved to Toronto at the age of 19. The city’s vibrant multicultural environment ignited her passion for volunteer work and deepened her commitment to community engagement. She earned a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship from TMU in Toronto and brings over 15 years of experience in event production and operations, driven by a passion for teamwork and cultural impact.

Since joining Toronto Dance Theatre as an Associate Producer in March 2024, she has been inspired by the organization’s significant contributions to the arts community. She is currently working as an Associate Producer for the Toronto Dance Theatre’s 2024-2025 season and as Project Lead for the Global Toronto Music Festival 2024. Her extensive experience includes roles such as Deputy Operations Director at Tirgan Festival since 2020, Site Manager at Distillery District for Tirgan Festival in 2017 and 2019, Volunteer Coordinator for Small World Music’s Global Toronto Conference since 2022, and Project Coordinator for the City of Toronto’s Nuit Blanche in 2022 and 2023, overseeing the Agha Khan Museum and part of the Humber College site.

Sara’s journey as an immigrant has profoundly shaped her values, culture, and identity, enriching her perspective and enhancing her dedication to creating inclusive and impactful cultural events. She continues to leverage her producing skills and entrepreneurial spirit to celebrate and share diverse cultural experiences with the community.

Vickie Fagan is an award-winning filmmaker and writer. She launched Fagan Media Group in 2010. Vickie’s media background includes over fifteen years with Chum Television, where she worked as a producer of arts documentaries, short films, and series television.

Fagan acted as creator, producer, and co-writer on the holiday film” The Curse of Clara, A Holiday Tale,” based on a short story written by Fagan. A co-production with Smiley Guy Studios and Veronica Tennant Productions, the animated film premiered on CBC Television in December 2015 and continues to air annually. The Curse of Clara won the 2017 Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Series or Program.

Her extensive communications background encompasses work as an interviewer, writer, and producer. Her writing has been featured in the Globe and Mail, TVO digital, Descant Literary Journal, Dance Collection Danse Magazine, and Zoomer online.

Fagan is the Director of Development for Dance Collection Dance and Producer of the annual DCD Hall of Fame event.

Based in Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal and Tkaronto/Toronto, Camil Bellefleur is an emerging contemporary dance artist. They completed their training at the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2020 and have danced with Daina Ashbee, Charlie Prince, Jean Benoit-Labrecque, LA TRESSE Collective and Le Radeau. They completed their training in inclusive dance approaches with Corpuscule Danse. Camil’s solo work entitled First Layers was presented at Tangente in 2022 and at the first edition of the Mauricie Arts Vivants festival in 2023, for which they were a finalist for the Creative Momentum award of Culture Mauricie. They are currently working on their next creation, Queer Core – Embodiment.

To deepen their artistic approach oriented towards social change, Camil completed a cumulative bachelor’s degree at UQÀM in 2023, which includes a certificate in Critical Sexuality Studies, a second in Feminist Studies, and a third in Sociology.

They wish to make their bodily practice a space for emancipatory healing, liberation, transformation, risk-taking, and a safe space for growing together.

Brayden Jamil Cairns (he/they) is a Toronto-based performance artist, costume designer, and long time lover. Bray left rural Ontario in 2015 to train at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Performance. Since his training, Bray has worked with the likes of Alyssa Martin, Rodney Diverlus and many of his peers in collaborative processes. Bray is interested in movement that can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life. He binds dance and lived experience to create tantalizing works of art; combining media such as writing and film to create a living collage. Many of these ideas come from a powerful need to uplift the queer and BIPOC communities. Bray will often be found researching what it is to feel pleasure and what can come from self-exploration.

Millina Fletcher, AKA Fletch (any pronouns) is a Tkaronto based dance artist who infuses her queer and Barbadian/French roots in both her creative work and her everyday life. Fletch is a well versed, expressive, outgoing and open minded individual who sees the world as an abundant site for colour and creativity. She identifies as a dancer, choreographer, music enthusiast, and an extrovert who enjoys expressing her identity and queerness through dance and fashion. Fletch recently obtained her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Performance Dance at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson). She is open, audacious, and always eager to learn about new ways to create impactful art through the medium of her greatest passion, movement.

Megumi Kokuba was born on the southernmost island of Japan, Okinawa. She studied ballet with joy from the age of two. After graduating from College in Okinawa, Megumi came across contemporary dance and was smitten. She moved to Toronto to train in dance and is a proud graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (now Dance Arts Institute). Megumi joined the company as a TD Dance Intern in 2012/2013, and she has had many inspiring creation and performance opportunities in Toronto ever since. As a dance artist, her main focus is to help the environment. Actions like listening, holding space and prioritizing active communication are at the forefront of her personal practice.

Ryan Kostyniuk is a queer artist born and raised in Sylvan Lake, Alberta and is currently based in Tkaronto/Toronto. They are a graduate from The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (2019) and have been a guest artist with Toronto Dance Theatre since the 2019/2020 season. They have performed works by many acclaimed choreographers across Canada as well as international choreographers Emese Nagy (MA•ZE) and Shannon Gillen (VimVigor). Ry has choreographed solo/duet works which have been performed in Toronto, and toured internationally. They currently find inspiration from the queer nightlife and rave scene, and continue to explore themes in their work based around sexuality, and gender expression.

Roberto is the new era no longer restricted by time she walks the earth with patience noticing how all is changing he doesn’t interfere she listens he watches ready for nothing yet it all shows it’s true colours the sun and the moon have her life and it’s the random that keeps him alive.

I am Roberto Soria, and as a seeker of pleasure it only makes sense that movement has been a part of my life for so many years.

I am:
a raver
a dj/creator of noise
a lover
a photographer/filmmaker
a sagittarius
a company dancer for toronto dance theatre
and friendly so if you see me in the street come say hi!

Elizabeth Yip 葉倩儀 (b. 2001) is a contemporary dance artist from Vancouver, Canada. Her dance practice is grounded in passion, dynamics, and emotion. She is a graduate of Modus Operandi under the direction of Kate Franklin, Tiffany Tregarthen, and David Raymond and received the Fall 2023 EDAM Training Scholarship in contact improvisation. Elizabeth has performed and originated roles in work by Yin Yue Dance, Shay Kuebler/RSA, b. solomon, Nicolas Ventura, Khoudia Touré, and Zahra Shahab. Elizabeth pursues work that is that is theatrical, virtuosic, and tender. Her past artistic choreographic residencies include the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Boombox, and Vines Art Festival. Before joining TDT, she was an apprentice with Shay Kuebler/RSA.

Emmett Bradshaw (they/she/he) is a non-binary movement and performance artist currently based in Tkaronto. In 2024, they graduated from Dance Arts Institute (formerly The School of Toronto Dance Theatre) as class valedictorian and recipient of the Leslie Wood Leadership Award. Emmett has been fortunate to train under a variety of prolific contemporary choreographers, including Antonin Rioche, Akira Yoshida, Padmini Chetteur, Yin Yue, Lea Ved, Laurence Lemeux, DA Hoskins, Lukas Malkowski and Brandy Leary. Their training has offered them the opportunity to perform at Hillside Inside, the Guelph Dance Festival, B12 Summer Festival, a performance tour in Spain with Slam Dance Barcelona and InSitu in partnership with Frog In Hand. Emmett is currently choreographing for the Garage TO, in process with The Dietrich Group and teaching in Guelph and in Tiger Princess Dance Project’s Swallowing Clouds program. Their own choreography explores sensation through the influence of sound design, intimacy and physical effort.

Justin de Luna (b. 1993) is a queer dance artist based in tiohtià:ke / Mooniyang, or so-called Montréal. Originally from Toronto, Justin studied at the Toronto Metropolitan University where he obtained his BFA in Dance in 2015. After graduation, he spent two seasons with Toronto Dance Theatre before moving to Montreal in 2017 where he continues working freelance today. Most recently, Justin worked on the creation of UNARMOURED by Clara Furey and continues performing the piece to this day. As a maker, Justin’s work has been presented at a range of different platforms and contexts in Toronto and Montreal. These include his independent creations as well as his collaborations with Fran Chudnoff, David Norsworthy, Winnie Ho and Danah Rosales. Aside from his work on stage, Justin was also the co-curator of Studio 303’s Queer Performance Camp, alongside Winnie Ho between 2021 and 2023.

Rakeem Hardy (they/them) is a dance artist, creator, and educator, originally hailing from Mississauga, Ontario. They received their BFA from Purchase College, SUNY, and were the 2020 recipient of the Thayer Fellowship Award. They have performed works by Doug Varone, Sidra Bell, Norbert De La Cruz III, and Roderick George. They received additional training at the Taipei National University of the Arts, and Springboard Danse Montreal under the direction of Alexandra Wells. They have had the pleasure of performing and collaborating with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Coté Danse, Loni Landon Dance Projects, LA TRESSE, and Gallim Dance. Rakeem is currently a member of the Vancouver-based company, Kidd Pivot, under the direction of Crystal Pite.

Clara Isgro is a dancer, performer, choreographer, and artist based in Toronto, Ontario. Her most notable places of training include For The Love Of It School of Dance, Etobicoke School of the Arts, and Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) where she has received training in ballet, contemporary, modern, concert/vernacular jazz, and street styles. Clara is a teacher and choreographer at For The Love Of It School of Dance where she teaches multiple classes of varying styles and choreographs contemporary pieces. She was recently on tour in Seoul, South Korea with Human Body Expression performing Hanna Kiel’s newest work “BODY” as part of the Seoul International Dance Festival. Clara has worked with a variety of well-known choreographers such as: Hanna Kiel, Stephanie Lake, Alyssa Martin, Bonnie Kim, Jesse Obremski, Daile Carrazana, Louis Laberge-Cote, Julia Cratchley, and Kelly Shaw. Clara has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Performance Dance.

At a tender age in her native land of sweet Jam Dung (Jamaica) was where her talents were first discovered. She was born with art in her blood. Constantly surrounded by family and friends who danced, sang, acted, modelled, played instruments, and painted are roots that she will never forget as they have been apart of shaping the artistic woman she is today. She has entered competitions in musical genres of Soca, Contemporary, Dancehall, Kumina and other Afro-Caribbean Folk-dance forms. She furthered her training of being a versatile dancer in the genres of Jazz, Ballet, Latin and Ballroom, Vogue and House, etc since moving to Canada in 2011. She has received performance opportunities with various artists both local and international. She is an Active member of the TKBA (Toronto kiki ballroom alliance) within the Supreme Kiki House of Christian Siriano where she will soon make her debut as “GodMotha” Mystique where she also reigns as Canada’s female figure Runway Standard. She has choreographed for international Caribbean artistes such as Baby Cham, Preedy, Patrice Roberts and Kerwin Du Bois.

You could also find her behind the scenes of NYFW as the movement director and assistant stylist for designers such as RVNG Couture. Her most recent appearance was seen in Toronto Dance Theatre’s Dora Award Nominated, Convergent Divergency – “Give ME One” as well as Myst Milano’s Uncanny Valley Canada Wide Tour as their Back Up Dancer and The Adidas x TFC campaign. When She is not busy dipping her toes in all areas of the Entertainment industry, she is busy teaching drop- in classes in the genre of Dancehall in the GTA choreographing and designing fashion shows, Training models or the “gworls” before they head into the battle zone as well as curating artistic events in name of preserving and evolving the community.

She is an eccentric trailblazer through multiple forms who plans to make a positive impact and leave her mark on the world while pursuing and achieving her artistic goals and fulfilling all her life’s purpose. This is Kelly-Ann Johnson aka Ern (pronounced earn) in motion.

Erin Poole is a dance artist and maker in Toronto. She was a part of the Toronto Dance Theatre ensemble since 2017. Through both TDT and freelance opportunities, she has worked and toured with many incredible artists in a range of different processes and performances. She is endlessly curious about the nature of collaboration – as a way to behold how both being together, and with self occurs. For her, dancing is the conversation and the portal through which she can practice this.

Erin’s own choreographic research has taken place at CLEaR Forum with Mocean Dance in Nova Scotia; mentor Justine Chambers, the Atlas Program for ImpulsTanz in Vienna; mentors Angélique Willkie & Mélanie Demers. Her solo video and textile work was presented at Nuit Blanche 2022, and a conversational piece published in the Capilano Review. 

Devon is a Black queer dance artist in Tkaronto/Toronto. He’s currently in the midst of a rebirth period in which his creative practice is coming to know itself. He was trained predominantly in western dance traditions, but recently has begun training and performing in Black dance vocabularies. These experiences have allowed him to recognize the viability of a creative practice centring Black communities, and exploring African expressive artistic  technologies. He is happy to be returning back to TDT as one of the 2024/2025 guest company dancers for the remount of The Magic of Assembly and Coalescing Towards by Michele Rizzo. 

Dora award-nominated artist, Derek Souvannavong is a dance artist based in Tkaronto (Toronto). Souvannavong is a graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours Dance Program at York University, where his achievements in choreography and performance were recognized with the Spedding Memorial Scholarship and the Menaka Thakkar Award in World Dance. He has recently premiered solo work “this identity: woven” at Dance:Made in Canada/Fait au Canada, co-created in collaboration with Peggy Baker. Souvannavong has performed in various works by Ballet Creole, Frog in Hand, Rumi Jeraj as well as worked with artists Danny Grossman, Eddie Kastrau, Laurence Lemieux, Tracey Norman, Emily Cheung, Yui Ugai and Newton Moraes. Of Lao heritage, Souvannavong is intrigued by traditional Lao dance forms and wishes to continue exploring relations between Lao dance forms and the western diaspora of contemporary dance, weaving together his Lao heritage into his work. 

Ann Trépanier is a dance artist and maker based between Berlin and Tkaronto. Her work is grounded in collaborative processes, exploring subjective paths of listening, layers of consciousness, and relationships, human and non-human. Trusting portals of intuition, pleasure-sourcing, and embracing the emerging clumsiness and humor as elements guiding her processes. She has worked with, for, and alongside a range of makers including Amanda Acorn, Amelia Ehrhardt, Angela Vitovec, Bill Coleman, Bob Kil, Christine Bonansea, Jennifer Dallas, Kate Nankervis, Meryem Alaoui, Naishi Wang, Nina Beier and Sun Ra Arkestra. Ann joined the Toronto Dance Community Love-In (2018-2022) as one of their Co-Artistic Directors. Ann is a graduate from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre.