Eyes on Beginnings

2:00 - 4:00PM ET
Doors open at 1:30 PM ET
at the Winchester Street Theatre Winchester Street Theatre , 80 Winchester Street (VIEW MAP)

Accessibility Info: Unfortunately the Winchester Street Theatre is not currently wheelchair accessible. There are three steps outside of the front entrance, a small platform, and then three more steps to the lobby (a straight hallway that then leads you to the theatre). To access the private gender-neutral restrooms, there are five additional steps at the end of the lobby. The seats in the theatre are on risers with stairs; please contact info@tdt.org if you have any questions regarding accessing our space.

Fall 2024 Edition

It is always an inspiring moment when a new creative idea sparks, and with our new Works-In-Progress Series, you can be in the studio where it happens. Occurring once in the fall and spring, Toronto artists have the chance to share 10 minutes of new material followed by a facilitated audience feedback session. Come to discover fresh choreographic propositions and play an important role in the development of artistic works in our community by offering your perspectives! This is a free event, RSVP is recommended.

Artist Participants

Brianna Maltais and Leah Reinardy

Brianna Maltais is a tap dancer and improviser with a focus on tap dance history, musical collaboration, and the exploration of textural soundscapes.

Her performance credits include appearances with The Skyliners Big Band at the Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival, Get Out and Dance produced by Simcoe Contemporary Dancers, the Toronto International Dance Festival, and Dance Against the Wind, produced by Vintage Taps Company and starring Brenda Buffalino.

Brianna contributed to the 2024 Toronto International Tap Dance Festival as part of the production team for Toffan Rhythm Projects. She also co-produced an event for Barrie Culture Days celebrating Canadian tap dancer Joey Hollingsworth.

Brianna is excited to present her work-in-progress, developed in collaboration with Leah Reinardy, at Eyes on Beginnings. This piece emerged during Heather Cornell’s Legacy Project, where she has studied with tap masters Heather Cornell, Dianne Walker, and Max Pollak.

Leah Reinardy is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and composer whose creative work is most informed by limitations. As a disabled artist, they view their limitations as parameters that spark the creative process rather than barriers to overcome.

Leah studied percussion and jazz piano at Hope College in West Michigan, where they served as musical director for tap master Heather Cornell for 2 years. This transformative experience led them to collaborate as a percussionist/pianist with dancers of many disciplines, including tap dance masters Katherine Kramer and Brenda Bufalino, samba and maracatu dancers in Madison’s Otimo Dance Company, and the Grand Rapids Ballet.

They are currently based in Madison, Wisconsin where they serve as an educator, bandleader, and perpetual student of the arts.

Emily Duckett

Emily Duckett (she/they) is a Black, queer, dance artist residing in Tkaronto. They’re artistic expression is profoundly influenced by they’re intersecting identities. Emily’s practice is based on the belief that creating and manipulating art is a communal endeavor. Focusing on the idea that dance is a vehicle for de-socialization, leaving deeply embedded societal constraints behind and instead existing whole heartily in the body. Since graduating from York University with a BFA in Dance and a Specialized Honor in performance and choreography in 2022, Emily has collaborated with esteemed companies such as Mocean Dance, The Garage, Wind in the Leaves Collective, Kinetic Studio and ProArteDanza. At present, their artistic exploration centers on themes of unity, chaos, visceral instincts, pleasure, paradoxes, and risk taking.

Ben King

Ben King is a dance artist based in Tkaronto/Toronto. They are a recent graduate of Dance Arts Institute (formerly The School of Toronto Dance Theatre), where they had the opportunity to collaborate with established artists such as Alyssa Martin, Riley Sims, B Solomon, Michael Caldwell, and Heidi Strauss. They are interested in the navigation of contemporary life and the human psyche refracted through impulsive, hedonistic movement that pokes fun at classical modern dance and embraces uncanny theatricality. Through the DaCo choreographic residency in 2023, Ben presented their work, The Sims: On Ice!, with the support of Peggy Baker, David Norsworthy, and Angela Blumberg. Ben strongly believes that dance should be a pleasurable experience for the performer, the choreographer, and the audience alike, and strives to use their skills as a choreographer and music composer to create vibrant, engaging pieces of dance theatre that are both touching and thought-provoking.