Short&Sweet Toronto Returns

Celia Green

Celia Green’s practice includes choreographing, directing, writing and performance. They create highly physical, intimate performances that explore bodily sensation, mess, and the pursuit of freedom. Grounded in care and rigor, their collaborative practice and creations draw on their experiences as a queer, trans-masculine person and their background in care work with children and families. Celia’s work has been presented & supported by OFFTA, The SummerWorks Festival, Dancemakers, English Theatre Berlin, the Toronto Dance Love-In, and The Rhubarb Festival. Celia has completed residencies at LA SERRE, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and Toronto Dance Theatre. They recently presented their solo work, Jason, to sold-out audiences at the 2025 SummerWorks Festival. Find them online @boybitch96 / https://www.celiagreen.net/

Sofi Gudiño

About Sofi: Sofi Gudiño (they/them) is a dance artist, drag king and community organizer based in Toronto. Raised in flamenco and established in contemporary dance, Sofi’s work is marked by emotional intensity and choreographic risk. 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. In 2014, Sofi founded the Inamorata Dance Collective as a site to explore flamenco outside of its traditional presentations. As a choreographer, Gudiño has enjoyed residencies at The Toronto Dance Theatre,  Dancemakers, and the National Ballet of Canada’s Open Space, with choreographic premieres including Nuit Blanche, Pride, and with their award nominated piece, Picaza, in Toronto Fringe. Sofi was nominated in the 2023 Johanna Performing Arts Prizes for their recognized impact on the field, and assumed the role of Festival Director at Dusk Dances in 2024.

About Ricardo: RRRicardo la Dulce (he/him) is a flamenco drag king, Mexican only-son and soon to be winner of your corazón de melón. Ricardo is inspired by flamboyant male birds of the tropics, and is a helpless flirt determined to show off his brightest feathers in the hopes of becoming your next crush. Ricardo first stepped on stage in Citadel + Compagnie’s Spring Mix 2024 as PAJAROJITO, with support from National Ballet of Canada’s Open Space programme. Ricardo has also appeared at Les Femmes Fatales with Irmita la Dulce, brought his flamenco trio to Guelph Dance Festival 2025 and is preparing another excerpt of his solo show to share at Caminos Festival in Toronto on October 4. Prepare to be serenaded. 

Tyler Quincy Yan

Tyler Quincy Yan (he/him) is a 26-year-old dancer, choreographer, and educator based in Toronto. His training spans street styles of punking/whacking/waacking, hip-hop, and house, and choreography styles best labelled as commercial and jazz funk.

Since moving to Toronto in 2021, Tyler has shared as an educator and organizer in the Whacking/Waacking community while maintaining his craft by battling nationally and internationally—winning “Street Players” and “Fleur It!” waacking battles in Toronto, and placing in Supernature Montréal, Vancouver Street Dance Festival, and Red Bull DYS Canada.

His work has extended to the commercial industry and dance theatre, with recent work including “Bodies of Nature” by KINAJ, “@profile” with Meaningful Movement, and the choreographic process of “HUMAN” by Hanna Kiel.

He considers his artistry as varied in movement and music, but always defined by a character-driven, whimsical approach to making memorable moments—whether through unexpected humour, nostalgia, or just excitement over good dancing!

Johnathan Morin

Johnathan Morin is a 34 year old indigenous (Nehiyaw) tap dancer hailing from Treaty 6 Edmonton, Alberta. Now residing in Treaty 13 Toronto Ontario he is a force in the tap dance community and known across the country and around the world. A Dora Award Nominee, Johnathan co-produces and co directs Rhythm and Sound Dance Company alongside Cori Giannotta and also runs his own drop in classes in Toronto. His passion for the dance has brought him across the country as well as internationally as a performer and educator. Some of his accolades include Tap Ahead Festival in Düsseldorf Germany, TD Toronto Jazz Festival, Sarah Reich’s Tap Music Project, Vancouver International Tap Festival, and the Toronto International Tap Festival.

With his talent, dedication, and impressive list of accomplishments, Johnathan Morin is sure to continue making rhythmic waves in the world of Canadian tap dance for years to come.

Keith Cole

For more information about Keith Cole… just ask around.

Nikki Huang

Nikki Huang is a Taiwanese percussionist who completed her Master’s in Percussion Performance at the University of Toronto, where she also worked as a research assistant in the Technology and Performance Integration Lab. A passionate storyteller, she explores character and narrative through performance and thrives in collaborative environments. Her work spans original compositions, jazz vibraphone, children’s musical theatre, and interdisciplinary workshops. She has performed with Women From Space, Coexisdance, Esprit Orchestra, New Music Concerts, and The Happenstancers. Nikki’s accolades include the 2023 LCO Concerto Competition win, a 2023 Travel Grant from the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the 2024 Carolyn and Robert Lake Graduating Award, and a 2024 Travel Grant from the University of Toronto. She was an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre and part of the Performer-Composer Residency at the Westben Centre in July 2024. In 2023, she joined the ULYSSES Ensemble, performing with Ensemble Intercontemporain during the ULYSSES Platform for Young Musicians.

Shona Kiyama (木山 晶南)

Shona Kiyama (木山 晶南, she/her) is a Japanese-Canadian movement artist from what is colonially considered Burnaby, BC. Known for her versatility and dedication, Shona’s movement vocabulary spans various styles such as contemporary, tap, concert and vernacular jazz, ballet, street styles, modern (Limon and Graham), West African, and musical theater. Kiyama was a co-choreographer and performer in the film Something To Forget Me By, directed by Erin Lum and Corrine Langmuir, which received the Audience Choice Award at the Festival of Recorded Movement in 2022. She graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Performance Dance Program with honours in 2024, and has since worked with companies such as Human Body Expression, Transcen|dance Project, Kaeja d’Dance, and the Parahumans.

Карина Казнова

Born and raised in Ukraine, Karyna Kaznova is a Toronto-based dancer, choreographer, and teacher whose work bridges technique and experimentation. With over nine years of experience, she has guided thousands of students internationally, nurturing creativity through projects like her “Free Movement” laboratory and classes at studios including Run the Flex, Studio North, MyWay Dance Centre, TopOne Dance Centre, and at camps such as UA21, Pull Up 2.0.

Her performance credits include concerts and music videos with artists like Nadia Dorofeeva, Tina Karol, and director Tanu Muino. Her journey has taken her from international competitions and workshops to large-scale showcases, where she continues to share her artistry.

Rooted in Hip-Hop, Contemporary, and Commercial dance, Karyna’s work celebrates freedom of expression, connection, and transformation through movement.

Kate Nankervis

Kate Nankervis is a recognized dancer, choreographer, teacher, and curator whose practice spans collaboration, movement research, performance, installation, and exhibition. Her work intertwines dance with care, lived experience, and deep connections to nature as a collaborative guide.
Kate has received the UNESCO Performing Arts Award (2008), the Ontario Arts Council’s Chalmers Fellowship in Dance Curation (2016), and the danceWEB Scholarship at ImpulsTanz Vienna (2019). For over 15 years, she has performed and collaborated with artists across Canada and internationally.
Kate’s curatorial practice embraces lo-fi, do-it-together communities. She co-directed Toronto Dance Community Love-In (2010–19), hub14 art+performance(2013–16), fostering spaces that nurture artistic development, movement research, and creation within experimental dance and performance. Based in Tkaronto, with roots in Northern Ontario, Kate also works and studies in Berlin. www.katenankervis.com

Kéïta Fournier-Pelletier

Kéïta Fournier-Pelletier (she/they) is a queer, Métis, Franco-Manitoban artist from Winnipeg currently based in Tkaronto. They are continuously discovering what these intersecting identities mean to them, and the role they play in their artistic endeavours. Kéïta is a graduate from Dance Arts Institute (formerly the School of Toronto Dance Theatre), and holds a BFA in Dance from York University. Her work has been presented in Toronto, Hamilton, and Kitchener. As a collaborator she has worked with national and international choreographers and local theatre companies. Recent credits include touring with Métis dance company, V’ni Dansi across BC, and performing in Heidi’s Strauss’ newest work, tender. She is passionate about learning and has recently attended a 5-week Flying Low & Passing Through intensive with David Zambrano, in Brussels, Belgium (both in 2024 and 2025). She hopes to continue to develop these techniques and incorporate them into her teaching practice.

Purawai Vyas

Purawai Vyas is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher who has trained in Bharatanatyam for over 20 years under Guru Lata Pada at Sampradaya Dance Academy. Alongside her classical training, she studied ballet, contemporary dance, and Kalarippayattu during her undergraduate career, earning an Honours BFA in Dance with a Honours BSc in Biomedical Sciences from York University. She has performed in acclaimed productions such as Svāhā!, Sankhya, and Mandala, which toured across seven Indian cities. Her work has been presented at leading festivals in Toronto including Grit Short Dances Festival, Night Shift and Common Ground Festival. As Founder and Artistic Director of Shvas Dance Company, Purawai is passionate about growing new possibilities for Indian classical and folk dance, where tradition and classicism meet contemporary expression.

Brayden Cairns

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.

Kayleigh Kennedy

Kayleigh Kennedy (she/they) is a Queer, Neurodivergent, and disabled artist and advocate whose work centers on amplifying the voices of the blind, Deaf, Deafblind, and broader disabled communities. Born in Oromocto, New Brunswick and raised in Brockville, Ontario, Kayleigh brings deep empathy and lived experience to both her advocacy and artistic practice.

With roots in dance and theatre from a young age, Kayleigh was forced to step away from dancing over a decade ago due to chronic illness—but never left the stage entirely. Since then, she has performed internationally with a Deaf drama troupe, including in Colombia and as part of the first fully Deaf cast to appear at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her performances center Deaf and disabled narratives, using art as a tool to challenge ableism and celebrate community.

This marks Kayleigh’s return to dance after more than ten years. For Kayleigh, dance is not about perfection—it’s about expression, connection, and creating space where all bodies can move, be seen, and be celebrated, and show that dance belongs to everyone—regardless of physical limitations.

Whether performing, advocating, or creating space for others, Kayleigh is committed to ensuring disabled voices are not only heard, but celebrated.

Millina 'Fletch' Fletcher

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.

Jamari Whittaker

Jamari Whittaker, known as “Rhino”, is a prominent Toronto-based street dancer passionate in krumping. His engaging performances filled with character and technique garner widespread acclaim, even recently landing himself as the 2023 Canadian champion of Red Bull Dance Your Style. Rhino is also rooted in community, where he teaches krump dance and culture through workshops and classes throughout the GTA.