SUMMER INTENSIVE FACULTY
faculty is subject to change
Kylie thompson
DIRECTOR & CREATION CHOREOGRAPHER
Kylie Thompson (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary performer, creator and educator residing in Toronto, Ontario, her credits including the Barenaked Ladies, Finger Eleven, Kiesza, the Garage, Gadfly Dance Company, TIFF, Hit and Run Productions, Dance: Made in Canada Festival, DanceWorks, Toronto Fringe, Vancouver Fringe, Orlando Fringe and more. She considers herself an ally to the BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ communities. She is also an accomplished photographer, and has made a number of well presented dance films including “Versus” and “Intrinsecus Latet”. As an experienced educator having taught at events large and small all across Canada, she loves to see dancers thriving in class and discovering their own unique voices and pathways in the world of dance.
Kylie is passionate about training and nurturing a generous, thoughtful and collaborative dancer. Under her guidance at the Summer
Intensive, students will not only expand their arsenal of tools and pathways, but develop collaborative skills, team building, creative writing and critical thinking.
Amanda Pye (TORONTO)
Declutter + Decondition
Workshop description coming soon
Amanda Pye is a movement artist, actor, and writer. She has collaborated with a wide range of creators including Mikaela Demers, I/O Movement, Candice Irwin, Sasha French, Aeris Korper, Krista Newey, Kate Hilliard, Apollonia Velasquez, Jaz Fairy J, Alias Dance Project, Frog in Hand and Shotgun Juliet Theater Company. Most recently, Amanda participated in adelheid dance projects work “on air” created by Heidi Strauss; which earned a Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble. Inside Amanda’s own creative practice, she prioritizes breaking down learn systems by approaching body and being as brand new – this is supported through work in the Feldenkrais method, meditation, acting and character development, and a creative writing practice.
— Photo by Marlowe Porter
Jessie GaroN (TORONTO)
Working in Uncertainty ~ Practising performance ~
This workshop plays with agency, togetherness and uncertainty through an improvisational group structure. Uncertainty is a rich, creative state without ego. Together we will play with ways to cultivate it intentionally. The structure of this practice encourages a deliberate degree of miscommunication. We aim to harness this chaos to let unexpected things appear and seek a generative state together that hinges on play and presence.
We will practise kind disobedience. We will touch base with the fullness of ourselves, shake things loose, take turns witnessing, and attune to our impulses, to each other and to those watching. Most importantly we will practise unconditional support for ourselves and each other.
How do we remain in a state of unknowing together?
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Jessie Garon (she/they) is a queer performer and choreographer working in contemporary dance theatre. Originally from a homesteaded family farm in Alberta, she is now based in Tkaronto/Toronto. She is a graduate of Dance Arts Institute after which she interned for Ate9 Dance Company (Los Angeles) under Artistic Director Danielle Agami studying Gaga Movement Language daily.
She has worked with artists such as Brandy Leary/Anandam Dance Theatre, Jennifer Dallas/Kemi Contemporary Dance Projects, Serge Bennathan, Lemi Ponifasio/MAU (New Zealand), Clarice Lima/Futura (Brazil) and Sara Porter.
— Photo by Roya Delsol
Laura Perron (MONTRÉAL)
Improvisation and Phrasework
Laura's passion for teaching and her curiosity about the psychological development of dancers have led her to explore new learning techniques rooted in understanding, connection, and play.
This class, blending improvisation and phrase work, aims to give the dancers a more holistic understanding of their practice. Participants will gain tools applicable to improvisation, floorwork, choreography and more, by focusing notably on weight transfer as one of the core foundations of movement, regardless of the style. This workshop is created to be accessible for artists of any dance background, adaptable to each and everyone's bodies of the day!
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Based in Montreal since 2019, Laura is the co-founder and choreographic director of the Willow collective, which she established in 2018 alongside William-Nicolas Tanguay. Her career as a performer and teacher naturally evolved to include production, choreography, and artistic direction, notably through Roman.e, a 30-minute original work commissioned by Tel-Aide Montréal and presented at La TOHU, and Mirror Maze, a 10-minute original work that will be presented this summer at Festival Quartiers Danses (FQD). In her early career, she also independently produced a solo project (A Prayer, 2020) and 2 short films (Call You at Noon, 2021, Outside In, 2022).
Her training in classical ballet and the influence of choreographic, commercial and street styles, in conjunction with a contemporary movement stripped of lines, sees her artistic signature emerge as a movement creator.
Emily Spearing (TORONTO)
Partnering
In this contemporary partnering workshop, expect to lift, be lifted, counterbalance and navigate weight-sharing and momentum-based movement. We’ll explore fluid transitions, unexpected points of contact, and the fine art of making it look effortless. Catch you there!
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Emily Spearing (she/her) trained at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Upon graduating, Spearing worked as a freelance dancer for various companies, collectives and independent choreographers in Toronto and Halifax and has been a key member of Nostos Collectives since 2016.
She attended the post-graduate International Choreographic Exchange Program at Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD). After completing the program she was invited for a year long Artistic Residency at SEAD. Emily has been able to present her own professional choreographic works at New Faces New Dances Festival (Austria), Kinetic Open Studio Series (Halifax), Dance Ontario’s Dance Weekend, Dance Works Co-Works, Edmonton’s NextFest, New Blue Dance Festival, Montreal Fringe Festival and London Fringe Festival as well as several self-produced shows through Nostos Collectives.
Nicki Burke (TORONTO)
Acting and voicework for dancers
Join Voice Actor and Coach Nicki Burke in exploring the connection of acting through body and voice.This workshop will consist of building characters from the ground up with animated essence. Vocal warm ups and focus on where sound resonates in the body, authentic tone, finding your range and getting out of your own way to play and explore in an improv environment.
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My name is Nicki Burke and i am an international voice over actor, on camera actor and singer. I have been working in the industry for over 15 years, developing a notable career in both Vancouver and Toronto, Canada.
My experience extends to over 200 commercials for TV, Internet, Radio and Theatre, including Axe, Walmart, Proctor and Gamble, L’Oreal, Heineken, Nestle, Kinder, Honda, McDonalds, Soda Stream and VW, juuuust to name a few ;)
I started coaching because i wanted to help people who were interested in getting into the industry but didnt know how, as well as for actors wanting to build on their skills and add some tools to their tool belt. I have always believed that once you get to a certain level it is your responsibility to help those coming up behind you and pay it forward. I am so happy to get the opportunity to now do that!!