Intercultural Indigenous Choreographers Creation Lab | House Program

Daryl Kootenay is a Traditional singer, dancer, artist, speaker, youth leader.

After graduating high school Daryl travelled globally to volunteer his time in countries such as Peru, Nicaragua and Africa working with Canada World Youth first as a participant, then an intern and then employee. He has been a part of CWYs Provisional Aboriginal Youth Committee where he participated in the “Aboriginal Youth and Confederation: Learning from the past, building for the future conference” in 2014, an event cohosted by CWY and the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island, as part of the PEI 2014 Charlottetown Conference sesquicentennial celebration.  He was also a delegate for his nation and CWY at the World Conference of Indigenous Peoples, The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Rights, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City (Sept 2014).

Daryl has actively volunteered in his community of Morley, Alberta in a variety of roles. This includes being a group leader for the Project Nakoda Outdoor Wilderness Experience (NOWE), in developing “youth hang-outs” for a week through the Canada Bridges organization and in co-founding the Stoney Nakoda Youth Council in 2014 which has travelled to a number of significant United Nations and North American Indian Youth Caucus events. He has the tremendous honour of being awarded the Governor General’s “Sovereignty’s Medal for Volunteers” in June 2017 for his work.

Daryl is a father to his 2-year old daughter from the Stoney Nakoda Nation of Treaty 7 in southern Alberta and a member of the Dine (Navajo) Nation in New Mexico from his father’s heritage. 
 

Alejandro Ronceria is an internationally acclaimed director/choreographer/dance dramaturge based in Toronto. He directs and produces dance/theatrical productions internationally and mentors Indigenous choreographers and productions.

Ronceria was the co-founder/Program Director of the first Aboriginal Dance Program in North America at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. During his five-year tenure, the groundbreaking program brought together Indigenous and Inuit performers from across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Greenland, and New Zealand. His dance films have screened at TIFF and Sundance. Classically trained in ballet in Colombia, he holds an MFA in Dance Dramaturgy from York University. Ronceria was inducted into the Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame.

Jolane is a Calgary based artist and a graduate of the University of Lethbridge. She holds a BFA in Fine Arts as a theatre technician and a diploma in Fashion Design from Lethbridge College. She has worked in several capacities of costuming from Stitcher to Head of Wardrobe, including: New West Theatre (Lethbridge), Stage West Theatre (Calgary), and Alberta Theatre Projects (Calgary). With over a decade of working in theatre, Jolane is also an active member of IATSE 212 for film and television. Some union credits include Butcher (ATP), Alpha (Feature Film), Damnation (US Network), and most recently the TV series Lost in Space (Netflix). 

Edgardo Moreno is  a Canadian-Chilean composer based in Hamilton, Ontario.He has been commissioned  for projects in Canada, Venezuela, Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Argentina, Colombia, England and USA.  He has worked extensively with contemporary dance choreographers and artists including Penny Couchie,  Justin Manyfingers, Alejandro Ronceria, Allen Kaeja, Karen Kaeja, Olga Barrios, Tara Butler, Lilia Leon, Norma Araiza, Rulan Tangen, Starr Muranko,Tasha Faye Evans, Jeanette Kotowich, Carlos Rivera, Sara Roque, Diana Lopez.  He is presently working in creating video and live sound pieces that are part of his Fireflyproject. www.musicamoreno.com  www.fireflyproject.ca

David is a freelance lighting and video designer as well as audio/visual specialist for CAMH in Toronto, through which David works with Workman Arts as Technical Director.  Some of David's recent production credits include lighting design for Highlands Opera Studio’s production of La Boheme in 2018 and Cosi Fan Tutte and Mishaabhooz Realm in 2017, lighting and video design for Manidoog with Trio D'Argento and Barbara Croall, lighting design for Amalgama which was part of the Panamania presentation in Toronto in 2015, and lighting design for Spirit of The Drum presented at Northern Scene at the National Arts Centre in 2013.  When David is not working on projects, he spends time photographing nature/wildlife and historic subjects, as well as volunteering for a heritage railway.

Sonny-Ray Day Rider (B.A. Music) is a Blackfoot composer, pianist, from the Kainai Blood Tribe. Sonny-Ray has a broad musical palate working with many genres. He is currently pursuing advanced studies (M.mus) in music composition at the University of Lethbridge. He shows great promise in the field, having accumulated a large breadth of significant creative projects as an emerging Blackfoot artist in an impressively short time span. Day Rider has had works premiered and performed by the Penderecki String Quartet, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. He has formerly held a seat on the Indigenous Advisory Circle to the Library and Archives Canada and is guest faculty alumni to Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

Asalia Arellano began studying Mexican folklore, traditional Aztec dance, theatre, contemporary dance, and ballet from an early age. Her studies also included Pre-Hispanic culture and dance at the Zemanahuac traditional cultural school. Asalia began dancing in Canada since 2006 and has been Artistic Director of the Tonantzin Collective of Aztec dance since 2013. Her work has been funded and recognized many times with the Ontario Arts Council.  She has collaborated with many professional ballets and contemporary dancers and also helps to direct dance and theatre projects internationally. Including tours to Nepal with Mexican Folk Ballet through the Canada Arts Council. Since 2013 has continuously been performing at Pow Wows and cultural festivals across Canada with the Tlacopan Aztec dance group lead by chief Tomas Salinas. 

Jacob Boehme is a Melbourne born and raised artist of the Narangga and Kaurna Nations, South Australia. Jacob is the founding Creative Director of YIRRAMBOI Festival, recipient of the 2018 Green Room Award for Curatorial Contribution to Contemporary and Experimental Arts. Jacob is a multi-disciplinary theatre maker and choreographer, creating work for stage, screen, large-scale public events and festivals. Jacob currently sits on the Board of Directors for Dance House and Polyglot Theatre and is a member of the Ministry of Culture Taiwan South East Asia Advisory Panel International Advisory Panel. Alumni of the Victorian College of the Arts, (MA in Arts – Playwriting, MA in Arts – Puppetry) Jacob's critically acclaimed solo work Blood on the Dance Floor is touring nationally and internationally from 2019. Jacob is currently the recipient of the prestigious 2018 Australia Council for the Arts Fellowship.
 

Animikiikwe Couchie is an emerging multidisciplinary dance artist from Nipissing First Nation. She has worked across a number of disciplines and artistic genres. In 2013, Animikiikwe worked within acclaimed choreographer Penny Couchie’s dance theatre piece entitled “When Will You Rage?”. She narrated and danced within her mother’s piece. In 2015 she worked on a project called Dances of Resistance with Aanmitaagzi, which was a three-year-long process. In grade 10 she majored in drama and took dance all throughout her four years of High School. She attended 3 years at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre’s 4-week summer dance intensive. In 2015 she completed her studies at the Canadore College Theatre Arts Program. In May 2018 she completed her training at the Ecole de Danse Contemporaine de Montreal. 

Waawaate Fobister is an actor, dancer, playwright, choreographer, instructor, and producer. He currently resides in Winnipeg and is a proud Anishnaabe from Grassy Narrows First Nation. He’s a recipient of multiple Dora awards, including one for his play for Agokwe, for which he also won outstanding actor. Other awards include Humber College outstanding actor and a Mark S. Bonham Centre award from the University of Toronto for his work. He has also received many nominations, including Ontario Premiers' Award, K.M Hunter Award and Sterling Award - Edmonton. He trained and studied Theatre Arts – Performance at Humber College, Indigenous Dance at Banff Centre for the Arts, intensives at Toronto Dance Theatre, Centre for Indigenous Theatre and Kahawi Dance Theatre. He has performed for many major theatre companies across Canada. His work and research has taken him to many places as an artist including Japan, the UK, and many coasts across Turtle Island.

Kristy Janvier was born and raised in Flin Flon and is of Dene (English River First Nation), English/Irish, and Ukrainian descent. At the age of 18, she began working overseas as a professional actress/dancer. After 15 years of working in the entertainment industry with Disney, Kristy sought out other forms of movement and dance making work based on improvisation and interaction with bodies and space. Upon returning to Canada, she has connected to her roots through contemporary-Indigenous dance. She had an opportunity to explore her research on water, the rivers, bloodlines, and healing with the support of Young Lungs Dance Exchange in Winnipeg (winter 2016-17). She has attended 8 Days in Toronto (June '17) and performed at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre in New Brunswick (August '17); has a solo work-in-progress with Free Flow in Saskatoon (September '17) and Weesageechak begins to Dance in Toronto (November '17). She toured as an invited guest with Dancers of Damelahamid (October-November '17) - done video work with the E|MERGE artist residency at Earthdance, Massachusetts (February '18) which has screened at 5 film festivals in Canada.

Isabella Whāwhai Waru is a Birraranga//Melbourne based interdisciplinary artist and storyteller of Ngāti Tukorehe, Te Ati Awa (Māori) & celtic descent. Working primarily with movement and sound, Waru performs in, creates and facilitates ritual spaces as medium for ignition//resurgence//connection//activation//clearing//healing.

As a performer, they have worked with artists Amrita Hepi (Now is the Hour 2017/18), Victoria Hunt (Tangi Wai, Dance Massive 2017), Helen Grogan (HOMAGE COLLAGE 2018), Lee Serle (Everything happening all the time 2018), Sophia Bender (Endo Girl short film 2019) & Kòtare (Next Wave Festival 2018 & Ngati Kangaru 2019). As a maker, they have presented their work for 'PASSAGE' (7th gallery exhibition 2019) 'Knots: a forced marriage story’ (US documentary 2018), 'Where We Stand' (performance ritual 2018), ‘Raranga' (Blakdot gallery activation 2018), and ‘oneSELF’ (Melbourne Fringe performance ritual 2017). Waru is currently developing a solo work to be premiered for Next Wave Festival, May 2020, with residencies at Brunswick Mechanics Institute & Lucy Guerin Inc, and preparing for the remount of Where We Stand at Dancehouse, Melbourne in late 2019.

Marcus Merasty is a dance artist from Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan and is of Cree descent. His interest in dance began with learning traditional Métis jigging in 2013. A year later, following an invitation to perform in work created by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras, he began to pursue a career as a professional dance artist. This was also the beginning of an on-going mentorship under artists Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras. Marcus is currently in the Professional Program at The School of Contemporary Dancers and is working toward his BA(hons) in contemporary dance from the University of Winnipeg.

Shana is proud to have lived and grown on Darkingjung land where she continually learned about her Indigenous heritage. In 2017 she completed a four-year diploma at NAISDA Dance College where she had the opportunity to work with choreographers Frances Rings, Raymond Blanco, Vicki Van Hout, Ian RT Colless, Elma Kris, Taiaroa Royal, and Sani Ray Townsend. Shana also learned traditional dance on-country at Moa Island in the Torres Strait Islands and in Nyinyikay in North-East Arnhem Land. In her diploma year, Shana participated in a secondment with Bangarra Dance Theatre and a summer intensive program with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company - Israel. Recently she has performed with Wagana Aboriginal Dancers, Jannawi Dance clan, Erth Visual and Physical Inc., Our Corka Bubs, and Atamira Dance Company. Her recent choreographic work includes developments with Patricia Wood, Elle Evangalista, Kassidy Waters, Jo Clancy, and Liz Lea.
 

Edan Porter is a proud Kamiliroi man from the North-West region of New South Wales.  Edan became interested in dance after performing at school spectaculars, state dance festivals, NSW Aboriginal Public Schools Dance Company performances, and the 2015 International Rotary Event choreographed by Patrick Thaiday and Sidney Saltner. These experiences inspired him to enroll in 2016 at NAISDA Dance College. Edan is currently studying a Diploma of Professional Dance Performance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. He has performed in NAISDA Dance College End of Year Shows, From Sand To Stage, 2016 choreographed by Vicki Van Hout, and Omer Backley-Astrachan, directed by Frances Rings and, Restoration, 2017, choreographed by Sani Townsand, Taiaroa Royal, Dujon Nuie, Frances Rings, and directed by Frances Rings.
 

Kiara Malcolm is 20 years of age and is the third generation of her family to be born, raised and live the majority of her life in the rural town of Broome, Western Australia. Currently, she is the only person in her family to branch out of Broome to leave her youth behind in pursuit of her love for storytelling through the movement of dance. With the remote town’s variety of cultures, Kiara’s bloodline not only well represents Broome itself but also but the diversity within her family’s lineage.