Bluma Appel Theatre Lawrence Centre for the Arts
Produced by Nova Dance with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, TO Live, and Citadel + Compagnie
Photo credit: Cylla von Tiedemann
St.
bySvāhā!Nova SeptemberBhattacharya16–18,2022
Nia:wen. Thank you.
Today, Toronto is home to Indigenous peoples and settlers from around the world. Let us all come together in an atmosphere of respect and peace to do good work together with good minds. Let’s start building stronger and healthier relationships with each other and the spaces we inhabit in Tkaronto, Ontari:io, Kanata. Let’s hold our minds together in kindness.
© Dawn Maracle
What this means is that by living and working here, we all have a responsibility to the environment and to each other, to treat each other and the environment with peace and respect. This means we have responsibilities to honour, renew, and consistently uphold the values and relationships outlined in the ancient agreements.
TO Live would like to acknowledge Tkaronto, which is a Mohawk word meaning the place in the water where the trees are standing.
We live and work on the traditional territory of Haudenosaunee-speaking nations, including the Huron-Wendat, Seneca, and Mohawk. Haudenosauneespeaking nations have been here since time immemorial, and were more recently joined by the Mississaugas of the Credit. This place has many Indigenous ports, including where the Humber and Rouge rivers meet other waterways such as Lake Ontario. Ancient longhouses—typical Haudenosaunee housing structures—have been found along both these rivers and in the north of Toronto near modern-day York University. This territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) Confederacy and the Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the lands and the relationships around the Great Lakes.
@tolivetok
With a delayed opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nova and the Svāhā! team convened in the virtual space to deepen the content, calibre and meaning of the work. Throughout this journey, Nova, her dancers, musicians, and creative team continued to develop, refine, and rehearse the work before you.
Svāhā!, a new work from celebrated Toronto choreographer and dancer Nova Bhattacharya, brings together an ensemble of highly accomplished, virtuosic dancers whose technical and cultural diversity mirrors the richness of Toronto’s population and draws on the wealth of Bhattacharya’s own choreographic influences to create a heartfelt gathering infused with joy.
Welcome letter from TO Live
TO Live first agreed to support Nova’s vision back in 2018, almost four years ago. Svāhā! represents an ongoing commitment by TO Live to provide local Toronto artists with an elevated platform for their work and the opportunity to explore programs of scale not yet achieved in their previous experiences. This world premiere marks the culmination of many years of creative effort. The positive energy that imbues this new immersive work by one of Toronto’s most original artists emanates from the stage as the ensemble invites the audience to celebrate with them the festivity of dance. We are exceptionally proud to be sharing Svāhā! with you as the opening work of TO Live’s fall 2022 season.
Clyde Wagner President and CEO TO Live
In Nova’s words “the ritual of gathering became a life-giving element transforming Svāhā! as the pandemic transformed us all.”
Josephine Ridge Vice President of Programming TO Live
1 @tolivegramtolive.com @tolivetweets@tolivebook
Creating work while the world is being recreated is an incredibly potent proposition. The experiences of the last two and a half years, my personal journey as an artist, early influences, longstanding collaborators, first-time connections, current convictions, passionate artists, and dedicated champions are all a part of this creation, and I am humbled by the love and perseverance that has led to this moment. I am fiercely proud of bringing these artists together and I am indebted to them for their generosity and trust. This work came together with the support of these individuals and their families, TO Live, The National Arts Centre, Citadel + Compagnie, and many arts community members.
2
Nova Bhattacharya Artistic Director, Nova Dance
Ultimately this work is a love letter to dance and a celebration of gathering. Thank you for being here. We invite you to feel the rhythms and emotions with us. We invite you to consider how we can be better together.
TiedemannVonCyllaByPhoto
It is with deep anticipation and a sense of exhilaration that Nova Dance joins TO Live in welcoming you back to the experience of live performance.
@tolivegramtolive.com @tolivetweets@tolivebook @tolivetok
A note from Nova Bhattacharya
3
-Nova Bhattacharya
Born in Ottawa, Canada, Robinson graduated with a bachelor of fine arts from York University, and studied at The School of The Toronto Dance Theatre and with eminent British visual theatre artist Lindsay Kemp. Robinson first rose to prominence as artistic director of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg, Canada (19841990), where he created highly theatrical ensemble works.Having returned to Ottawa in 1990 to pursue a solo career, he firmly established himself as a choreographer, educator, and solo artist whose critically acclaimed, award-winning, and utterly unique works won him a multitude of commissions and touring and teaching engagements across Canada and abroad.
Tedd Robinson passed away on August 27, 2022 at the age of 69. As a younger man, he had dreamed of being a rockstar. He went on to shake up the Canadian dance world with his unforgettable works, and to share his remarkable and generous spirit with so many artists.
In memory of Tedd Robinson
Svāhā!is dedicated to my friend and collaborator Tedd Robinson; his heartbeat, love, and dancing wit are indelibly woven into this work.
@tolivegramtolive.com @tolivetweets@tolivebook @tolivetok
4
YuiAbigailAshviniShin-CulhaneSundaramThomasSukrutiTirupatturUgaiPurawaiVyasKaelaWilley
Ed Hanley: tabla, udu, percussion, guitar, mandolin, gongs, bells, programming
Vocal coach: Shirsha Chakraborty Stage manager: Marianna Rosato Assistant stage manager: Taylor Young
Produced by Nova Dance in partnership with Citadel + Compagnie, with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, TO Live, Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Government of Canada’s Canada Summer Jobs, Metcalf Foundation, The National Ballet of Canada’s Open Space Program, Theatre Direct’s Balancing Act, and The Theatre Centre.
Original composition and musical direction: Ed SoundHanleydesign: John Gzowski
Nova JudyNydaRachanaNeenaMelEdRajviChelciaBhattacharyaCrearyDedhiaHanleyHartGurtej(Tej)HunjanJayarajanJoshiCandaceKumarKwasowskyLuoSwadhiRanganee
RehearsalSolkattu assistant: Rachana Joshi
Malavika Santhosh
Ben Riley: drumkit Purawai Vyas: guitar Vocals: Mushtari Afroz, Nova Bhattacharya, Ed Hanley, Neena Jayarajan, Rachana Joshi,
Mel Hart: cypher consultant Gurtej Hunjan: composition (cypher), percussion, DJ effects, programming
Lighting and set design: Simon Rossiter Assistant lighting designer: Theo Belc Costume design: Sage Paul Creation support: Bonnie Kim, Louis Laberge-Côté, Tedd Robinson, Anisa Tejpar
Additional music credits
Eilish
bySvāhā!Nova Bhattacharya
Creative team
Parmela Attariwala: viola Nova Bhattacharya: conch shell Larry Graves: cowbell, kagan, lunga, gome, gongs, bells
Created with and performed by Mushtari Afroz Nidhi Baadkar
Justin Gray: bass veena, bass, guitar, sarod, BenrababGrossman: hurdy-gurdy
Hannah Shikatani
Choreographer: Nova Bhattacharya
Kiruthika Rathanaswami
Shri Madurai R. Muralidharan: Nattuvanga Jatis in Adi Tala Santosh Naidu: dholak
Construction coordination: Shawn Grey
Billing credits
Deirdre Kelly
Additional dancer credits: These artists participated in creation processes for Svāhā!
Costume credits
Ugai
Produced by Nova Dance with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, TO Live, and Citadel + Compagnie
Bells: Mohan Raj Kondusamy
Pre-pandemic production credits: Denise Bolduc, Brianna Brown, Ayelen Liberona, Marc Parent
5
Chat hosts
Cheryl AshimaAnjaliAtriArnoRumiPrajaktaChanDravidJerajShivaniJoshiKamolikaMeeraKanageswaranShanthiniKangesanBhavajanKumarKorenLuiJwaliniMuralidaranCocoMurraySupriyaNayakNundyPatilNivedhaRamalingamSapnaSehravatShrawantiShomeDeboyEnakshiSinhaSoniaSt.MichelSuriIrmaVillafuerteMelissaYang
Timea Wharton-Suri
Shanthini Kangesan, Bonnie Kim, Judy Luo, Supriya Nayak, Atri Nundy, Suba Sankaran, Malavika Santhosh, Sukruti Tirupattur, Yui
ASL interpreters
Gaitrie Persaud and Emily Michelin of Phoenix the Fire
Paving the way for a new model of creation in Canada’s performing arts.
The National Creation Fund is fuelled by funds raised from generous donors to the National Arts Centre Foundation’s Creation Campaign, who believe in investing in Canadian creators.
The National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund invests in the opportunities that risk and innovation demand. By supporting productions like Svāhā!, the Fund is proud to develop the ambitions of Canadian creators.
FCNATIONALREATIONUND
7
Born in Mi’kkma’ki (Halifax) and raised in Tkaronto, Nova Bhattacharya is a groundbreaking choreographer, cultural leader, and dancer. She is the founder and artistic director of Nova Dance, established in 2008. Her dance works breathe rich life into the world of contemporary Canadian dance.
Mushtari Afroz Performer
BhattacharyaNova &Choreographerperformer
Bhattacharya is the recipient of multiple awards for artistic achievement and for contributions to community, including the Dancing Damsels Inc. “Women Achiever” Award and the Summerworks Outstanding Direction Award. She’s also received multiple nominations from the Dora Mavor Moore Awards and the K.M. Hunter Artist MushtariAwards.Afroz
is a GTA-based dance artist with training in the North Indian classical dance form Kathak. She has been practicing within the South Asian diaspora since early 2000 following her immigration to Canada from Bangladesh. Alongside the classical dance, Mushtari continues to train in contemporary dance and performance aesthetics. Since 2020 she has been training in Minnesota-based Shawngram Institute for Performance and Social Justice’s trademark technique Yorchha–a contemporary Indian movement vocabulary that intersects principles from Indian classical dance Odissi (from the eastern state of Odisha), vinyasa yoga, and the martial art form Chhau (also from eastern India). In 2016, Mushtari established her dance collective Kathak Bandi, which collaborates with Canadian musicians, dancers, and theatre artists to create and present original works for the stage in Canada and the U.S.
For over 20 years, Bhattacharya has been crafting vivid images that invite the viewer on a journey of heart and mind. Integrating improvised movement and gesture, she is inventing a language that needs no translation. Her critically acclaimed works have been presented across Canada, in Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Uganda. Her choreography has been commissioned by DanceWorks, Blue Ceiling Dance, Canada Dance Festival, Cahoots Theatre, Dusk Dances, Tarragon Theatre, Toronto Dance Theatre, Theatre Direct Canada, and Dancemakers.
Nidhi Baadkar Performer
8
She is a recipient of supports from both Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council. While she continues to create work for the stage, she is gradually carving out a new path off stage through choreographic intervention in public spaces.
Born in India and raised in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Nidhi Baadkar started her training at the age of 10 in the Indian classical technique of Bharatanatyam. Nidhi completed her diploma in movement art and mixed media at Attakkalari Centre, Bangalore, India. Currently residing in Toronto, Nidhi is a recent graduate from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and continues her training in Bharatanatyam.
An aspiring movement artist, Nidhi hopes to develop a vocabulary of her own that is deeply rooted within Indian aesthetics. She is an artistic collaborator at Nautanki Creations, a dance collective based in Brampton, Ontario and is the assistant producer and co-curator for the Nautanki Festival 2022. Recently she was selected for Sampradaya Dance Creations’ Dance Advance, a residency program for choreographic Shirshadevelopment.isacaptivating
Vocal coach
ChakrabortyShirsha
Indian alt-rock R&B artist with over a decade of experience performing across North America and internationally. She has recorded with Shankar Mahadevan, performed with Ash King, and collaborated with Grammy award-winning musicians like Laura Sullivan, Christian McBride, and Larry Goldings. She has performed at Desifest, International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA), Heritage Sounds Music Festival, and Bollywood Monster Mashup. Shirsha graduated from Humber College with a BA in music.
Chelcia began dancing at the age of 19 at the prestigious Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, School of Dance in Jamaica. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in dance education and has performed with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica and Ashe Performing Arts Ensemble, where she toured extensively to the U.S, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe. She studied at the Ballet Creole school/company in Canada as an apprentice dancer and is presently with the company as a freelancer. She is currently an AfroCaribbean instructor at the Children and Youth Dance Theatre of Toronto (CYDT), a not-for-profit organization that serves marginalized kids and youths. Chelcia is the assistant choreographer for the L’ariatsila Dance Theatre, where she is also an instructor and dancer. Further credits include Akwaba Cultural Exchange Group, Kashe Dance Ensemble, and, recently, Nova Dance in 2022 as a dancer.
Rajvi SundaramDedhia
Chelcia Creary Performer
Rajvi Dedhia started her training in India with Shiamak Davar International Institute for Performing Arts (SDIIPA), for the past 14 years gaining experience in ballet, contemporary, modern, Graham, Horton, Limón, Indian classical, hip hop, and jazz. She has also toured and performed in numerous stage and TV shows for four years as a company member. She has excelled in the graded ballet, modern, and jazz examinations conducted by the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing London (ISTD). She has four years of teaching experience with the School of Classical Ballet and Western Dance and SDIIPA. She is currently a student at the school of toronto Dance Theatre, where she has received numerous awards and bursaries including the first-year excellence in performance award and 2022 Lindy Green and Sam Chaiton tuition bursary. After graduating from the program she looks forward to establishing herself as an artist and choreographer.
Performer
9
GzowskiAwards.has
Ed Hanley Composer & performer Mel Hart consultant&Performercultural
Ed has studied tabla for over 30 years with masters including Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, and Taalyogi Suresh Talwalkar in Canada, the USA, and on 10 journeys to India. Although best known as a practitioner of tabla, his multimedia work embraces music, video, and photography.
Ed Hanley is a multi–dimensional artist–creator, performer, producer, photographer, cinematographer, recording engineer, video editor, educator, writer, and tabla player. He has been musician in residence for Nova Dance’s Creation Labs 2012-2016, and artist in residence for Svāhā! since 2018.
As co-artistic director of the Canadian world music ensemble Autorickshaw, Ed has been nominated for three Juno Awards, won a Canadian Folk Music award, and the grand prize in the world music category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
10
As a composer, sound designer, musician, and instrument maker, John Gzowski has worked on theatre, dance, and film productions doing composition, sound design, live foley, and live music. He is also a musical director. Gzowski has played banjo for opera in Banff, studied Carnatic classical music in India, and played oud and guitar in jazz and folk festivals across Canada and Europe. His theatre work has won him six Dora Mavor Moore
Melissa Hart is a vibrant, established dance artist from Toronto. With a bachelor in fine arts degree specializing in dance from York University, Melissa co-founded SaMel Tanz with Samantha Schleese. Together they have choreographed, performed in, and produced shows for festivals such as the Toronto Fringe, Next Stage, and dance: made in canada/fait au canada. Melissa is a member of hip hop dance crew DEUCEnDIP, and has created and performed for concerts such as WE day, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and World Pride. Melissa’s versatility has led her to dance for international artists like Jason Derulo and Sean Paul and open for Latin
John Gzowski Sound designer
played on many CDs, including with Patricia O’Callghan, Tasa, Autorickshaw, and Maza Meze. He has run Canada’s first microtonal group and worked as co-artistic director of the Music Gallery.
Tej Hunjan is a professional rhymist, multiinstrumentalist, DJ, and composer. His expertise is in north Indian and Afro-Latin percussion, namely: tabla, dhol, dholak, bongo, and cajon.
Neena Jayarajan is an independent dance theatre artist with extensive experience in Bharatanatyam and Odissi dance techniques. Her primary training was under the tutelage of Dr. Menaka Thakkar and Sujatha Mohapatra. She served as the assistant artistic director of Menaka Thakkar Dance Company for seven years, as well as assistant teacher at nrtyakala for 20 years. Neena completed her MA in dance from York University and was a 2016 recipient of the Chalmers Arts Fellowship Grant. She made her theatrical debut in Theatre Smith’s Gilmour ’s Metamorphosis. She is currently an associate artist at Nova Dance involved in both creative and organizational roles.
He has performed and recorded around the world and shared the stage with some of the world’s most recognizable musicians and dancers. He has composed music for television and film and produced songs in collaboration with local and international artists. He was an original member of the Toronto Tabla Ensemble and iDRUM and currently performs as one half of Toronto’s foremost live percussion duo: the GURU bros. His first work with Nova was the 2021 film New Monuments.
Neena Jayarajan Performer
11
artists such as Bad Bunny, Prince Royce, and Gente de Zona. Melissa takes the most pride in being an arts educator, teaching workshops across Canada, mentoring students in the art of dance, and self-expression.
He continues to perform and currently works out of his Toronto-based studio crafting soundtracks and dance floor hits for local and international audiences.
Tej Hunjan Performer composercontributing&
12
A dance artist for more than 30 years, Bonnie is a multiple Dora Mavor Moore Award ensemble nominee and one of “Toronto’s top five dancers,” according to Eye Weekly magazine. Bonnie was rehearsal and later associate director of Dancemakers for nine years. Highly regarded as a teacher, mentor, and outside eye, she was rehearsal director/performer for Sylvain Émard’s Le Grand Continental, produced by Luminato, overseeing a cast of hundreds. She trained at Claude Watson School for the Arts and the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Bonnie has performed with many of Canada’s most respected artists and companies, including Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers, Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault and Claudia Moore. her writing has been published in the Dance Current, Eye Weekly, Toronto Star, and Toronto Life.
Rachana Joshi is an emerging dance artist based in the GTA. After 14 years of training, she completed her Bharatanatyam arangetram under the tutelage of Lata Pada in 2017. Rachana is currently a company dancer and teacher with Sampradaya Dance Creations and Academy. In 2019, she graduated from York University's BFA program in dance with honours and received training in Limon and Graham modern techniques through the program. With the support of the Ontario Arts Council, Rachana broadened her professional career with the guidance of Nova Bhattacharya, and she is now a company dancer with Nova Dance. In 2021, Rachana was selected to take part in Peggy Baker Dance Project’s ACTION LAB online, and was fortunate to receive choreographic mentorship from Peggy Baker to develop and explore her creative practice during the pandemic. Rachana joined the Citadel + Compagnie team in 2021 and currently acts as the box office and outreach manager for the company.
Rachana Joshi assistantrehearsalrepertorysoklattuPerformer,&
Bonnie Kim Outside eye
Nyda Kwasowsky Performer
Candace Kumar Performer
Candace Kumar is a Filipino/Indo-Fijian dance artist based in Tkaronto. She specializes in Filipino folk dance, practicing diverse styles from across the Philippines. Her work aims to reimagine traditional dance forms from the Canadian diaspora. She believes traditional dance is not an art form of the past but can guide us through the future as we navigate life on land that is not our ancestralCandacehome.isa graduate of the University of Toronto and is currently an instructor and principal dancer for Folklorico Filipino Canada. Candace has worked with Little Pear Garden Dance Company, Anandam Dance Theatre, Creativiva Entertainment, Nautanki Creations, HATAW, A La Una, Han Han, and more. Some of her notable performances include the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, Nuit Blanche, and SummerWorks
13
is the moving body and my practice is used as a tool for healing. This creates space to reveal our vulnerability, where listening and storytelling can foster human connections and collective care. This body has the role of remembering; dance is the action that collects us. MMy work centrs around loss, grief, belonging in the diasporic experience, and transforming memories and histories from colonial supremacies. Indo-Caribbean and British Ukrainian, my “moving body” echoes the fluidity and ambiguity of my identity. I score multidisciplinary improvisational explorations, using sensation to create emotional environments. My presence in this racialized diasporic body is connected to the past, to histories and the dreams of emergent futures. Creating a ritualist relationship to place and time. I hope to generate undefinable states that are sourced and shared through somatics. Where non-definitive synesthetic relationships become an opportunity to form connections that push at the boundaries of who and what we can be together. I am based in Tsi Tkaronto/Toronto.
MyFestival.language
Louis LabergeCôté consultantCreative
Louis Laberge-Côté is assistant professor at the Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) School of Performance. He is an active Toronto-based dancer, choreographer, teacher, and rehearsal director. An acclaimed performer, he has danced nationally and internationally with over 30 companies and has been a full-time member of Toronto Dance Theatre and the Kevin O’Day Ballett Nationaltheater Mannheim. He has created over 80 choreographic works that have been presented and commissioned in Canada and abroad. His work has garnered him a Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding choreography and 10 other individual and ensemble nominations for performance or choreography. He is a triple KM Hunter Award nominee and has received several grants from all three levels of government. He currently sits on the board of Healthy Dancer Canada. He holds an MFA in creative practice from the University of Plymouth (UK). His research is centred on dance education, somatic training, performance, and the creative process.
14
Judy was born in Fujian, China and immigrated with her family to Toronto at the age of four. Judy has performed works by Anne Plamondon, Peggy Baker, Charles Moulton, Merce Cunningham, Alysa Pires, Bobbie Jene Smith, and Or Schraiber while completing her BFA in performance dance at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).
Judy Luo Performer
Most recently, Judy was a member of Rambert2 in London, UK where she performed and toured works by internationally acclaimed choreographers in both live and digital formats.
Sage Paul Costume designer
15
Swadhi Ranganee is an emerging artist who has been practicing Sinhalese traditional and folk dance for over 20 years under her mother’s guidance. In her independent work, she focuses on deepening her understanding of these art forms, while exploring relationships between cultural heritage and personal history. Always a student, Swadhi trains across styles and forms as often as possible, and is currently immersed in Latin, Kathak, and contemporary dance, as well as in drumming and folk singing. In December 2020 Swadhi started working with Nova Dance.
Swadhi Ranganee Performer
RathanaswamiKiruthika Performer
Sage Paul (urbanDenesuliné) is an artist in fashion and costume. Some of her costume credits include: Too Good to Be True by Cliff Cardinal (VideoCabaret), Omaagaaman by Waawaate Fobister (Independent Dance), Falls Around Her by Darlene Naponse (Independent feature film), Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor (Tarragon Theatre), Utopia Falls (TV series, Hulu & CBC), and The Unnatural and Accidental Women (National Arts Centre). Sage is also the artistic director at Indigenous Fashion Arts and creates fashion and craft for runway and exhibition. Sage received the Design Exchange Emerging Designer Award and was nominated in 2019 for the Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in costume design (Ontario Arts Foundation), the Indigenous Arts Award (Ontario Arts Council), and the Premiere’s Award in art and design.
Kiruthika Rathanaswami is a Vancouver-based Bharatanatyam dance artist and instructor. For the past 26 years, she has been under the mentorship and guidance of Jai Govinda, artistic director of Mandala Arts and Culture Society in Vancouver. She completed her Bharatanatyam arangetram (graduation) at the Jai Govinda Dance Academy in 2004 and since then has been a part of many of Mandala’s professional productions and presentations as a soloist or ensemble castKiruthikamember. has performed in Canada and the United States at notable festivals such as Canada Dance Festival, Gait to the Spirit Festival, Horizon Series, Feats Festival, HH11 Dance Festival, Nextfest, Baltimore Dance Invitational, New Works Dance All Sorts, Discover
Marianna Rosato Stage manager
Dance, Solo: A Festival of Dance, and Expanse Festival to many a few. She was the lead dancer in the documentary film The Great Night of Shiva, which was broadcast nationally on Vision TV in Canada. Kiruthika is the recipient of the 2012 City of Vancouver's Mayor's Arts Award for emerging artist in dance and the 2016 Dancing Damsel Women Achiever Award for the performing arts.
Simon Rossiter Lighting & set designer
A Toronto native, Marianna Rosato received her BFA as a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University, where she now teaches dance stage management. Marianna spent three years as the assistant stage manager for Toronto Dance Theatre before working as a freelance SM in Toronto. During that time, she stage managed works for Fujiwara Dance Inventions, Tiger Princess Dance Projects, the National Ballet School of Canada, the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and many others. In 2014, Marianna began stage managing for Citadel + Compagnie, and after receiving a Metcalf internship, became the company’s production stage manager in
2017.Simon
16
Rossiter is a lighting designer who occasionally designs scenery. He has created more than 250 original designs, including works with Ballett am Rhein, Citadel + Compagnie, the National Ballet of Canada, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Théâtre français de Toronto, and Toronto Dance Theatre. Previous designs for Nova Dance include Red & Yellow, Broken Lines and the livestream of Elemental & Calm Abiding. Simon is also the lighting director of Fall for Dance North. The recipient of three Dora Mavor Moore Awards and nine nominations for outstanding lighting design, Simon sits on the board of directors of the Associated Designers of Canada.
Eilish CulhaneShinPerformer
Malavika Santhosh is a Bharatanatyam dance graduate from the Jai Govinda Dance Academy in Vancouver. As a Bharatanatyam soloist, Malavika has performed at several events around Vancouver, including Burnaby Festival of Dance, Vancouver DiwaliFest, International Dance Day Celebrations, Vancouver Film School Impact Awards, Young Peoples Concert, Vancouver Youth Awards, Gait to the Spirit Festival, among others.
17
Hannahindustry.Shiktani
As a dancer, Eilish has had the privilege to perform in works by Peter Chu, Bill T. Jones, Nicole von Arx, Frog in Hand, Anton Lachky, and Adam Barruch. Her choreographic work uses both abstracted and highly physical gestures as a way to play with emotionality, theatre, vocalizations, exhaustion, and connection. She has presented works at NYU’s Choreofest, Aeris Körper’s PROSPECTS, and Dance Ontario’s Show & Share Sessions. Her work has been supported by the National Ballet’s Open Space Programme, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts.
graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University’s (formerly Ryerson) performance dance program in 2020, where she received a bachelor of fine arts degree. She is well versed in many styles of dance including ballet, contemporary, jazz, modern, and commercial-style dancing. Hannah has had the opportunity to work with many esteemed artists/ choreographers from around the world such as Anne Plamondon, Peter Chin, Iraxte Ansa, and Igor Bacovich. One of Hannah’s many strengths is her ability to learn choreography quickly and execute it in the way in which it is intended. She loves the opportunity to try new things and step out of her comfort zone, even if it terrifies her. Hannah hopes to dance and perform for as long as her mind and body will allow.
SanthoshMalavika Performer
Hannah Shiktani Performer
In recent years, Malavika joined Nova Dance as a company dancer. As a keen artist, she continues to explore the intricacies of Indian classical dance through her performances while balancing a career in the tech
Eilish Shin-Culhane is a Tkaronto-based queer artist, dancer, and choreographer of Korean and European descent. She received her BFA in dance from Marymount Manhattan College in New York.
SundaramAshvini Performer
Anisa Tejpar rehearsalassistant,Creative director & coordinatorproduction
18
Ashvini continues to contextualize her traditional practice in Canada, targeting questions related to sensuality and spirituality as seen in her repertoire Shringara, meaning erotic love, which was presented at New Work’s All Over the Map, and in her short film, Vasantham, which was presented at CanAsian Dance Festival 25!, dance made in Canada festival, and Chicago International Dance Festival.
Anisa currently teaches ballet at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) in the performance program. She also is a creative assistant and outside eye for Guillaume Côté and Côté Danse, and is one third of the Toronto-based contemporary dance collective The Platform with Ryan Lee and Benjamin Landsberg. Anisa is an intimacy coordinator and director. She is also the host of Inside the Arts on Sauga 960AM radio.
Ashvini Sundaram (pronounced uh·sh-vi-NEE Su-ntharum) is a dance artist and choreographer trained in Bharatanatyam. Born in Singapore, raised in Vancouver, and trained in Delhi, Ashvini explores questions related to embodied knowledge, multicultural identity, and decoloniality. Her work, Art of Time, created through York University’s MFA program, uses cultural knowledge about cyclical time to disrupt the muchreiterated view that dance is ephemeral.
Dora Mavor Moore Award-winner Anisa Tejpar is originally from Toronto, and is a graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School. She has performed in companies such as Toronto Dance Theatre, ProArteDanza, Against the Grain Theatre, and Human Body Expression. Tejpar is co-artistic director of the dance entertainment firm Hit & Run Dance Productions Inc. for which she has created works for artists and brands all over Canada including Nike, Kanye West, and M.A.C. Cosmetics. Anisa is the co-creator of Haunted Cinema, a liveimmersive drive-in experience.
Abigail Thomas Performer understudy&
Over the pandemic, she participated in several online live dance shows filmed for different organizations. She joined Nova Dance through Svaha! in 2019. An avid reader, she enjoys writing poetry and six of her poems have been published by The National Institute of Poetry Canada. She is currently in grade 11, attending the International Baccalaureate program at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Oakville. Abigail aspires to continue her journey with dance as she connects with new Sukrutiartists.Tirupattur
is a performer, teacher, and creator who sees Bharatanatyam as her natural form of expression. She centres passion, creativity, and togetherness in her work that breaks down the division between education, performance, and community. Sukruti is originally from Bengaluru, India and came to Toronto in 2019. Her Bharatanatyam technique comes from Kalakshetra foundation, Chennai. She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a collaborator and has traveled to Malawi as a cultural diplomat for the Government of India with Vyuti Dance Company, Bengaluru.
Abigail’s family migrated to Canada in 2007. She started her journey in Bharatanatyam at the age of seven with Nrutha Kala Kendra Dance Academy under the tutelage of Smt. Preetha Kandanchatha. In August of 2019, Abigail completed a two-hour solo production, Thyaga Panchakam, a dance odyssey inspired by the Pancharatna kritis and choreographed by her guru.
Sukruti has been an associate artist and a company dancer at Nova Dance, where her projects include Purnima Pushpanjali, Metcalf Foundation's Staging Change stage 1 and 2, and Citadel + Compagnie Collaborative Exchange.
TirupatturSukruti Performer
19
Purawai Vyas is an emerging dance artist with over 15 years of training in Bharatanatyam. She has also trained in ballet, modern/contemporary dance, and Kalarippayattu during her undergraduate career in dance at York University. Purawai has created and presented works in various festivals in the Greater Toronto Area, including CanAsian Dance’s Grit Short Dances Festival, TD Mosaics Festival, and dance: made in canada’s inTO focus.
20
Yui Ugai was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She majored in drama in high school and studied dance and music at Kobe Jugakuin University. Yui obtained professional ballet training at the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), and she was awarded a prize for excellence in dance by the magazine Dance Dance Dance in 2008. Yui holds an BFA and MFA in dance from York University in Toronto. She has danced and toured nationally and internationally with the Toronto Blue Jays, Skindivers, Limitless Productions, The Parahumans, Little Pear Garden Dance Company, Ballet Creole, Kashe Dance Company, Kaeja d’Dance, Anima Inc. (Mexico/Peru), and more. Yui also has her career as an actress, which began with the film Summer Days (Toho) directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. She has also worked with the Hollywood casting director Yoko Narahashi and has appeared in Netflix, Disney Channel, and Sony Pictures project. In Japan, she produced the annual dance festival "Dance Kotoen" sponsored by Nishinomiya City in order to support youth dance artists and community since 2011.
Yui Ugai Performer
She is passionate about teaching and sharing the art form of Bharatanatyam as a dance teacher at Sampradaya Dance Academy. Currently she works with Sampradaya Dance Creations and Nova Dance as a company dancer. Purawai is also the co-founder of Kala collective, a dance collective that was formed in 2019.
Purawai Vyas Performer
21
Kaela Willey (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian dance artist and emerging choreographer based in Tkaronto. Her artistic practice and dance work explores trauma healing, intersectional feminism, bi-racial and Asian identity, social justice and activism, and curiosity for life’s meaning. She has danced with companies Coastal City Ballet, Ballet Victoria, Xing Dance Theatre, Ballet Ouest de Montreal, Wondersee Entertainment/Cineplex and the Canadian Opera Company. Kaela has also performed works and collaborated with individual artists Sze-Yang Ade-Lam, Nomi Wiersma, and Tara Butler. Offstage, Kaela expands her dance artistry into other types of performance, including modelling, film, and Taylortelevision.Youngis
Kaela Willey Performer Taylor Young Assistant stage manager
a Toronto-based stage manager and production manager originally from Calgary. They hold a BFA from TMU in performance production. Some of their recent projects include: Summer Intensive Program, ProArteDanza; Killing Time, Mixtape Projects; Ursa: A Folk Musical, The Uncommon Folk Collective at the Next Stage Festival; Citadel Dance Mix, Citadel + Compagnie; and The Spectator’s Odyssey – o’dell’Inferno, DopoLavoro Teatrale, and TO Live. They were the production manager for Paprika Festival from 2019 to 2022.
Citadel + Compagnie donor Citadelrecognition:+Compagnie wishes to express its deep gratitude towards the following supporters whose significant lifetime giving of over $100,000 has helped us create The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance, making the Creative Incubator Residencies possible.
Felicia Ross
Jerry & Joan Lozinski
22
Nova Dance wishes to thank the following supporters whose donations have supported the creation of Svāhā!
RobertRobertMicheleKathleenIraSimaIndraniDevyaniKiruthikaKennyRossAlexJohnJohnCaroleCherylClaireMarkRogerJaiLindyGiselleJulieGautamAtinErinSubrataBakerBhattacharjeeIlesBhattacharyaChaudhuriChoudhuryClarkeTrenamanCowanGovindaGreenwaldHammondHopkinsonLaFranceLoganMageeMcKellarPatelPatonPearlRatnasinghamSaltzmanSanyalSarkarSenSharpeSimth-GilmourSirmanSteiner
The Lindy Green Family Charitable Foundation
Jim & Sandra Pitblado Robin Vaile Robinson
Nova listingdonorDance
Nova Dance donor recognition: Jocelyn Allen David Angelo Peggy
Susan GalaMichaelBalluRobertPaulKiruAnjliLaurenceMarkAdrianNeeraAtinNutanMiriamGalaMichaelBillDianneSusanPeeranutMichaelBalluVesnaElachikaMacphersonSukumaranSvilanovicThakurTrentVisetsuthWardenWeinribWolfeWurstlindonorrecognition:AdamsBhallaBhattacharyaChopraDafoeHammondLemieuxPatelRatnasingamSaltzmanSirmanThakurWurstlindonorrecognitionas of September 8: Curtis SorayaBushraBenoitSuvendriniRossMichaelWehrfritzTrentPatonLenaVilleneuveJunaidPeerbaye
Citadel listingdonorCompagnie+
The Delaney Family Foundation
Janice Lewis & Mitchel Cohen
David & Torunn Banks Gail GretchenHutchison&Donald Ross
Eva GrantJohnTramArleneFrancesBrendaJenniferNataliaJudithGreigSusanLeslieWilliamIsabelLindaDavidHonoraLauriePriyaEdithKathrynAlanJeremyMeganChristineTaskerKarynImaginusDr.RobertMarcusDorothyCharlesKevinRobertDarrellAlanMattMaryAnneSuzannePatriciaSenatorCherylLeonaJudithCharlesDr.GiselleDorisDavidLouiseZoraMartaEleanorShiraPaulJasonSandraBednarBellisarioBennyBernardsBernholtzBothwell*BraunBreslinBurley&PaulineCarpenterChanChinDonetteChin-LoyChangCoffeyC.Cole*CotoiaCottle*DonnaDaskoDelineDenisDumaisAnnFarrell*FarrellFellerFlynn*&JuliaFosterGarlandGibbs*GordonHahnHermanRobHorvathCanadainTorontoKelseyKelseyKotze&MichaelLongfield*KramerLevine*Liedeman*Lo*MalikMarkus*McCabe-Slinger*McCrackenMcGuireMenanno*Milne*Milthorpe*Moellers*NishioO’CallaghanOgrodnikParkin*Polzler*HunterPerly-Rae&Hon.BobRaePhamQuirkeRamsay*
TO Live donor listing
Rochelle Alexandroff A. GailShirleyArtsAmbroseCapitalArnold*Asper,Asper
Barbara Basta
Family Foundation
*Founding donor to the TO Live Foundation
Michael Rea Kim JosephineReid Ridge* Jeffrey Rohrer Jo InRichardDebbieStephanieCaroleGregoryOmeongaRucinskiSaidiSawchukSistoSlobodnik*SmithSpoonerHonourofAlexander & Helen PatriciaStark Steer Evelyn Steinberg Josie Patti-AnneTait* Tarlton Marek Ulanicki Clyde Wagner & Steven Taetz Lorna White Firth Whitwam Deni Wise ted AnonymousJanetwitzelYoung (15)
23
SEASONFALL2022 Dancers from 14 African countries Unforgettable choreography by Pina Bausch and Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo The Rite of Spring/common ground[s] October 14, 2022 - October 15, 2022 Produced by Pina Bausch Foundation, École des Sables, and Sadler’s Wells On sale now tolive.com Media Partner
aBecomeFriend
Every donation to the TO Live Foundation will support free programming, community classes, and free or discounted tickets that ensure inclusivity at all economic levels. of TO Live
Visit tolivefoundation.com/friends
Vice President of Operations Edward Delavari Director of Capital Projects
26
Jeff Rohrer
Councillor Gary Crawford Vice Chair
Michelle Carter Vice President of Human Resources & Organizational Culture
Charles Mayne Office Clerk
Chahat Khandhar Systems Administrator
David McCracken
Box Office
Special Projects
Tom Kerr
Client Settlement Services Manager Dorian Barton
Executive Management
Emma Forhan
Director of Marketing Grant Ramsay Media Relations Officer
Senior Digital Marketing Manager Vanessa Grant Content Marketing Manager
TO boardstaffLiveand
President & CEO Isabel Vicente Menanno
Michael Cadiz
Vice President of Finance & Administration Thomas Grady Director of Finance Hayde Boccia, Director of Finance Michael Johnson Controller Sabrina Li Senior Financial Accountant John Kiggins
Stephen Crooks
Marketing & Communications
Box Office Assistant Managers Clayton Batson, Jennifer Norma, Box Office Duty Manager
Board of Directors
Melissa Creighton Human Resources Generalist
Accounting Assistant
Lori DeGraw Chair
Vice President of Philanthropy & Sponsorship Megan Kotze
Councillor Robin Buxton Potts Councillor John Filion Paul
Director of Information Technology
HR Generalist
Director of the Office of the CEO & Board Relations
Vice President of STLC Redevelopment
Liz Bragg Box Office Managers Sandie HollyThomasChuiQuinlanMerkur-Dance
Director of Philanthropy & Sponsorship Lawrence Tan Development PhilanthropyCoordinator,&Sponsorship
Human Resources
Information Technology
Operations Matthew Farrell
Director of Ticketing Services Fran Holywell
Jaya Arora Social Media & Web Content Coordinator
Jimena Perez Marketing Coordinator Lauren Finateri Marketing Manager Coop Joshua DeFreitas Marketing Coordinator
Mini Chhabaria
GillianKathleenDawnGaveOwaisMustafaKevinMyriamBernardsGafarouGarlandHumayunLightwalaLindoMaracleSharpeSmith
Digital Content Creator Shaun Lee Graphic Designer
IT Support Technician
Vice President of Marketing & Communications Stephanie Canarte
Leslie Lester
Development Sandra Bellisario
Finance & Administration
Clyde Wagner
William Milne
Client Settlement Services Assistant Alice Lin Payroll Specialist Gladys Torres Payroll Specialist Nooshin Ashraf-Zadeh Accounting Assistant Nelum Dissanayake Accounting Assistant Fiona Liu Accounting Assistant Fiona Wan
Assistant Sound Operator Michael Farkas Assistant Electrician – AV Jason Urbanowicz Assistant Electrician
Events Manager
Project Manager
Luke MichaelBahramAghakhanBelfontaineGutowski
Vivian Hije Maintenance (housekeeping)
Production Kristopher Dell Director of Production Zoe AnthonyCarpenter(TJ)Shamata
Patron Services Managers
Head of Properties
Patrick Hales
Abiodun Ojekunle Director of Facilities Jarryd Fish Facilities Manager
Benn Hough Head BlumaElectrician,AppelTheatre
Roger RosaRosalinaJoseCatherineMizrahRobertAlvesBischoffMohemedPatrickRaudaSilvaVictoria
Assistant Patron Services Manager Peter BrunaHarabarasPisani
Patron Services
Lina KelseyWelchMcGuigan
Evan Ramdin
Keijo Makela Head Sound Technician, Bluma Appel Theatre
Stephen Aitkens Electrical Operator Ryan Nerona Junior Building Operator
Sean Tasson
Inoka NatalieDiasIreland
Roderick Padasdao Building Operator Marciano Ramos
27 Marcus Sirman
LaurenAiltonAdamMabelElliottMichaelLatoyaRhowenAkinpeluJaneBundaCushnieKimLewisLiwagSikoraSimaoSmith Housekeeping
Programming
Alicia Surujbally Light Duty Housekeeping Matthew Pannell Eduardo Costales Handyperson
Laurie Maher Senior Producer Sascha Cole Producer Ariana Shaw Producer Courtney Voyce Bookings Manager Alyssa Hu Alex Whitehead Bookings Coordinator Scott North Director Corporate & Private Events Michaela Aguirre Social Media Specialist Nathan Sartore Programming Coordinator Jasmine Vanstore Education & ProgrammingEngagementCoordinator
Stage Door Security Sangay Lhamo Stage Door Mohamed Zuhair Maintenance Supervisor
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts Stage IATSECrewLocal 58
Wes Allen Head of Properties, Bluma Appel Theatre Yunier Alvarez Penate Head Technician, Jane Mallet Theatre
Colin Dyble Stage Door Security Henry ScottTusharMohammedMargretaFernandesKristiansenShaikhSomaniSpence
Jr. Building Operator John Vickery
Housekeeping Supervisor
Jay Blencowe Head BlumaCarpenter,AppelTheatre
Meridian Arts Centre Stage Crew IATSE Local 58 Aaron Dell Head Technician, Lyric Theatre Russell Hawley Head GeorgeTechnician,WestonRecital Hall
Chris Carlton Paul ArmandMcKennaBaksh-Zarate Production Managers Julian Iacob Production Coordinator
Omar Nurse Stage Door Security Supervisor
Ehsan Rahman
IATSE Local 822 Susan Batchelor Wardrobe Head, Wardrobe Head, Bluma Appel Theatre
Meridian Hall Stage Crew IATSE Local 58 Richard Karwat Head Electrician Steve McLean Head Carpenter
Chief Building Operator Robert MacLean Building Operator
Ahmed
Ross Tuskey Head Sound Operator David Baer Assistant Carpenter Zsolt Kota
Senior Production Managers Bruce Bennett, Senior Manager, Theatre Systems and Special Projects
Josephine Ridge Vice President of Programming Max Rubino Director of Commercial Programming & Partnerships
Patron Services Duty Manager Bruce Berga Executive Chef
Facilities
Assistant Head Technician, George Weston Recital Hall Grant Primeau Head Technician, Greenwin Duncan Morgan Head Technician, Studio Theatre
Director of Patron Services Lynn DerekFrenetteGenova
Maintenance
Giselle Clarke-Trenaman Secretary Ross Paton Treasurer Devyani Saltzman
Citadel + Compagnie staff Laurence Lemieux, Artistic Director Kaitlin Standeven, General Manager Marianna Rosato, Production Manager Darynel Beckford Digital Marketing Manager Mateo Galindo Torres Artistic Producer Sierra Chin Sawdy Citadel Dance Program and Night Shift Coordinator Simon Rossiter Financial Director Rachana Joshi Box Office and Outreach Coordinator Tyler Gledhill Development and Touring Senior Production Managers Bruce Bennett, Senior Manager, Theatre Systems
Kiruthika Ratnasingam President
Part-time staff Darynel Beckford Digital Marketing Manager Ariane Burtin Bookeeping and Administration Ed Hanley Artist in Residence Neena Jayarajan Associate Artist Brannavy Jeyasundaram Writer in Residence
28
Board of directors
Rachana Joshi Company Artist, Outreach Coordinator, Digital Explorations Dainty Smith Discover Dance Host Sukruti Tirupattur Associate Artist, Digital Explorations Purawai Vyas Company Artist, Communications Co-ordinator Dr. Alex Patel COVID-19 Medical Advisor
Full-time staff Nova Bhattacharya Founding Artistic Director Kieran Heralall Metcalf Intern (Artistic Direction & Management)
BalluMember-at-largeThakur,Member-at-large
Nova Dance staff staffCompagnieCitadelboardand+
Nova Dance is a resident company of Citadel + Compagnie’s Creative Incubator, which provides artistic, administration, and production support.
At Nova Dance we strive to embody kindness, compassion, and generosity. We are dedicated to bridging cultures and communities through the power of dance. We embrace diversity as creative inspiration, exploring the potential for harmony through movement. We gather with artists and audiences to create a community that celebrates the necessity of art in our lives.
Where banking feels good.
At Meridian you’re not just a customer, you’re a Member and an Owner. That means we work for you. It also means that we can take our profits and return them to you with some of the best rates and services in the marketplace. us in-branch or online
Visit
MeridianCU.ca ™Trademarks of Meridian Credit Union Limited.