Secret Garden Summer Stage
Sponsored by Sherwood Greenhouse

New Dance Horizons Secret Garden Summer Stage included six spectacular shows, featuring an eclectic array of live performance works with dance, music, theatre, and visual artists from near and far.

Celebration of New Dance Horizons' 35th Season.
New Dance Horizons Artistic Co-Directors: Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
Technical Direction: Patrick James
Summer Staff: Dima Lavrentiev, Marcus Merasty and Jennifer Moffat
Support Staff: Mac Findlay, Kris Evans, Jeff Quinn
Show # 1
Saturday, July 3rd at 7:30 PM
Show Program
  1. Marcus Merasty — Monument (03:00)
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  2. Bill Coleman -- La Flanuer (03:00)
  3. Johanna Bundon — Lonesome (W.I.P.) (06:00)
  4. Kathryn Ricketts — Rufus (04:00)
  5. Tara Solheim — Singing A cappella
  6. Anna Protsiou & Anastasia Evsigneeva (Moving Roots) — Tangled (14:00)
  7. Joseph Ashong & Family — Drumming (10:00)
  8. Vibes YQR( Mohitdeep Khatra, Roddire John Creer, Edwardo Alvaro, Renz Arram Agbulos Rivero, Tessa Rae Kuz)  — Hip Hop (10:00)
  9. Marcus Merasty, Mac Findlay, Anna Protsiou, Anastasia Evsigneeva, I-Ying Wu and Tessa Rae Kuz — Square Dance (06:00)
  10. Bill Coleman — Arrow Crossing (05:00)
Show # 2
Saturday, July 10th at 7:30 PM
Show Program
  1. Marcus Merasty performing Treaty 4 Monument (07:00)
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  2. Anna Protsiou & Anastasia Evsigneeva performing Re-Flex (04:00)
  3. Bill Coleman performing The Third Man (05:00)
  4. Marcus Merasty, Anna Protsiou, Anastasia Evsigneeva, I-Ying Wu, Mac Findlay & Tessa Rae Kuz performing Square Dance (06:00)
  5. Gary Varro & Mac Findlay performing Gulliver (10:00)
    Work by Robin Poitras
  6. Marcus Merasty, Anna Protsiou & Anastasia Evsigneeva performing Serpent Trio (14:00)
    Work by Robin Poitras
  7. Brothers Plaid — Bill Coleman & Mark Shaub performing Saran Rap
Show # 3
Saturday, July 17th at 7:00 PM
Show Program
  1. Marcus Merasty — Monument (03:00)
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  2. Anna Protsiou, Anastasia Evsigneeva, Marcus Merasty & Justine Erickson — Quadriga (05:00)
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  3. Francine Merasty — Iskotew Iskwew (Book Launch)
  4. Marcus Merasty, Anna Protsiou, Anastasia Evsigneeva, Tessa Rae Kuz, I-Ying Wu and Mac Findlay — Square Dance (09:00)
  5. Davida Monk — Songs without words 4 (05:00)
  6. Anna Protsiou & Anastasia Evsigneeva — Tangled (14:00)
  7. Joseph Ashong & Family — Drumming (15:00)
  8. Michèle Moss — Untitled (03:00)
  9. Jackie Latendresse — Primordial (Inspired by Mary Wigman's Witch Dance. 1926; Music by Cliff Burns)
  10. Davida Monk — Songs without words 3 (02:12)
  11. Joelle Fuller & E-Major (15:00)
  12. Davida Monk — Songs without words 6 (11:00)
  13. Anna Protsiou & Anastasia Evsigneeva — Re-Flex (05:00)
  14. Michele Moss & E-Major — House Music
Show # 4
Saturday, July 24th at 7:30 PM
Show Program
  1. Marcus Merasty — Monument
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  2. Brooke Hess — Que sera (02:00)
  3. Richard Lee — Untitled
  4. I-Ying Wu — Dance with the Wind
  5. Tessa Rae Kuz — Annie's Dance
  6. Marcus Merasty & Brooke Hess — Quadriga
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  7. Gerry Marita & Richard Lee — RV There Yet? (14:00)
Show # 5
Thursday, July 29th at 7:00 PM
Show Program
  1. Marcus Merasty — Monument
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  2. Graham Kotowich – Valeur
  3. Gary Varro and Mac Findlay – Gulliver
  4. Marcus Merasty — & (excerpt)
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  5. Katherine Semchuk and Meghann Michalsky — Rigorous Connections
  6. Gary Varro and Timothy Hopfner — Adonais (Adonais poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley)
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
Show # 6
Saturday, July 31th at 7:00 PM
Show Program
  1. Marcus Merasty — Monument
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  2. Kathryn Ricketts -- Land(ing)
    Work by Kathryn Ricketts, Ian Campbell, and Loscil
  3. Skyler Anderson -- Passing the Rock
  4. Linda Yablonski -- Belly Dance
  5. Roderick T. Johnson — How to be a person
    Work created and performed by Roderick T. Johnson to poem of the same title by Shane Koyczan
  6. I-Ying Wu, Marcus Merasty, Tessa Rae Kuz and Vuyo Ginindza -- Square Dance
    Work created and directed by Marcus Merasty
  7. Marcus Merasty -- & (excerpt)
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  8. Krista Solheim -- Flowers
    Work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras
  9. Gary Varro — Adonais
    Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats by Percy Bysshe Shelley
  10. Marie-Véronique Bourque -- Swan Lake
  11. Bird Parade with robin, bird friends and the Anansi spider

About Artists

Skyler Anderson is a proud father of 2 handsome boys who he dedicates all of his work to. While taking classes at the First Nations University of Canada/University of Regina and creating his own work, he is also a theatre and indigenous art instructor for SUNTEP at the University of Regina. In fall 2020, Sky created and performed a piece with Pete Kytwayhat, as well as performed in a piece with the Curtain Razors, for the National Arts Centre Grand Acts of Theatre. This year, he developed an outdoor walking show alongside Greg Ochitwa titled, Holdin' on to What's Golden. Most recently, Sky curated, directed, and acted in a play reading series for the Globe Theatre, where he works as both Artistic Associate and Indigenous Liaison. Skyler was born and raised in Regina and he is nêhiyawak, from Treaty 4 Territory.
From Anansi (Dancing & Wild Tales)
Joseph Ashong has recorded and performed with Peter Gabriel, Angelique Kidjoe, Papa Wimba, Farafina, Annax Bickie, Alpha YaYa Diallo, Four the Moment, Prophet Organs and Juno Award winner Bill Usher. He is often called upon to share his knowledge of traditional Ghanaian culture, music and dance in educational settings.  He taught West African percussion and dance at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music for three years, and has conducted classes and workshop with the National Ballet, “Creating Dance in the Schools” program.  The Toronto Symphony’s ‘Adopt a Musician; program and the Art Gallery of Ontario’s “Spring into Art” programs as well as many, many classroom workshops and presentations.
Ashong now resides in Saskatoon, where he continues his involvement in the music and art scene.  In the summers of 2005 and 2007 he taught at the University of Saskatchewan during summer Session.  He continues to teach and give school presentations at all levels. He joined with two long time Saskatchewan friends from Boomtown Drums as “The Ghanadians”, playing sets at Festivals and special events such as Engineers without borders. He is lead percussionist with Oral Fuentes Reggae Band.
Photo credit: Daniel Paquet
Marie-Véronique Bourque, an extremely talented artist from Saskatchewan, is not afraid to think and act outside the box. Her original songs and unique interpretations of jazz standards (by flute and voice) pair beautifully with her hard-to-define music genre.

Born and raised in Québec, she studied classical music at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec where she was awarded First Prizes un flute and chamb.

Marie-Véronique is a member of the Regina Symphony Orchestra. She is also part of the Quarter Tones Flute Ensemble and they released an album, “Combine” in 2015. MV has toured throughout Switzerland, France, as well as in Québec, Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Photo credit: Lee Henderson
Johanna Bundon is an independent artist whose practice includes dance and theatre performance, choreography, and teaching. She has been working in the field of movement arts for over 15 years.
 
A 2005 graduate of LADMMI (Les Ateliers de Danse Moderne de Montréal), a 2008 graduate of the Globe Theatre’s Actor Conservatory, and holds a BA in Arts & Culture from the University of Regina.
 
As a choreographer, Johanna’s work has been presented across Western Canada through the Prairie Dance Circuit and as a part of the National Arts Centre’s Prairie Scene.

Johanna has been instructing Yoga and Somatic studies since 2006. She is recently sharing her work in Feldenkrais since graduating from San Diego 4 Feldenkrais Professional Training Program (2020). Johanna is an Authorized Trainee Awareness Through Movement® teacher. She loves this work and is enthusiastic about sharing this dynamic practice with other movers / thinkers / feelers.
Bill Coleman is a choreographer and performer His choreographic work has been presented at the Tramway in Glasgow, New York’s Dance Theatre Workshop, Place Des Arts, Montreal, Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Bill collaborated with the legendary jazz band the Sun Ra Arkestra to create Hymn To The Universe in 2008, and is featured in OutSideIn, a 40-minute 3D film that premiered at the 2015 Venice Biennale.
E-Major (Chris Edwards) exploded onto the electronic music scene in Kamloops, BC in 2008 while electrifying dance floors of all kinds.  His unique and energetic performance style paired with a vast knowledge of musical genres have proven irresistible to crowds looking for a dance party.  E-Major came up in the underground electronic scene of interior BC collaborating with local DJs including "Sgt. Seaby", "DJ Kudos", and "VanTek".  He soon found his own performance style blending funk, jazz, soul, and house music to achieve an electronic experience all his own. From 2016 to 2017 E-Major was in South Korea where he continued to play events as an international DJ at MUSE ON Vinyl Pub in Busan. 2018 and 2019 brought new projects and appearances in Regina at The Capitol, The Cure Kitchen+Bar, Abstractions Cafe, and Victoria’s Tavern. 
Photo credit: Courtney Maertens
Justine Erickson is a Winnipeg based dancer and has recently graduated from the Senior Professional Program at the School of Contemporary Dancers, as well as completing her BA Honours majoring in Dance at the University of Winnipeg. She has had the opportunity to perform with companies such as Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, NAfro Dance Productions in Winnipeg, and New Dance Horizons in Regina.
Photo credit: Robert Wilson
Anastasia Evsigneeva is a dance and circus artist. She graduated from The Professional Program of The School of Contemporary Dancers, Winnipeg, in 2019 with BA Hons in Dance. In summer 2020 Anastasia founded her performance arts company Moving Roots with the goal to build the body of work of her own and in collaboration with other artists. Since July 2020 Anastasia has started The Artistic Residency at New Dance Horizons under mentorship with Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras.
Mac Findlay is an artist from Regina, Located on Treaty 4 Territory. He received acting training as a cast member of Globe Theatre’s Young Company in the 2018-2019 season, which culminated in the Sandbox Series show Concord Floral. He is now pursuing studies in Music and Theatre performance and interdisciplinary social studies. He is curious and inspired with the ways that young people are using the creative arts to mobilize around important social issues. He would like to thank Robin Poitras for her mentorship, his family for their ongoing support and New Dance Horizons for the opportunity to be part of their 35th season.
Joelle Fuller’s music is a narrative of empowerment, her delivery extroverted and precise. Her song writing exemplifies strength in grappling with often silenced realities, while placing value in the brighter moments too.

Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Joelle grew up listening to her father’s blues and jazz records. Her influences varied, ranging from Whitney Houston and Pat Benetar, to Buffy Saint Marie and Brandy Carlile. Joelle maintained her adoration of jazz music however, often returning to iconic jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn. Joelle’s own sound is deeply rooted in folk rock, and encompasses elements of jazz, soul, and reggae.
Brooke Hess is a Winnipeg based dance artist.  She is a recent graduate from the School of Contemporary Dancers Senior Professional Program.  Brooke has had the opportunity to perform in the following professional works: Performing Artists against Climate change, New Manitoba Media Presentation, and Casmiro Nahussi’s NaFro: Return of the Dead and Nafro Festival 2020.  Brooke is looking forward to performing with New Dance Horizons!
Timothy Hopfner is an alumnus of the University of Regina, with a BFA in Theatre Performance. After completing his degree, he worked professionally and independently in Canada, several times on stage at the Globe Theatre as well as numerous Fringe Festivals, with original and adapted works. From 2005-2012, he was a core member of The Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards, based in Italy and with which he travelled extensively, performing throughout Europe. Since 2012, Tim is living and working in Berlin; currently he’s working behind the scenes at the world-renowned Berliner Ensemble.
Photo credit: Edward Poitras
Roderick Johnson was born in Nassau, Bahamas where he received his early training with the New Breed Dance Company under the direction of Alex Zybine. He earned a B.F.A in Dance Teaching and Therapy followed by a Masters in Dance History and Ethnology at York University.  
Through his career, Roderick has trained, performed and conducted numerous workshops, lectures and seminars throughout the United States, across Canada, Europe, South America and the Caribbean. Best known as a technical dancer and teacher with a creative mind and the ability to work with professional choreographers and theatre personals, Roderick has extensive experience coaching and supporting the development of dancers for examinations and competitions. Physically fit with knowledge of Hip-Hop Street and competitive dance, Roderick is a certified Royal Academy of Dance Teacher and ADAPT educator who practices all codes of conduct and professional practices.

Roderick’s performance experience includes dancing with Ballet Folk of Moscow Idaho, Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, Theatre Ballet of Canada Ottawa and Opera Atelier, at Canada’s Baroque Opera Company. He has received choreography awards from the Canada Council, The Dancers Transition and Resource Center, York University and the E. Clement Bethel Performing Arts Award for best choreography. In 2010 Roderick received first place in The Bahamas National Arts Festival. In 2011 he was invited to Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia where he taught all levels of ballet and Jazz classes, conducted workshops, co-choreographed and performed.
In 2013, he was invited to Trinidad & Tobago to choreograph a contemporary dance “Which Way Is up?” and in 2016 Roderick was invited by the Saskatchewan Caribbean-Canadian Association as the key note speaker for the Saskatchewan Caribbean-Canadian Association’s Black History Month Event “Beyond the Rhythms”.

As a professional dancer in transition, Roderick continues to embrace opportunities to serve Canada in promoting the arts and this season embraces and appreciates the invitation to perform with the New Dance Horizons in a number of their community dance performance events including: a tiny world’s fair and Rare Blue Moon Halloween Howl. Anansi marks Roderick’s debut performance with New Dance Horizon's and first collaborative dance creation with Robin Poitras, Edward Poitras and Nimone Campbell.
Photo credit: Christopher Mann
Graham Kotowich was born and raised in Regina and his career has taken him across the globe. Currently, Graham lives and works as a resident company member of Opera Ballet in Metz, France. In this piece, Graham is dancer, choreographer and composer and it is being prepared for entry into the September 2021 Tremplin choreographic competition in Biarritz, France.
Photo credit: Francesca Chudnoff
Hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan Tessa Kuz is a dance artist and teacher. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Ryerson University majoring in Performance Dance. Throughout her time in Toronto, she performed in work by Canadian choreographers James Kudelka, Heidi Strauss, Kate Hilliard, Marie-Josée Chartier and Louis Laberge-Cote.
Photo credit: Ken Greenhorn
Jackie Latendresse is an alumnus of the University of Waterloo where she obtained her H.B.A. in Dance with a minor in Fine Arts. She founded the Free Flow Dance Theatre Company in 1995, in Kitchener Ontario. The Company eventually relocated to Toronto and has now found a permanent home base in Saskatoon. Jackie has been choreographing and producing shows since 1993 when she presented her first full evening of dance works. Since then, she has created over 50 short works and 20 feature-length pieces. She has toured across Canada multiple times presenting work in both traditional and non-traditional venues. Jackie was recently awarded the YWCA Women of Distinction Award 2021 for arts and culture. She is an advocate for dance and the arts in Saskatchewan.
Richard Lee is a performer, creator, and educator based in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). In addition to B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Alberta, he has independently trained in contemporary dance across North America and Europe. Past adventures with Mile Zero include Night Cuts, R.V. There Yet?, Archival B.A.M., Dances & Devices, Endangered Species, and Knowledge Box. He has also danced in works for Mélanie Demers, The Good Women Dance Collective, Tania Alvarado, kloetzl& co., Amber Borotsik, Cloudsway Dance Theatre, and Troy Emery Twigg, among others.  His own creations (dance, theatre, and stuff-in-between) have been presented by Mile Zero Dance, The Good Women Dance Collective, The Expanse Festival, Dancers' Studio West, and CanAsian Dance. In 2015, he was honoured with a Sterling Award for his work on The Antyssey, co-written with Joel Crichton.
Photo credit: Brad Fenty
Francine Merasty is a lawyer and a poet.  She is the author of poetry collection, Iskotew Iskwew: Poetry of a Northern Rez Girl (Bookland Press, 2021).  She holds a BA and JD from the University of Saskatchewan.  Francine began writing poetry while working for the National Inquiry into MMIWG as a way to release trauma.  She has published in several magazines and will also be featured in the poetry anthology The Best American Poetry 2021, released in Septembe.  She lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Photo credit: Dima Lavrentiev
Marcus Merasty is a dance artist from Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan and is of Cree descent, Assin’skowitiniwak meaning “People of the rocky area”. His interest in dance began with learning traditional Métis jigging in 2013. A year later, following the invitation to perform in a contemporary dance work by Edward Poitras and Robin Poitras he began to pursue a life in dance. This was also the beginning of an on-going mentorship with artists Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras. Since then Marcus has received training in theatre from the Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre and participated in the Indigenous Dance Residency (2016) and the Indigenous Choreographers Creation Lab (2019) at The Banff Centre, and has toured across eastern Canada with The Dancers of Damelahamid. Marcus recently completed the 4 year Professional Program at The School of Contemporary Dancers and is working toward his BA. (Hons) in Contemporary Dance from the University of Winnipeg. He is currently employed with New Dance Horizons with a major focus on archiving the organization’s 35 year history.
Meghann Michalsky is a dance artist working in Alberta. She is the co-creator of Project InTandem and YYC Contemporary Technique Training, two programs that offer opportunities to emerging artists in Canada. She was awarded the 2019 RBC Emerging Artist Award at the Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions - she is the first
Dancer/Choreographer to receive this award.

Since graduating the University of Calgary dance program, she has rigorously pursued her dance technique training in Canada as well as in Israel, Portugal, Sweden, the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria.

She creates highly visceral works that combine intense musculature and athletic physicality with subtle internally driven flow-based movements. Her movement signature has been described as vigorous, raw, and interknit. Her knowledge of Hip-Hop and Krump movement principles has influenced her development of isolated, rhythmic, bound, and fast-twitch movement qualities into her contemporary choreographies.

Her most recent choreographic works have been presented at Project InTandem, Fluid Festival, Stream of Dance Festival, Annual Alberta Dance Festival, Convergence, and abroad in Finland. She will be presenting her work Deep END in Vancouver and Camrose this coming November.
Davida Monk began dancing with Le Groupe de la Place Royale in Ottawa in 1985.  She created work for the company, served as Assistant Artistic Director to Peter Boneham and was instrumental in the development of Le Groupe Dance Lab that was Canada’s premiere choreographic development centre between 1988 and 2009.  In 2004 Monk founded M-body through which she advances her own creations and projects.

As a performer and as a choreographer Monk has been presented across Canada, in Poland and Finland. She is a frequent collaborator with fellow choreographers, dancers, musicians, poets, philosophers, visual artists and designers. 
Gerry Morita (BA Dance/ MFA Theatre) has lived and worked in Vancouver, Montréal, and Tokyo as a dancer, choreographer, performance artist and teacher before moving to Edmonton and becoming Mile Zero Dance’s Artistic Director in 2006. Her work has toured Poland, Turkey, Estonia, Canada, and Japan.  

Morita’s body of work involves continuous inquiry into new ways of seeing movement, the body, and the spaces between us. She studies and teaches contact improvisation, Noguchi Taiso and other somatic-based and improving techniques, working with artists from all disciplines in a vast array of both conventional and site-specific venues. She has received the Mayor’s Award for Innovation in Artistic Direction, the Edmonton Salute for Excellence, Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund and was one of Alberta’s 25 Influential Artists recognized in 2016.
Michèle Moss is choreographer, researcher and community animator based in Calgary but engaged in a world of dance from NYC to Dakar to Havana and more. She considers herself a citizen of the world; born in the UK of Jamaican and British parents, raised in Montréal and frequent flyer in search of the best vantage point from which to consider dance and dancing. Michèle began as a tap-dancing tot in the UK and then had the good fortune to study at NCC in Montreal (Negro Community Centre). She went on to participate in studio training, nightclub practices and urban dance forms. Her practice and professional performance career on the stage as well as earning two degrees allowed her to move into the academe. She is currently an associate professor in the School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Calgary-with pedagogy, global dance practices and jazz dance as her focus.  She greatly enjoys her UCalgary teaching, creative and ethnographic research, as well as local and national commissions, international teaching and the many opportunities to conduct ethnographic research in the field and at home. She is co-founder of concert jazz dance company and community school, DJD (Decidedly Jazz Danceworks) in Calgary, Alberta and continues to be involved in many aspects of the company and school. The company just celebrated 38 years this past March 2021. Michèle has continued to enjoy a vibrant career performing, creating, researching, teaching internationally and serving locally and nationally. Her choreographic work has been supported by Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Heritage Canada as well as numerous awards/scholarships to support her work and research in performance-creation, ethnography in numerous field sites and at home. Michèle is most at home in the teaching and learning circle. Moss’s most recent commissions DJD (2021) COVID Drive-in show and NAfro Dance in Winnipeg, Manitoba at (2019). Recent ethnographic research and teaching assignment was in Senegal, West African at Ecole des Sables.
Photo credit: Robert Wilson
Anna Protsiou, originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, Anna graduated with a Bachelor Honours Degree in Dance from the School of Contemporary Dancers’ Professional Program. Anna practices and performs as a dancer and as a contortionist and loves to integrate the two genres. Anna is currently under a mentorship with Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras as part of New Dance Horizons’ 2020-2021 35th season.
Photo credit: Arne Eigenfeldt
Kathryn Ricketts, is an Associate Professor and Chair of Dance, University of Regina. For 35 years Ricketts has been researching and practicing dance and visual arts and has articulated the methodology Embodied Poetic Narrative. Her work is focused on developing ‘voice’ through performance with vulnerable populations using artifacts and personal narratives. She runs The Listening Lab, a visual and performing arts ‘incubator’ and presents exhibitions and performances in her loft in the John Deere Tractor Building. She is chair of the dance area of the Arts Ed program and Director of Professional Development and Field Experience in the Faculty of Education.
Photo credit: Dima Lavrentiev
Mark Shaub was born in Bartlesville Oklahoma. He has a degree in Dance from York University, and has danced with many companies and choreographers, most notably with Bill Coleman and Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault, where he performed for 16 years. After his performing career, he worked in the Dance Section of the Canada Council for the Arts. Mark has spent ten years touring with Cirque du Soleil as Artistic Director. As the pandemic brought all touring activity to a stop, Mark readjusted his life and is now running a mobile café and bike repair business called Les Mecs Mobiles with his friend Tony Chong in Montreal.
Photo credit: Kendra Epik
Kathrine Semchuk is a dance-based collaborator, performer and instructor currently based in Tkaronto (Treaty 13 Territory). She is a graduate of Victoria School of the Arts and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre where she was the recipient of the Kathryn Ash Leadership Award. Katherine has had the pleasure of working with Good Women Dance Collective (GWDC), Kaeja d’Dance, Kylie Thompson, Mateo Galindo Torres, Meghann Michalsky, Mile Zero Dance, Nostos Collectives, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Sasha Ivanochko, and Naishi Wang. She feels liberated when she is able to act as a physical portal for her own and other collaborator's stories, ideas and sketches.
 
She continues to investigate her own creative practice and has presented her work through numerous festivals and platforms including Feats Festival of Dance, Mile Zero Dance, and Expanse Festival. Katherine’s artistic work has been supported by Edmonton Arts Council and Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Photo credit: Joe Zhanghi
Tara Dawn Solheim works across genres, her original creations integrate poetry and melody in a cappella performance. Tara Dawn spent a year in the UK and later five years in Japan where she performed extensively and wrote for a number of music groups. Since returning to Saskatchewan, Tara Dawn has continued to create new work through residencies at The Banff Centre, St. Peter’s Abbey and Wallace Stegner House. Her experiences have led her to explore the physicality of the voice. 
Krista Solheim is an independent dance artist and movement teacher based in Regina, SK. She received her early dance training at the Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan, then completed a BFA in Contemporary Dance from Concordia University in 1998. In 2014, she became STOTT PILATES® certified instructor. Over the past 20 years, Krista has pursued an independent creative and performative dance practice. As choreographer, Krista has been active in developing her voice as a soloist. As performer, she has worked with a range of choreographers from across Canada. Since 2017, Krista has been working with New Dance Horizons (NDH) Creation Base, NDH/ Rouge-gorge; dancing in the creations of Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras.
Photo credit: Daniel Paquet
Gary Varro is a curator and visual artist based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada where in 1996 he established and continues to present Queer City Cinema Festival and Performatorium Festival of Queer Performance. Since the mid 90’s, Gary Varro’s visual art practice has proposed critical relationships with the architectural and social spaces they occupy and reference. Areas of interest include: queer identities; public/private domains; self humiliation and vulnerability; spectacle and transgression; humour and pathos, endurance and the creative process itself.
Photo credit: Dima Lavrentiev
I-Ying Wu is an improvisation practitioner and researcher. She was awarded her PhD from the University of Northampton, UK in 2014 and completed her postdoctoral research at the Improvisation Studies Centre based in the Faculty of Media, Art and Performance, University of Regina during 2016-2017. Her PhD practice-led research employed a Daoist understanding of qi to develop a system of improvisational movement. Informed by ancient texts on Chinese traditional qigong and Daoist philosophy, her improvisation practice focuses on subtle awareness of the very moment when an improvisational phenomenon emerges.
Linda Yablonski loves everything about flowers and gardening.  She looks forward to dancing in the Secret Garden Tour each year.

Linda and Maitland met at NDH in a voice class with Traci Foster,  they shared a powerful healing summer of movement and vocalizing. 

Linda is deeply honoured to be dancing in celebration of Maitland’s life.

Music used in Linda's performance: Aad Guray Nameh by Deva Premal

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*Special thanks to the following agencies: Government of Canada, Saskatchewan Arts Board, City of Regina, Canada Council for the Arts, CanDance, Community Initiatives Fund, Dance Saskatchewan Inc., SaskCulture, and Business for the Arts
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NDH acknowledges that our organization creates, inspires, presents, and collaborates on Treaty 4 Territory. We affirm our relationship and partnership with the First Nations and Métis people that live here, in the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.