Kathryn Ricketts

Kathryn Ricketts, PhD, is a Full Professor and Chair of Dance in the Education Department at the University of Regina. For the past 40 years Ricketts has been researching and practicing dance and visual arts performing and teaching throughout Europe, South America, Africa, Australia and Canada.

Ricketts has articulated the methodology Embodied Poetic Narrative which is focused on developing individual and collective ‘voice’ through poetic performances and writing with vulnerable populations using artifacts and personal narratives. She has 4 performative research characters which she performs regularly.

Alexandra Caprara

Alexandra Caprara (she/her) is a queer interdisciplinary artist from Toronto, Ontario whose practice is grounded in performance making and design, with a focus on devised processes, movement, and design lead creation. Her practice spans between directing, design for lighting and video projection, and devised performance within both dance and theatre contexts. She has worked internationally as a director, performer, and designer, and has presented her work across Canada alongside companies such as WorkMan Arts, Factory Theatre, Theatre Replacement, and GoodWoman Dance. She believes in making and producing work that fosters queer joy, and has centered her research on establishing holistic approaches to design in embodied practices.

Some of her recent work includes “Ultra Violets” (director, re:Naissance Opera’s 2024 IndieFest), projection design for “A Silent Howl” (Dancing on the Edge 2023), and devised performance in “A Hunger Artist” (Prague Quadrennial 2023). Her research as a designer is also being presented at the Prague Quadrennial 2024 Technologies Symposium, where she is discussing her approaches to design lead creation in relation to the research of this piece. She currently resides in Vancouver, where she recently completed her MFA in interdisciplinary arts at Simon Fraser University.

Mary Kelly

Mary Kelly (she/ her) is an Aotearoa-Canadian poet currently living in Vancouver, Canada. She is a graduate of The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser’s The Writer’s Studio.
 
Mary is interested in how poetry can explore the ripples of violence as a result of the recent Aotearoa Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. She hopes to bridge the gap in recorded violence by highlighting cultural consequences of institutional violence that is not accessible from data alone.
 
When she is not writing, Mary is the Poetry and Prose Editor for SAD Magazine and a first reader for ONLYPOEMS. Mary’s work has been long listed for PULP Literature Kingfisher Poetry Prize, and has been nominated for Best of the Net 2025. She has written for Serviette, Ensemble, Starling, takahē, Yolk Literary, Canadian Literature, The Kingfisher, and elsewhere.
 
You can find her work at www.marykelly.ca

Suzanne Liska and Kathleen Rea

Suzanne Liska (MFA Dance Choreography, Certified Alexander Technique Teacher) specializes in choreography, performance-as-research, somatics, dance kinesiology, East Asian dance/theatre and contact/ensemble improvisation. Her artistic and scholarly practices are shaped by her diasporic mixed-Asian Canadian cultural background and somatic dance theatre practices. She is thus committed to exploring the interrelatedness of mind, body, and identity and the role of movement in questioning, inhabiting/embodying, and transforming intergenerational reverberations. Suzanne has received grants and awards through CCA, TAC, OAC, York University and SSHRC; and is contract faculty for York University’s Dance Department and George Brown College’s Theatre School. www.suzanneliska.com

Kathleen Rea danced with Canada’s Ballet Jorgen, National Ballet of Canada, and Tiroler Landestheater. Her life’s course changed 25 years ago when she fell in love with contact improvisation and has devoted her career to this dance form ever since. She has choreographed over 50 dance-works and been nominated for 7 DORAs. She has a learning disability that results in writing taking 8 times longer than average. It is a surprise and mystery for her that despite these struggles she developed a love of writing and is a published author (“The Healing Dance”, and two blogs). She has a Master’s Degree in Expressive Arts Therapy. She is a certified teacher of the Axis Syllabus and Buteyko Breathing. She is the director of REAson d’etre dance production, producing dance jams, film festivals, and productions. In explaining what it is like to live with autism she also has been drawn into educating the world about neurodiversity.

Nicole Rose Bond

Nicole Rose Bond began her formal dance training at York University, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Dance cum laude in 2005 after being awarded the Grant Strate Award in Dance in 2003 and 2005 respectively and the Harry Rowe Bursary in 2004. Nicole was also featured in The Toronto Star, Arts & Entertainment, Dance’s Class Acts of ’05, as one of “Ten Promising Young Dancers to Watch” in January of 2005.
 
Nicole has felt privileged to perform works by esteemed choreographers including Peggy Baker, Patricia Beatty, Tom Brouillette, Susan Cash, Bill Coleman, David Earle, Danny Grossman, Ryan Graham Hinds, Christopher House, James Kudelka, Learie McNicholl, Andrea Nann, Yvonne Ng, John Oswald, Peter Quanz, Peter Randazzo and Andrea Spaziani.
Nicole has had three cross country Canadian tours with the Toronto Dance Theatre [TDT]: performing ‘Rivers’ in 2012; ‘Eleven Accords’ in 2014 culminating in a 2014 Dora Mavor Moore award nomination for Best Ensemble Cast – ‘Eleven Accords’; and in celebration of the TDT 50th anniversary following the company’s tour of Medellin and Bogotá, Colombia in 2017, the TDT toured Canada a third time in 2018.
 
Following the world debut of ‘Who We Are In The Dark’ in Toronto in 2019, Nicole toured with Peggy Baker Dance Projects along with Sara Neufeld and Jeremy Gara of Arcade Fire to other Canadian cities as well as Den Haag, Netherlands and Guanajuato, Mexico culminating in a 2019 Dora Mavor Moore award nomination for Best Ensemble Cast – ‘Who We Are In The Dark’.
 
Whilst residing in Toronto, Nicole has worked as a course director in Graham Technique and Contemporary Dance at York University, Canada’s National Ballet School and has taught dance classes and workshops within the Toronto School Board. Nicole has also served on the Toronto Arts Counsel Advisory Panel and as a member of the Dance Collection Danse ‘Encore: Hall of Fame’ Committee and the Heliconian Club.
Since moving to Vancouver three years ago, Nicole has been teaching at Arts Umbrella, Modus Operandi and Simon Fraser University and has served as resident choreographer for three independent plays. Nicole’s choreographic debut in 2022 is now a permanent fixture of Arts Umbrella’s annual ‘Mixed Nuts’ repertoire.

Nicole is passionate about the pedagogy of the Graham Technique whilst honouring those who have come before her. Nicole is beyond grateful that her vocation encompasses doing what she loves and is humbled by, and indebted to, the unique and beautiful arts community that she calls home.

Kelsie Vanstone

Kelsie Vanstone (Jerome) is a seasoned performer, choreographer, and teacher whose journey in dance began in Northern Alberta. Growing up immersed in a range of dance styles, she developed a strong foundation that has shaped her career. Her training spans globally recognized institutions such as The Edge, Debbie Reynolds, and IDA on Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles, as well as leading studios in Vancouver, Calgary, and London, UK.
Kelsie’s career highlights include performing in Broadway Live Broadway's Beauty and the Beast, as well as appearing in music videos and live shows for artists such as Alessia Cara at the Juno Awards. She has also worked with major brands like Google and Mini Cooper, bringing her professionalism and artistry to high-profile productions.
With 19 years of teaching experience, Kelsie is deeply committed to sharing her knowledge. She has taught across Canada and internationally, including in London, England, and has been part of dance companies like O2 The Dance Company and WM2 Dance Company. Her teaching is rooted in classical training, emphasizing technique, creativity, and mentorship.
Kelsie’s artistic pursuits extend beyond dance. She has successfully transitioned into acting, with a role in season 5 of the acclaimed series Fargo, appearances in commercials, and a leading role in the sci-fi film Mr. Monster. These experiences reflect her adaptability and dedication to exploring new avenues in the performing arts.
Now based in Alberta, Kelsie is passionate about fostering opportunities for local dancers and artists. She is focused on producing and collaborating on live shows that support the region’s growing dance community. Through her work, she aims to contribute to a thriving arts landscape, ensuring that emerging talent has the platform and recognition it deserves.
Kelsie Vanstone is a respected figure in the dance community, known for her professionalism, versatility, and commitment to teaching and mentorship. Her ongoing efforts to inspire and support others make her a valued contributor to the arts.

Terri Hron

Terri Hron is a musician, a performer and a multimedia artist whose work explores relationships and belonging with places, people and scores. Using historical performance practice, field recording, invented ceramic instruments and videoscores, she often works in close collaboration with others and produces performances, gatherings and events. From 2017-2024, she was Executive Director of the Canadian New Music Network, where she developed programs focusing on pluralism and sustainability.

She is now the director of the francophone magazine, Circuit, musiques contemporaines. Recent collaborators include Monty Adkins, Charlotte Hug, Paula Matthusen, Helen Pridmore and Jennifer Beattie, and latest commissions include suddenlyListen, Ensemble Paramirabó, GreyWing Ensemble, Dead of Night, Splinter Reeds and Ensemble Supermusique.