ALEXANDRA DAMIANI

Artistic Director

Appointed Artistic Director of Ballets Jazz Montréal in the spring of 2021, Alexandra Damiani has been a major player in the dance community for over two decades. During her 10 years with New York’s Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (2005-2015), first as Ballet Mistress and then as Artistic Director, Damiani had the opportunity to work with and present a wide selection of contemporary dance choreographic languages by such internationally renowned choreographers as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Crystal Pite and Hofesh Schecter. Damiani also presented the company in major cities and international festivals, including at the Lyon Biennale in France and Sadler’s Wells in London.

Originally from France, Damiani is a multidisciplinary artist who has been lending her expertise to the world of film, television and advertising for many years. Her credits include participating in Darren Aronofsky’s cult film Black Swan in the role of ballet mistress and working alongside Tanisha Scott on Cardi B’s performance for the 2019 BET Awards. Damiani is also passionate about training the young dancers of tomorrow and has excellent connections with highly regarded institutions like Jacob’s Pillow and The Juilliard School.

Damiani trained in classical dance at the Geneva Dance Center, and later in the French capital with teachers from the Paris Opera Ballet. After winning the Bayonne competition in France, she received a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the US. She began her career as a dancer-performer in New York where she danced as a soloist with Donald Byrd/The Group and with the company Complexions, directed by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. Her career continued in Montreal with the company RUBBERBANDance and later with Ballets Jazz Montreal, under the direction of Louis Robitaille (2002- 2005).

Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

ANDREW MIKHAIEL

Artistic Coordinator

Originally from Mississauga, Andrew received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Marymount Manhattan College where he studied under Katie Langan. During his studies, he performed a large number of choreographic works by the renowned Paul Taylor, Aszure Barton, Alexandra Damiani and Jo Stømgren, to name a few.

Andrew joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2017 and has since impressed the team with his immense talent, work ethic, team spirit, and dedication. These qualities combined make him the ideal person to guide and support the entire artistic team.

YOSMELL CALDERON MEJIAS

Principal Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2016

BIRTHPLACE
Oriol, Russia

TRAINING
National School of Dance (Havana, Cuba), University of Art (Havana, Cuba)

COMPANIES
Danza contemporanea de Cuba, Pal Frenak Company (Hungary)

REPERTOIRE
Rafael Bonachela, Mats Ek, Itzik Galili, Carlos Junior Acosta, Jan Linkens, Ana Laguna, Juan Cruz

QUOTE
“The usefulness of the cup is its emptiness.”

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Learn To Learn

Born in Russia, Yosmell graduated as a dancer and teacher of contemporary dance and folk dance from Cuba’s National School of Dance (ENA) in Havana in 2005, and also received a diploma from the University of Arts (ISA) in 2014. Yosmell has collaborated with outstanding figures in the world of dance such as Rafael Bonachela, Mats Ek, Itzik Galili, Carlos Junior Acosta, Jan Linkens, Juan Cuz, and Ana Laguna. He has performed as a principal dancer of Danza Contemporanea de Cuba in Pal Frenak Company, in more than 22 works by Cuban and foreign choreographers, touring important festivals and theatre venues around the world. He is a choreographer for the Cuban National Ballet School and its performances at the International Ballet Festival of Havana and, thanks to his background in Olympic gymnastics, he also choreographs for circus performances. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in July 2016 and was promoted to principal artist in 2019.

GUSTAVO BARROS

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020

BIRTHPLACE
Goiânia, Brasil

TRAINING
Studio Dançarte, Intermediate Royal Dance Academy

COMPANIES
Deborah Colker Dance Company, Balé da Cidade de São Paulo, Ballethagen, Staatstheater Augsburg

REPERTOIRE
Alexander Ekman, Mauro Bigonzzetti, Cayetano Soto, Marco Goecke, Peter Chu, Ihsan Rustem, Alejandro Cerrudo, Marguerite Donlon, Regina Van Berkel, Henrique Rodovalho, Young Soon Hue, Hugo Viera, Ricardo Fernando

QUOTE
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

• Proverbs 4:23

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Forward, Trust, Movement

Born in Brazil, Gustavo began his professional path as a dancer in his hometown, Goiânia, under the direction of Gisela Vaz. He then joined some of the best contemporary dance companies in the country such as Deborah Colker cia de Dança and Balé da Cidade de São Paulo. He continued his career in Germany, where he danced for Ballethagen and Staatstheater Augsburg. In the course of his career, he has performed works by many renowned choreographers such as Ihsan Rustem, Stephen Delattre, Itzik Galili and Cayetano Soto.  He joined the company in 2020.

JOHN CANFIELD

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2021

BIRTHPLACE
Oakland, Maryland U.S

TRAINING
Canada’s National Ballet School

COMPANIES
Alberta Ballet, Cas Public

REPERTOIRE
Wen Wei Wang, Anne Plammondon, Hélène Blackburn, Alejandro Cerrudo, Aszure Barton, Helen Pickett, Yukichi Hattori, Jean Grand Maître, Demis Volpi, William Forsythe, Rob Binet, Marcelino Sambé

QUOTE
“The perfect song is framed with silence. It speaks of places never seen.”

• Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Thomas Bangalter

BALLET JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN THREE WORDS
Empathetic, New, Learning

Originally from Virginia, John Canfield grew up training at local dance studios before moving to Canada to attend Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto. Upon graduating in 2014 he joined the Alberta Ballet, where he danced for five seasons, working directly with choreographers Aszure Barton, Jean Grand Maitre, Anne Plamondon, Yukhichi Hattori and Wen Wei Wang, among others. In 2020, John joined Cas Public as a dancer, performing the work of Helene Blackburn for one season. In addition to his involvement with a number of private movement research programs across Canada, John has also attended Springboard Danse Montréal as well as Creative Gesture at the Banff Centre for the Arts. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2021.

DIANA CEDEÑO

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020

BIRTHPLACE
Panama City, Panama

TRAINING
Academia de Danzas Steps (Panama), The Boston Conservatory, Springboard Danse Montréal 

REPERTOIRE
Shannon Gillen, Loni Landon, Catherine Coury, Darrell Moultrie, Fernando Hurtado, Virginia Garcia, Damian Muñoz

QUOTE
“Trust the process.”

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Virtuosity, Experience, Determination

Originally from Panama, Diana began her dance training at Academia de Danzas Steps. Upon completing her training, she continued exploring contemporary dance and ballet at the Boston Conservatory. Diana had the opportunity to attend various intensive programs and festivals such as Juilliard Summer Intensive, VIM VIGOR, Springboard Danse Montréal, Opus Ballet and b12 in Berlin. She has also worked under the direction of distinguished choreographers such as Shannon Gillen, Catherine Coury, Loni Landon, La Intrusa, and Darrell Moultrie among others. She joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

ASTRID DANGEARD

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020

BIRTHPLACE
Paris, France

TRAINING
Conservatoire de Boulogne, Steps on Broadway, Verdon/Fosse Legacy

REPERTOIRE
James Kinney, Alex Frei, Bob Fosse, Sarah Miles

QUOTE
“Dance expresses joy better than anything else.”

• Bob Fosse

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Dream, Fiery, Style

Born in Paris, Astrid Dangeard obtained her National Diploma in Choreographic Studies in 2016 with honours from the jury at the Conservatoire de Boulogne-Billancourt in the Paris region. At the same time, she studied classical acting at Cours Cochet Delavène in Paris. In 2017, she moved to New York City to study at the Steps On Broadway dance studio, as well as with the Bob Fosse Legacy. Simultaneously, she pursued acting training, delving into Contemporary American Theatre. In New York, she danced for choreographer James Kinney and played the role of Déa in The Man who Laughs at the Producers Club. In 2020, she played “Iris Kelly” in Casino de Paris’ production of Fame, directed by Ned Grujice. Astrid appeared in several music videos, such as the one created for the song Flame by French artist Naë. She joined the Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

HANNAH KATE GALBRAITH

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020

BIRTHPLACE
Nelson, New Zealand

TRAINING
Rebecca Bignall Academy of Dance (New Zealand), Southern Ballet (New Zealand), Tanya Pearson Academy (Australia), The Ailey School (New York)

COMPANIES
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Futorian Dance Company

REPERTOIRE
Alvin Ailey, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cayetano Soto Ramirez, Ronald K Brown, Didi Veldman, Dwight Rhoden

QUOTE
“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.”

• Jennifer Lee

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Vivacious, Bold, Original

Born in Nelson, New Zealand, Hannah Kate Galbraith began her dance training at the Rebecca Bignall Academy of Dance and Southern Ballet Christchurch. She then studied at the Tanya Pearson Academy in Sydney, Australia, under the direction of Lucinda Dunn. At the age of 17, she moved to New York City to study at the Ailey School as a scholarship student under Milton Myers, Ana Marie Forsythe, Caridad Martinez and Jacquelin Buglisi. In the course of her journey, she performed works by Alvin Ailey, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cayetano Soto Ramirez, Ronald K Brown, Dwight Rhoden. Hannah has worked with many renowned companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Futorian Dance. She joined the company in 2020.

SHANNA IRWIN

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019

BIRTHPLACE
New Jersey, United States

TRAINING
New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble, Marymount Manhattan College

COMPANY
Complexions Contemporary Ballet

REPERTOIRE
Dwight Rhoden, Ido Tadmor, Lar Lubovitch, Jae Man Joo, Pedro Ruiz, Emery Lecrone, Cherice Barton

QUOTE
“Set goals that are not about the outcome, but about the process of reaching the outcome.”

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Defined, Physical, Articulate

Shanna Irwin grew up in New Jersey, USA, where she began training as a competitive dancer. She switched her focus towards ballet when she was accepted into The New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble, under the direction of Nancy Turano. She spent summers training with World Dance Movement- Italy, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and The Vancouver Arts Umbrella. Irwin went on to continue her studies at Marymount Manhattan College, under the direction of Katie Langan. She began touring with Complexions Contemporary Ballet during her senior year and graduated with a BFA in Dance in May 2014. She completed five seasons with Complexions, and in 2019 accepted a position with Ballets Jazz Montréal. A recognition from Dance Teacher Magazine said, “Shanna Irwin has been dazzling audiences with her undeniable strength, full-bodied performances, and eternally lengthened lines.”

AUSIA JONES

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020

BIRTHPLACE
Dallas, Texas

TRAINING
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Dallas, TX), The Dallas Conservatory (Dallas, TX), USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance (Los Angeles, CA)

REPERTOIRE
George Balanchine, Aszure Barton, Robert Battle, Sidra Bell, Ronald K. Brown, Alejandro Cerrudo, William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Lar Lubovitch, Barak Marshall, Dwight Rhoden, Cayetano Soto, Takehiro Ueyama, Didy Veldman, Manuel Vignoulle, Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit

QUOTE
“If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.”

• Buddha

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Possibility, Sensitivity, Growth

Born in Dallas, Texas, Ausia Jones is a graduate of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance with a focus on choreography.  Throughout her career, she has had the honour of performing works by William Forsythe, Robert Battle, Cayetano Soto, Azure Barton, Jiri Kylian, and more. She also has received many awards including Young Arts winner in both choreography and dance. During her time at USC Kaufman, she trained at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Orsolina Forsythe/Pite, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. She joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

AUSTIN LICHTY

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020

BIRTHPLACE
Stratford, Ontario, Canada

TRAINING
Arts Umbrella, Springboard Danse Montréal

REPERTOIRE
James Kudelka, Crystal Pite, Emily Molnar, Kate Hilliard, Guillaume Cote, Stephen Shropshire, Ihsan Rustem, Amos Ben Tal, Marco Goecke

QUOTE
“If not now, when?”

• Ekhart Tolle 

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Experience, Growth, Strength

Born in Stratford, Ontario, Austin pursued professional dance training at the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program under Artemis Gordon in Vancouver. He has participated in the Springboard Danse Montréal, Arts Umbrella International Summer Dance Intensive, TransFormation Danse, and ProArté Danza Summer Intensive programs. Throughout his professional career, Austin has worked with choreographers such as James Kudelka, Crystal Pite, Guillaume Côté, Emily Molnar, Simone Orlando, Lukas Timulak, Amos Ben Tal, and Ihsan Rustem, to name a few. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

MARCEL MEJIA

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019

BIRTHPLACE
Miami, Florida

TRAINING
Thomas Armour Youth Ballet, New World School of the Arts, George Mason University (Bachelor in Fine Arts), Springboard Danse Montreal, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

REPERTOIRE
Nacho Duato, Lar Lubovitch, Alejandro Cerrudo, Yin Yue, Doug Varone, Soon Ho Park, Johannes Weiland, Andonis Foniadakis, Lucinda Childs, Tom Weinberger, Ohad Naharin, Mark Morris, Ivan Perez, Robert Battle, Dave Grenke, Nick Pupillo, Alex Ketley, Courtney Mazeika

QUOTE
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

• T.S. Eliot

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Responsibility, New Beginnings

ANDREW MIKHAIEL

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2017

BIRTHPLACE
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

TRAINING
Marymount Manhattan College, Springboard Danse Montréal

COMPANIES
Marymount Manhattan College Dance Company

REPERTOIRE
Paul Taylor, Aszure Barton, Fernando Melo, Jo Stømgren, Alexandra Damiani, Darell Grand Moultrie, Larry Keigwin, Norbert de la Cruz III, Adam Barruch, Breton Tyner-Bryan, May O’Donnell, Murray Louis

QUOTE
“Be somebody nobody thought you could be.”

• William Chapman

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Powerful, Energetic, Athletic

Andrew Mikhaiel is originally from Mississauga, Ontario and earned a BFA at Marymount Manhattan College in 2017, under the direction of Katie Langan. During his tenure at MMC, he danced in works choreographed by Paul Taylor, Aszure Barton, Alexandra Damiani, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Norbert De La Cruz III, Adam Barruch, Larry Keigwin, and Jo Strømgren. He performed at The Joyce Theater for the Martha Graham Company’s University Partners Showcase, at the 92nd Street Y’s Fridays at Noon Series, and for the American Dance Guild. In his senior year, Andrew directed and organized a dance outreach program for NYC public schools, serving 240 3rd-5th graders. He was accepted to and attended Springboard Danse Montréal in the summer of 2016. Andrew joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2017 and became the artistic coordinator of the company in 2020.

EDEN SOLOMON

Artist

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020

BIRTHPLACE
Montréal, Canada

TRAINING
École supérieure de ballet du Québec, Arts Umbrella, Performance Research Program

COMPANIES
Inverso Productions (Lesley Telford), Wen Wei Dance (Wen Wei Wang), Jasmine Ellis Projects (Jasmine Ellis), ate9 (Danielle Agami)

REPERTOIRE
Lesley Telford, Sharon Eyal, Jasmine Ellis, Crystal Pite, Micaela Taylor, Tom Weinberger, Wen Wei Wang, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Danielle Agami, David Harvey, Livona Ellis, Jason Mabana, Mehdi Walerski

QUOTE
 “So be it! See to it!”

• Octavia E. Butler

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
New Experience, Performance

Eden Solomon grew up in Montréal. She studied at l’École supérieure de ballet du Québec and continued her education at Arts Umbrella and at the Performance Research Project in Vancouver. She also attended programs such as Springboard Danse Montréal, the Creative Gesture (Banff Centre for the Arts), and Gaga intensives (SF, NYC). As a freelancer, Eden has worked with several choreographers, including Lesley Telford, Wen Wei Wang, Jasmine Ellis, Danielle Agami, and David Harvey. She has been a member of TWObigsteps Collective and collaborates with the multimedia collective Crack Cloud. Eden has presented choreographic research in Vancouver. She joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

Sophia Shaw

Intern

Joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020

BIRTHPLACE
Vancouver, Canada

TRAINING
Arts Umbrella, Ballet Junior de Genève

REPERTOIRE
Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, Barak Marshall, Mats Ek, Aszure Barton, Emanuel Gat, Cayetano Soto, Fernando Magadan, James Kudelka, Olivier Dubois, Lesley Telford

WHY BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL IN 3 WORDS
Innovative, Complex, Mesmeric

Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Sophia’s studies in contemporary dance began with Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon. There, she performed works by many renowned artists such as Crystal Pite, Mats Ek, Sharon Eyal and Aszure Barton. While touring Europe with the company, she has also performed the creations of choreographers Fernando Hernando Magadan, Cayetano Soto, Lukas Timulak and Emanuel Gat. She has also participated in intensive summer workshops at the San Francisco Conservatory, the Banff Centre for the Arts and Jacobs Pillow. After graduating, Sophia joined the Ballet Junior de Genève in Switzerland and was an apprentice with Didy Veldman’s company Humanoove for the creation of @Home. She joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

ANNE PLAMONDON

Choreographer

A choreographer and performer, Anne danced with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, the Nederlands Dans Theater 2 and the Gulbenkian Ballet. She performed in works by over 30 renowned choreographers including Jirí Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Angelin Preljocaj, Marie Chouinard and Marcos Morau. Between 2002 and 2015, she becomes the emblem of the RUBBERBANDance group, first as a dancer, then as its co-artistic director. Alongside choreographer Victor Quijada, she participates in the creation of ten works for the stage and is instrumental in the formulation of the RUBBERBAND method, which she now teaches throughout the world. From 2007 to 2011, Anne collaborates with choreographer Crystal Pite and takes part in the creation of the successful pieces Lost Action and The You Show. In collaboration with director Micah Meisner, she choreographs and performs solo in Red Shoes, winning a Golden Sheaf Award at the Yorkton Film Festival in 2010.

Anne makes her debut as a choreographer with the solos The Same Eyes as Yours (2012) and Night Mechanics (2017), both undertaken in collaboration with theatre director Marie Brassard. Artist in residence at the Fall for Dance North festival in Toronto in 2018-19, she creates Counter Cantor, in collaboration with Emma Portner, as well as Fiddle Embrace, a piece for 18 students of the Ryerson School of Performance. In 2020, Alberta Ballet commissioned Yearn to Make a Difference, a piece for twelve dancers. In 2022, her duet, Only You, performed by herself and James Gregg that originally premiered with Danse Danse, went on tour and was also performed at Usine C.

Since 2019, Anne acts as associate curator for dance at the Domaine Forget International Music and Dance Academy.

ASZURE BARTON

Choreographer

Aszure Barton was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She received her formal training at the National Ballet School in Toronto, where, as a student, she helped originate the ongoing Stephen Godfrey Choreographic Showcase.

To date, she has collaborated with and created works for Mikhail Baryshnikov, Fang Yi Sheu, Ekaterina Shipulina/Bolshoi Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sydney Dance Company, Ballet British Columbia, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Ballets Jazz Montréal (Resident Choreographer 2005-08), among many others. Aszure has also led masterclasses, mentored, and created for renowned training institutions including Harvard University, The Juilliard School, New York University, Arts Umbrella, Canada’s National Ballet School and The Laban Institute (UK).

Other work includes choreography for the Broadway revival production of The Threepenny Opera directed by Scott Elliott (translation by Wallace Shawn and starring Alan Cumming, Jim Dale, Nellie Mackay, Ana Gasteyer, and Cyndi Lauper), film and installation projects, and international outreach activities such as Kenya’s Earth Project: Healing the Rift, at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy. Aszure’s choreography has been featured in numerous film and television projects, including the Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts Series with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Alice Waters.

Aszure was the first artist in residence at The Baryshnikov Arts Center in 2005 and has been an artist in residence at The Banff Center since 2009. She was proclaimed an official Ambassador of Contemporary Choreography in Canada and, more recently, received The Koerner Award for Choreography. In 2012 she was honoured with Canada’s prestigious Arts & Letters Award, joining the ranks of Oscar Peterson, Eugene Levy, Karen Kain and Christopher Plummer.

She is the proud founder and director of Aszure Barton & Artists, a collective of visual, sound, and performing artists and her work continues to tour Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.

Photo Credit: Robert Seiwert

CRYSTAL PITE

Choreographer

In a choreographic career spanning three decades, Crystal Pite has created more than 50 works for dance companies in Canada and around the world. She is the founding artistic director of the Vancouver-based company Kidd Pivot, world-renowned for radical hybrids of dance and theatre that are assembled with a keen sense of wit and invention. Ms. Pite is known for works that courageously address such challenging and complex themes as trauma, addiction, conflict, consciousness, and mortality; her bold and original vision has earned her international acclaim and inspired an entire generation of dance artists.

Crystal Pite was born in Terrace, BC, and grew up in Victoria. She began her dance career as a company member of Ballet British Columbia (Ballet BC), then William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. She made her choreographic debut in 1990 at Ballet BC, and since then has created works for such prominent companies as The Royal Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater I, Cullberg Ballet, Ballett Frankfurt, The National Ballet of Canada, Ballets Jazz Montréal (resident choreographer 2001–04), and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. She has also collaborated with Electric Company Theatre and Robert Lepage, and is currently Associate Choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater I, Associate Dance Artist of Canada’s National Arts Centre, and Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells in London.

In 2002, she formed Kidd Pivot, a company that strives to distill and translate universal questions into artworks that connect us to deep and essential parts of humanity.

“Running through all of my work is the question of what moves us,” she says.

Kidd Pivot tours internationally with critically acclaimed works such as Betroffenheit and Revisor (both co-created with playwright Jonathon Young), The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action, and The You Show.

In 2008, Crystal Pite participated in the inaugural GGPAA Mentorship Program as the protégée of 2004 GGPAA laureate Veronica Tennant, former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada.

Crystal Pite is a Member of the Order of Canada. Her other awards and honours include the Benois de la Danse, Canada Council Jacqueline Lemieux Prize, Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal, two UK Critics’ Circle Dance Awards, three Laurence Olivier Awards, and an honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University.

Photo Credit: Anoush Abrar

JULIANO NUNES

Choreographer

Juliano Nunes trained at the Brazilian Dance Conservatory in Rio de Janeiro before furthering his studies at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts in Germany, where he obtained both a Bachelors and Masters of Arts.

He later joined the companies of the Royal Ballet of Flanders, Leipzig Opera Ballet, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe and Stuttgart Gauthier Dance.

In addition to working with choreographers such as William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Hans van Manen, Jirí Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Yuri Grigorovich and Akram Kahn, among others, he has also gone on to receive critical acclaim for his own choreography. He has created pieces for the Royal Ballet in London, Nederlands Dans Theatre 2, Mariinsky Theatre, Zurich Ballet, Carlos Acosta – Acosta Danza, Pennsylvania Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Teatro San Carlo. Nunes is also part of the creative team for the new Netflix series, Tiny Pretty Things.

ANDONIS FONIADAKIS

Choreographer

Andonis Foniadakis grew up in city of Ierapetra, in the south part of the island of Crete, in Greece. He began his dance training with Niki Papadaki at the local dance school, in his hometown. From 1990 to 1992, he studied at the State Dance School of Athens and before his graduation he received the prestigious Maria Callas scholarship to continue his studies in Rudra Bejart Lausanne, in Switzerland until 1994.

As a dancer Andonis has collaborated with Bejart Ballet Lausanne (1994-1996) under the direction of Maurice Bejart, Lyon Opera Ballet (1996-2002) under the direction of Yorgos Loukos,  Saburo Teshigawara / Karas Co. (2004) under the direction of Saburo Teshigawara, as well as, with his own dance company “Apotosoma-Andonis Foniadakis”. During the years of his professional engagement with these companies, he has performed choreographic works of Maguy Marin, Jiri Kilian, William Forsythe, Dominique Boivin, Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Maurice Bejart, Ohad Naharin, Frederic Flamand, Bill T Jones, Herve  Robbe, Tero Saarinen, Lionel Hoche, Joachim Schlomer, John Jasperse, Saburo Teshigawara etc.

As a freelance choreographer he has collaborated with The Royal New Zealand Ballet, Geneva Ballet Switzerland, Lyon Opera Ballet (France), Bern Ballet (Switzerland), Ballet de Lorraine (France) Luzern Ballet (Switzerland) Gauthier Dance Company (Germany), Ballets Jazz Montréal (Canada), Martha Graham Dance Company (USA) Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (USA) Aterballetto (Italy), Ballet du Rhin (France), Sydney Dance Company (Australia) Florence Ballet (Italy), National Dance Company of Wales (England) Dansgroep Amsterdam (Netherlands), Cia Sociedade Masculina Brazil Bale da Cidade of Sao Paulo (Brazil), Helsinki Dance Company (Finland),  National Ballet of Greece, National Theater of Northern Greece, Greek National Theater (Greece), Codarts (Netherlands), Benjamin Millepied Dance Company (USA) Washington Ballet (USA), Bejart Ballet Lausanne (Switzerland), Ballet Junior Geneva (Switzerland), Hellenic Dance Company (Greece), CNSMD Lyon (France), Copenhagen International Dance Festival  (Denmark).

He has been director of the Greek National Ballet for the 2016-2017 season and has programmed the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. He is currently the resident choreographer of the Greek National Ballet.

Foniadakis has been commissioned to choreograph for 3 operas: The Theatre des Champs Elysees – Castor et  Pollux, Opera National du Rhin – Les boreades by Rameau, and GRAME Lyon – Il canto de la pelle by Claudio  Ambrosini.

He has collaborated as moving coordinator for the film NOAH by Darren Aronofsky. In 2012, he received the Danza and Danza Award for the “Best Choreographer 2012” in Italy for the creation Les Noces in Maggio Danza- Florence Ballet.

As well he has collaborated with Palais de Tokyo as Choreographic Curator for the Prec(ar)ious Collectives exhibition that took place in Athens, Greece parallel to Documenta 14, in 2017.

In addition to creating and performing, Andonis is teaching seminars based on his personal dance technique. He has been teaching in the State Dance  School of Greece, DAN.C.CE studios and Baile de Barrio in Athens, DOCK11 in Berlin, CND and CNSMD in Lyon, Dansgroep  Amsterdam, Henny Jurriens.

ITZIK GALILI

Choreographer

Born in Israel, Itzik Galili danced in Bat-Dor Dance Company, Batsheva II, and in Batsheva Dance Company, where he started choreographing. Robert Cohan, artistic advisor for the Batsheva Dance Company and artistic director of The London Contemporary Dance Company, encouraged him to attend the Gulbenkian International Course for Professional Composers and Choreographers in the United Kingdom. In 1990, Old Cartoon won the originality prize at the Gvanim Choreographic Competition. In 1991, Galili moved to the Netherlands and formed his own project-based company in Amsterdam. His controversial piece The Butterfly Effect won the Public Prize at the International Competition for Choreographers in Groningen and became the breakthrough piece that earned him international recognition.

In 1997, the ministry of culture appointed him as Artistic Director of a newly founded dance company in Groningen: NND/Galili Dance which, under his direction for more than 11 years, made a name for itself, putting not only the city but also the regions of Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland on the dance map. In 1998 and 2001, Galili directed the Groningen International Competition for Choreographers. In 2009, Galili returned to Amsterdam as the co-founder and artistic director of the contemporary dance company Dansgroep Amsterdam.

Since 2011, Galili has been a guest choreographer on the international dance scene. Since 2016, he has been the Artistic Director of Curtain Up, Israel’s platform for independent Israeli choreographers, founded and supported by the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport. Since 2018, he has served as the Artistic Advisor for the contemporary repertory company, Boston Dance Theater, building a bridge between his artistic networks in Israel and Boston.

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA

Choreographer

The Colombian-Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (1973) completed her dance education at the Royal Ballet School of Flanders in Belgium. In 2003, after a 12-year-long dance career, where she danced as a soloist with the Scapino Ballet, she decided to focus her energy solely on choreography. In that same year, she was hailed a “rising star of the Dutch dance scene” (NRC newspaper) and only 7 years later the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner wrote, “Ochoa is truly a masterful choreographer with an edge for what dance can and should be in this constantly changing industry.”

Annabelle is an award-winning and sought-after choreographer who has created works for more than 40 companies around the world such as the Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Dutch National Ballet, Djazzex, Ballet de Genève, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Gothenburg Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, BalletX, Ballets Jazz Montréal, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Ballet National de Marseille, Saarbrucken Ballet, Jacoby & Pronk, Chemnitzer Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Morphoses Wheeldon Company, Whim W’Him, IncolBallet de Colombia, Finnish National Ballet, Compania Nacional de Danza Madrid, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Scottish Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Ballet Nacional Dominicano, Ballet Saarbrucken, Augsburg Ballet, Ballet Austin, Atlanta Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, Ballet Moscow, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, West Australian Ballet, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Ballet Nacional Chileno, Ballet Staatstheater am Gartnerplatz Munchen, Ballet Manila, Daniil Simkin Intensio Project, Cincinnati Ballet, Silicon Valley Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, English National Ballet, Ballet Black and New York City Ballet.

Ms. Lopez Ochoa is a versatile choreographer who also creates for theatre, opera, musical theatre and fashion events, such as the celebrated Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf’s project in the Van Gogh Museum. She belongs to the theatre-dance collective “De Fantasten” for whom she successfully co-directed five full-length productions that have been performed in numerous theatres and festivals throughout the Netherlands.

In 2009, she created Zip Zap Zoom for Ballets Jazz Montréal, which was included in the “10 best dance moments of the year” by the Pittsburgh Gazette, The Boston Globe and the Montreal Gazette and was cited as one of the 10 best dance highlights of the year in San Diego and Chicago.

Her work has received numerous awards. In 2016, Broken Wings, created for the English National Ballet was nominated for a National UK Dance Award in the category of Best Classical Premiere. In 2015, Sombrerisimo, created for Ballet Hispanico, was given the Villanueva Award in Cuba. In 2012, A Streetcar Named Desire was nominated for the prestigious Olivier Award (UK), named Best Classical Choreography by the Circle of Critics of the National Dance Award (UK), and was awarded Best Dance Production 2012 by the South-Bank Sky Arts Awards. In 2007, Annabelle was elected to participate in the New York City Ballet Choreographic Institute. In 2002, Replay received first prize the audience prize at the Borne Choreographers Competition, and in 2001, Clair/Obscur received third prize at the Hannover Choreographic Competition.

IHSAN RUSTEM

Choreographer

Ihsan Rustem was born in London, where he trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.

Rustem began his professional career at the age of 17, joining Matthew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Pictures, followed by engagements with the BallettTheater Munich (Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz) and Introdans in The Netherlands. In 2007 Ihsan moved to Switzerland as a Soloist with the Bern Ballet and later a founding member of the Tanz Luzerner Theater.

During this period, Ihsan originated roles in creations by Wayne McGregor, Hofesh Shechter, Alexander Ekman, Matthew Bourne, Stijn Celis, Patrick Delcroix, Cayetano Soto, Felix Landerer, and Guilherme Bothello, as well as worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Jiri Kylián, Paul Lightfoot / Sol Leon, Hans van Manen and William Forsythe, amongst others.

In 2015, Ihsan was appointed Resident Choreographer for the NW Dance Project in Portland, Oregon USA.
His work for the NW Dance Project has been recognized with numerous accolades. State of Matter won the 2012 Sadler’s Wells Global Dance Contest as well as the Public Prize at the 25th International Competition for Choreographers Hannover, and Carmen received Dance Magazine’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Collaboration.

Rustem was the 2014 recipient of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s International Commissioning Project, and the Nederlands Dans Theater placed Ihsan on their program of Up & Coming Choreographers in 2019.

His work has appeared in the repertoire of NDT2 (The Netherlands), Ballets Jazz Montréal (Canada), Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2 (USA), National Ballet of Chile (Chile), Istanbul State Ballet MDT (Turkey), Ballet Moscow (Russia), Tanz Luzerner Theater (Switzerland), Tanz Theater Braunschweig (Germany), Konzert Theater Bern (Switzerland), Ballett Augsburg (Germany), Kazan State Opera and Ballet (Russia), Whim W’Him Seattle (USA), Koblenz Ballet (Germany), Thüringer Staatsballett (Germany), Salt Contemporary Dance (USA), Arts Umbrella Dance Company Vancouver (Canada) Ballet Regensburg (Germany), Würzburg Ballet (Germany), Siberian State Ballet (Russia), Staatstheater Schwerin (Germany), and the National Youth Dance Company (UK).

He was twice a featured choreographer for Russia’s popular TV show The Bolshoi Ballet.

Ihsan is the former Artistic Director of the Dance Art Studio Luzern and lives in Zurich, Switzerland.