Artistic Collaborators

Irvin Chow
Performer/Arts Education Facilitator
Irvin Chow graduated with a BFA in Dance at York University. Throughout the years, he has toured across Canada and internationally working with many choreographers such as: Angela Blumberg, Debra Brown, Sylvie Bouchard, Jasmyn Fyffe, Robert Glumbek, Michael Greyeyes and Terrill Maguire. Irvin has had the pleasure of performing as a part of David Earle’s, Miserere in the Toronto Heritage Dance project as well as in William Yong’s Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage show, vox:lumen. He was part of Toronto Dance Theatre for their 2015 season and most recently was honoured to work with Julia Sasso again in her remount of her much acclaimed work, Sporting Life. He is currently working with Form CDT for their upcoming show in January 2017 in Burlington.  Irvin has been working with tiger princess dance projects since 2012.

Mairéad Filgate
Artistic Associate/Arts Education Facilitator/Performer
Mairéad Filgate is a Toronto-based dance artist and graduate of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and the Etobicoke School of the Arts. She has performed extensively throughout Canada and beyond with the Danny Grossman Dance Company, Dusk Dances, tiger princess dance projects, Public Recordings, BoucharDanse, Ian Spencer Bell, Chartier Danse, and Bill Coleman, among others. As a choreographer Mairéad creates both independently and collaboratively with Throwdown Collective. She recently obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Women & Gender Studies/Sociology from the University of Toronto and serves as Co-Chair for the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists.  Mairéad is Artistic Associate of tiger princess dance projects and been working with the company since 2010.

Luke Garwood
Performer
Luke Garwood began his dance training at Ballet Classique du Haut-Richelieu, but continued his schooling at l’Ecole Superieur de Danse du Quebec, Canada’s National Ballet School, and the Hamburg Ballet School. Garwood has performed professionally with such companies as: Toronto Dance Theatre, ProArteDanza, Alias Dance Projects, Hit and Run Dance Productions, Signal Theatre, and Coleman Lemieux and Company. Independently, Garwood works in Toronto and Berlin, and has collaborated with choreographers such as Valerie Calam, D.A. Hoskins, Allison Cummings, Sashar Zarif, Susie Burpee, Jacob Niedzwiecki, Tina Fushell, Yvonne Ng, Jenn Goodwin, Heidi Strauss, Christoph Winkler and, through Nuit Blanche, Gordon Monahan and Trisha Brown Dance Company.  Luke has been working with tiger princess dance projects since 2012.

Johanna Bergfelt
Rehearsal Director/Performer
Johanna Bergfelt, a native of Sweden, graduated from The Royal Swedish Ballet School in 1989. She has an extensive performance background beginning with Östgötabaletten, where she worked for six years, and later joined Norrdans, and the Barents Dance Ensemble.  Since coming to Canada in 2000, Johanna has worked with The Chimera Project, Kaeja d’Dance, Kathleen Rea, Santee Smith, Darcey Callison, Louis Laberge Cote, Kate Alton, Holly Small, William Yong, and the Toronto Dance Theatre, where she was a company dancer for six years.  Johanna has been nominated three times for a Dora Mavor Moore Award.

Kaitlin Standeven
Arts Education Facilitator/Performer
A member of Toronto Dance Theatre for eight seasons, Kaitlin Standeven was a collaborator in the creation of five original full-length works by Artistic Director Christopher House. During her time with TDT she had the privilege of working with such affecting artists as Susie Burpee, Etienne Guilloteau, Deborah Hay, Ame Henderson and Heidi Strauss. Committed to the development of her skills as an interpreter through the pursuit of clarity, Kaitlin is interested in the converging of minds in collaborative endeavors. Continuing her work now as an independent artist she has engaged with creators Marie-Josée Chartier, Allison Cummings, Syreeta Hector, Simon Renaud and Robert Stephen. Kaitlin holds a BFA from Ryerson University.

Nick Storring
Composer
Nick Storring is a Toronto based composer, cellist and improviser with a wide palette of interests, ranging from warped dance music to electroacoustic music, experimental pop to chamber music and collaborations within various “non-Western” traditions. His broken-violin-based electronic piece Artifacts (I) won first place in the 2008 Jeux de Temps/ Times Play competition for emerging Canadian electroacoustic composers and was subsequently heard at Festivals worldwide. In 2011, he was the recipient of the Canadian Music Centre’s Toronto Emerging Composer award, which is providing funding for a piece of orchestral proportions created through multi-track recording by Storring alone.

Marie-Josée Chartier
Outside Eye/Creative Facilitator
A multi-faceted artist, Marie-Josée Chartier moves easily between the worlds of dance, music, opera and multi-media in the roles of choreographer, performer, director, vocalist or teacher. Her choreographic works have been presented in festivals in Canada, Europe and Latin America and have been featured on documentary films and presented on national television and film festivals.

She is the recipient of the 2001 K.M. Hunter Artist Award, the 2015 Jacqueline Lemieux Prize, nine Dora Mavor Moore Awards nominations winning for fifty-one pieces of silver and sharing with Urge for And by the way Miss. Since 2000, Marie-Josée Chartier is in demand as a director of dance, multi-media and opera productions and collaborates with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, the Gryphon Trio, Toca Loca, Tapestry Opera and l’Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal. She is also active as a guest teacher in major training centres and universities in Canada as well as in Latin America in the field of modern dance, movement for singers and musicians, voice exploration and improvisation.

In 2003, Marie-Josée Chartier founded Chartier Danse in order to support her creative activities. Acclaimed large scale productions include petites danses 2014 (six dance works, 4 short films and 25 performers), Red Brick celebrating composer Michael J. Baker with Arraymusic, Contes pour enfantspas sages with PPS Danse, Screaming Popes with fabrik Potsdam, Germany and Bas-Reliefs with Danse-Cité including eleven collaborators from Montreal and Toronto. www.chartierdanse.com

Arun Srinivasan
Lighting Designer
Arun Srinivasan has worked extensively in the performing arts for the last 23 years.  Dance collaborators include Robert Desrosiers, Peter Chin, Danny Grossman, ProArteDanza, inDance, William Yong, COBA and tiger princess dance projects.  He has been the resident designer for Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre since 2002.  Theatre credits include Factory Theatre, The Canadian Stage Co., The Globe Theatre, Expect Theatre, fu-GEN, Cahoots Theatre Projects & Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. His career has garnered him seven Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for Outstanding Lighting Design. Arun has had the privilege of teaching lighting design at both York and Ryerson Universities, the University of Waterloo and The National Theatre School. He has production managed The CanAsian Festival, Living Ritual and 6 seasons of DanceWorks. Productions have taken him to Ukraine, Malaysia, Singapore, India and across North America. When not working in the dark all the time, he can be found at the park with his kids.

Silvie Varone
Set Designer
As a Carpentry major in Technical Theatre, Silvie Varone began building props where furniture and upholstery became my strengths. Silvie was fortunate to be part of the burgeoning Toronto Theatre scene, working alongside creative talents and building for large scale musicals, opera, ballet, Canadian and International plays. These experiences helped fuel and develop her skills allowing her to explore different techniques and materials opening up endless possibilities to creating and construction.

To continue to explore the versatility and design of wood, she founded Silvie Varone Design and Build in 2013. Working with sustainable woods and finishes to create original and functional furniture and develop wood products for the home. Handcrafted in her studio in Toronto focusing on beauty, strength and longevity, Silvie works in collaboration with her clients to craft for them pieces they will enjoy for years to come.

Joe Pagnan
Set Designer
Joe Pagnan crafts fluid stories through the vibration or intersection of space and the human component that strives to find absolution within it. He stands to challenge participants: ensemble and audience, to constantly risk the void and to experience life actively as agents of creation. He fosters innovation through sustainable practices aimed towards eco-positive solutions. Stewardship of our environment is at the forefront of my artistic process. He is a scenographer based out of Toronto, Ontario with specialization in scenic, lighting and costume design. He is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Robert Glumbek
Associate Artist
Upon graduation from Bytom State Ballet School in Poland, Robert Glumbek joined The Great Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Warsaw as a soloist where he worked with choreographers such as John Neumeier, Maurice Bejart, Hans Van Manen, John Butler, and Constantine Siergiejew. In 1987, Glumbek came to Canada and in 1990, joined Desrosiers Dance Theatre, where he danced for ten years and was instrumental in the creation of many roles. Glumbek joined National Theatre Mannheim in 2002 as dancer and ballet master and returned to Canada in 2004 to work as an independent artist and choreographer

Robert Glumbek’s career as a choreographer began in 1999, his passion and sensitivity towards the dynamics of human relationships is what characterizes his emotionally charged choreography. Robert is the Associate Artistic Director of ProArteDanza founded by Artistic Director Roberto Campanella.

Robert’s most recent works include Alpha Female created for Ryerson University, Unfinished 32 and Still for Proarte Danza. Artistic Directors Kevin O’Day and Dominique Dumaishave invited Robert to include Still in an evening of duets for the Mannheim Ballet this May 2007 and for the 2007/2008 upcoming season he will also be creating a new ballet. February 2005, Robert was commissioned by the Mannheim Ballet to create a ballet entitled Subsistence. Compared with Edward Munch’s The Scream, his work was received with critical acclaim. During the summer of 2004, Robert choreographed Contemplation of Betrayal for Proarte Danza and he also created A Tale Begun for Princess Productions.

In the 8th International Solo-Dance Festival in Stuggart, Robert was entered as a finalist for his solo Subsistence. Robert and Roberto were finalists at the 17. Internationaler Wettbewerb für Choreographen (2003) in Hannover for their quartette, Nothing Twice. Continuing in their ventures together Robert and Roberto joined in collaboration with Canadian author Michael Ondaatje in the creation of Nine Sentiments, entitled and inspired by Michael Ondaatje’s poem.

Robert currently teaches at the National Ballet of Canada, Dance Teq, Mannheim Ballet, and Ryerson University.

Meredith Kenny
Arts Education Facilitator
A Toronto based production coordinator and designer, Meredith Kenny works in the worlds of theatre, dance, animation and education. A graduate of York University’s Film and Theatre BFA programs, Meredith has been joyfully working with Yvonne Ng as the Program/Production Manager for the Swallowing Clouds program since 2010. In the world of stop-motion animation, Meredith has designed props and graphics for the stop-motion animated series Life’s a Zoo, and Glenn Martin, DDS (Cuppa Coffee Animation) and was the Assistant Production Manager for the animated series, Starveillance and Celebrity Deathmatch (Cuppa Coffee Animation). Meredith’s set and puppetry designs have also been seen with Anandam, AfriCan Theatre Ensemble, Nighthawk Theatre Company, Theatre @ York, and productions presented in the Toronto International Fringe Festival, New York International Fringe Festival and SummerWorks. After falling hopelessly in love with capoeira in 2006, Meredith has travelled to Brazil several times to study the martial art, which is deeply rooted in the music and culture of Bahia. The senior student of Professora Lang in Filhos de Bimba Capoeira School Toronto, Meredith has been teaching beginner capoeira classes since 2010.

Erin Robinsong
Arts Education Facilitator/Poet
Erin Robinson is a poet and interdisciplinary artist. Rag Cosmology, her debut collection of poetry, is forthcoming with BookThug in spring 2017. She is also the author of four chapbooks, and her work has appeared in numerous journals, including The Capilano Review, Canadian Xtasy, Dandelion, The Goose, Regreen: New Canadian Ecological Poetry; Tag: Canadian Poets at Play and onstage at the &NOW Festival of New Writing, The Conference on Ecopoetics, and many others. Recent / upcoming performance works include This ritual is not an accident and Trading Power (2017) with choreographer Andréa de Keijzer. She won the Irving Layton Award for Poetry at Concordia University, and has been nominated for a KM Hunter Award. Originally from Cortes Island, BC, Erin lives between Toronto & Montréal. 

Cathy Nosaty
Arts Education Facilitator/Music
Cathy Nosaty enjoys a diverse career as a musician, composer, musical director and artist educator. She began her musical training as a classical pianist and her love of creative collaboration led to her to dance, theatre and scoring to picture. Over the past thirty years she has created scores for over 100 productions for regional and independent theatre companies across Canada. Cathy’s work has been heard on international stages with Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes, Manitoba Theatre For Young People and DynamO Théâtre. Cathy was Assistant Conductor/Keyboard 1 for the Toronto company of JERSEY BOYS and her documentary film scores include THE MOTHERLOAD for CBC’s THE DOC ZONE.

Cathy is an enthusiastic artist educator for Swallowing Clouds, the Canadian Opera Company, the Royal Conservatory of Music, Tapestry Opera, Classical Music Conservatory, Jumblies Theatre, and the Community Arts Guild.

Marie Lambin-Gagnon
Arts Education Facilitator/Dance
Marie Lambin-Gagnon, originally from Montreal, trained at Ballet Divertimento and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. She has participated in workshops such as the Gaga Summer Course in Tel Aviv, Morphing/Evolution with Compagnie Marie Chouinard, and Springboard Danse Montreal, where she worked with RUBBERBANDance Group, directed by Victor Quijada. In January 2013, Marie collaborated with Quebecois choreographer Robert Desrosiers, who created a new solo on her presented at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto. She has worked with Shannon Liztenberger, Robert Abubo, ReActive Dance Theatre, is part of the collective The Garage and NewFoundDance. She has presented her choreography at Nuit Créative and Series 808. A recent piece, ‘’WTF’’ has been presented for Danses Buissionières, the 2015 Rhubarb Festival and the Festival Vue sur la Relève. Her most recent work-in-progress, ‘’Here, a celebration of failure’’, was showcased at Octopus Garden Yoga Centre in December 2014.

Shahla Lafeer
Assistant Arts Education Facilitator
Shahla Lafeer is a Bachelor of Commerce Candidate who is currently studying at Ryerson University for Global Management Studies and French. In recent years, Shahla has taken part in Toronto-based arts organizations including All-City Band and Orchestra as well as Darearts Foundation for Children, which greatly influenced her love for the arts and its’ positive effect on the lives of children – giving them the opportunity to nourish and develop into positive role models. As a teen, Shahla was given the opportunity to work at Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre as a Children’s’ Program Worker, where she grew a great passion for working with children. During her years of working with children, Shahla became determined in helping them along their journey of finding their true passions and personal successes. During her years as a Children’s’ Program Worker, Shahla was able to grasp onto the fundamental leadership skills needed to direct and maintain programs for children that enabled for intellectual and mental growth, which lead to her involvement in the Swallowing Clouds Program. Shahla hopes to continue her positive involvement in creating a better and safer tomorrow for the children of today!

“Working with children is such a blessing. I am constantly reminded of how beautiful and youthful life is and I cannot thank them enough for the positive perspective they have introduced me to. Children are the flowers of tomorrow. With some love and care, they will blossom into amazing individuals with strong personalities.”

Olivia Arcangeli
Assistant Facilitator/Dance
Originally from Aurora Ontario, Olivia Arcangeli began her dance training studying ballet, Jazz and Modern. Later, Arcangeli found herself at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre where she graduated in 2018. Arcangeli was also involved as an assistant to Michelle Silagy in We Dance; a dance project celebrating differently abled movers. She performed one for five, choreographed by Kristen Innes Stambolic as part of Summerworks Performance Festival 2018. Summer programs she has attended include Dance Italia, TransFormation Danse, Peggy Baker Dance Projects August Intensive, and Dance Ability International Teacher Intensive Course. She has worked with choreographers including Tedd Robinson, Sharon B. Moore, Julia Sasso, and Peggy Baker. More recently, Arcangeli co-produced a show entitled Fuse, where she created and performed a piece. She is an assistant teacher in the Young Dancer’s program at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and has recently finished her Yoga teachers certification.

Sierra Chin Sawdy
Assistant Facilitator/Dance
Sierra is an independent dance artist, based in Toronto. Since graduating from Ryerson University’s BFA Dance program, she has had the opportunity to work with Sylvie Bouchard (Dusk Dances), Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Citadel + Compagnie, Dancetheatre David Earle, Hanna Kiel, Toronto Heritage Dance, Avinoam Silverman Dance, ACE Dance Theatre and Alysa Pires Dance Projects. She has toured throughout Canada, Mexico, China and the UAE.

Johnny Spence
Assistant Facilitator/Music