2014 KEYNOTE PANELS & WORKSHOPS

KEYNOTE ADDRESS - NICOLE ROSE BOND

Nicole Rose Bond began her formal dance training at York University, graduating cum laude with a BFAH in Dance in 2005. Since graduating, Nicole has felt privileged to perform in works by esteemed dance artists, choreographers and companies including Patricia Beatty, Coleman Lemieux et Compagnie, Dance Theatre , Dance Company, Learie McNicholl, Susan Cash and Yvonne Ng. In the fall of 2012, Nicole was invited to work with as a guest artist. Since that time, she has felt privileged to be a part of two cross-country tours of Christopher House’s Rivers, as well as many performances in Toronto, including Rare Mix, and Christopher House’s newest creation: Eleven Accords. Nicole feels incredibly grateful to be able to dance professionally in Canada, and deeply honoured to be working within a community of such gifted artists, whom inspire her every day.

Q&A Play

An interactive session to help establish your own goals for the day. And to give you a quick introduction to some of the other people in the room.

Amanda Hancox is a graduate of the Arts Educational School in England. Over her 30 year performance career she worked extensively across Canada as a dancer and an actress in theatre, film, and television. Amanda has been Executive Director of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre since 2006. Throughout her tenure at the DTRC, Amanda has contributed her expertise to a number of major international and national conferences. Additionally she acts as a consultant and presents workshops on career transition within and outside the arts community. She is an Executive member of International Organization for the Transition of Professional Dancers (IOTPD), Chair of Dance Media Group, and member of the International Network for Cultural Diversity.

Brittany Duggan is a Toronto-based dance artist, teacher and writer. She graduated from York University’s BFA Program in Dance in 2009 and has since collaborated with a number of independent dance artists including Kate Hilliard, Susan Cash, Tracey Norman, Susan Kendal, Krista Posyniak, Jenny- Anne McCowan and Aviva Fleising. Choreographic credits include hooked, a new dance film with producer Peter Harvey,un , a duet with collaborator Posyniak, works for the McMaster University Dance Company, Scienceography (2011) for Toronto’s Fringe Festival, Mayfly (2011) for The Creative Republic and mountain girl (2010). Brittany teaches contemporary dance technique and is the blog manager for Series 8:08. She is currently the Managing Editor for The Dance Current magazine and has been involved with the organization in a variety of capacities since 2005. You can learn more about Brittany at brittanyduggan.wordpress.com. Photo: Tim Bemingham. Panel - BEING A DANCER (even when you are not dancing)

Hear from a diverse group of artists who know what it takes to maintain and nourish your identity as a dancer. Be inspired. This panel will be moderated by Shannon Litzenberger. The panel discussion will be followed by a short Q & A.

Camille Stopps is an Honours BFA Ryerson Dance alumnus. While completing her degree, she received three dance awards, in addition to the Millennium Scholarship Award for Excellence. In her fourth year, Camille created and produced EnChoreo, an evening of student choreography, under the guidance of Vicki St, Denys. Camille’s professional dance experience includes working with renowned Canadian choreographers such as David Earle, Matjash Mrozewski, Kate Hilliard and Valerie Calam. Other projects include Cendrillion (dir. Kevin Michael Shea, Tarragon Theatre) and (with)out (choreog. Patricia Allison, Factory Theatre).

Camille has been featured on Much Music/MTV and the Marilyn Dennis Show. She can be seen in many music videos, notably for the artists City and Colour and The Bicycles. In addition to freelance dance, Camille works regularly as a professional actor and model. Earlier this year, she completed a residency at the prestigious Canadian Film Centre (Norman Jewison; Keifer Sutherland) in the Actor’s Conservatory.

Lee “Lethal” Pham is an artist and producer. Known in the b-boy community as Lethal, he is a fifth generation member of world-renowned b-boy crew the SuperNaturalz. He is also a part of Toronto-based contemporary collective The Chimera Project. He has proudly represented Canada on stages across the world. He passionately teaches breaking and is determined to positively engage communities at a global level. As a producer he works in the film, event, and entertainment industry. – www.leepham.ca

Born and raised in Cape Breton, Molly Johnson is a Toronto-based freelance dance artist. A graduate of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Molly works with the likes of Nova Bhattacharya, Sylvie Bouchard, Susie Burpee, and Heidi Strauss. She has spent seven summers performing in parks across Ontario and beyond with Dusk Dances, and collaborates regularly with Forcier Stage Works. Molly dances for Montréal’s Le Carré des Lombes, interpreting Danièle Desnoyers’ acclaimed works across Canada and abroad. Under the umbrella of MjB, she creates movement-based performance projects in collaboration with musician James Bunton. Molly was a 2012 recipient of an Ontario Arts Council Residency grant, a 2013 Finalist for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award, and she has a Dora Mavor Moore Award sitting on her desk. Photo: Yoann Malnati. Shannon Litzenberger is Toronto-based contemporary dancer, choreographer, writer, director and arts advocate. Over her decade-long career as a professional artist, she has worked with some of Canada’s leading choreographers including David Earle, DA Hoskins, Marie-Josée Chartier, Susie Burpee, Heidi Strauss, Darryl Tracy, Meagan O’Shea, Michael Greyeyes, and David Pressault. Her work has taken her through small towns and big cities across Ontario, Canada, the US and Europe. Since 2009 she has been creating and producing dynamic multi-disciplinary performance works through the creative umbrella of her company Shannon Litzenberger Contemporary Dance. Her choreography has been presented in collaboration with DanceWorks, JD Dance, Anne Portnuff Theatre, The Toronto Fringe Festival, and Dance: Made in Canada, among others. Last year, she premiered her first full-length solo workHOMEbody – lessons in prairie living… to critical acclaim in Toronto. Her latest work Everyday Marvels was presented at the Gardiner Museum during Toronto’s 2013 all- night contemporary art event – Nuit Blanche. Based on Lorna Crozier’s The Book of Marvels: A Compendium of Every Things, this episodic performance installation features over 60 professional and community-based artists including an enthusiastic team of bankers from the Royal Bank of Canada. Shannon was the 2012 recipient of the Jack McAllister Award for accomplishment in dance. BUILDING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Dancers have to build a strong profile in their community. Learn about the tools that should be part of your portfolio. And understand what it means to present yourself professionally.

Jacob Zimmer is a director, writer, dramaturge and performer. As the founding director of Small Wooden Shoe Planning and Performance he has conceived and/or directed over a dozen works including Dedicated to the Revolutions (Buddies in Bad Times, High Performance Rodeo, Super Nova, Magnetic North), Perhaps in a Hundred Years (Summerworks, OFFTA), Life of Galileo (for Tracy Wright), Upper Toronto and Antigone Dead People. Jacob works in dance as a dramaturge with Dancemakers and in an on-going collaboration with choreographer Ame Henderson/Public Recordings. He also teaches artists and non-artists, gives talks, facilitates meetings and coaches people who give presentations. Jacob studied theatre at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts and was an intern with The Wooster Group and studied Viewpoints, Suzuki and Composition with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company. Jacob received the 2008 Ken McDougall Award for emerging directors. Andrea Spaziani is a Toronto-based choreographer and performer. Some of her work has been presented at the Dancemakers TWObyFOUR Festival of Duets, Hub 14’s Under a Paper Moon, TEDx Waterloo, and the Toronto Dance Community Love-In’s PS: We are all here. As a performer, Andrea has worked with notable artists such as Meagan O’Shea, Heidi Strauss, Emmanuel Jouthe, D.A. Hoskins, Michael Trent, Alias Dance Project, Alicia Grant (Berlin), Marten Spangberg (Sweden), visual artist Brendan Fernandes (New York), composer Christopher Willes, Juno nominee Peter Katz, and Juno recipients Kellylee Evans and Christopher Mills. She has taught workshops for Dancemakers, The Toronto Dance Community Love-In, Pivotal Motion Dance Theatre, YMI Dancing, and The Durham District School Board Artsmarts program. She recently published an article in The Swedish Dance History, Volume 4, launched an online choreographic project at www. lonedancer.ca, is working on a ResearchLAB at Dancemakers, and is continuing her group work meet/ meant/mtng/mning from her 2013 residency at Hub 14. She graduated from Ryerson University in 2005. www.andreaspaziani.com THE BUSINESS OF DANCE

Your dance career may involve many different companies or collaborators. How will you manage the business and financial aspects of your career? Learn from the best! A first-class team of presenters are here to offer their essential insights into contracts, budgets, and professional standards for dancers.

Amelia Ehrhardt is an independent contemporary dance artist based in Toronto. Amelia has worked in Administration alongside her artistic career since graduating from her professional training at George Brown Dance. She has since worked with many organizations in the Toronto Dance and Arts Community such as Coleman Lemieux and Compagnie, the Dancer Transition Resource Centre, The Artists’ Health Centre Foundation, and Ballet Jörgen Canada.

Amelia has performed professionally in works by Carol Anderson, Susie Burpee, Zeesy Powers, Julia Sasso, Menaka Thakkar, and created and performed in a music video for Toronto singer-songwriter Sasha Chapin. Her choreographic work has been presented at Extermination Music Night (in collaboration with Cara Spooner/Alicia Grant), A Month of Sundays (in collaboration with Jonathan Adjemian), Double Double Land, and The Deleon White Gallery. Currently Amelia is curating and producing a small series of multidisciplinary performance entitled Flowchart, at which she will present her most recent solo work.

Amelia holds an Honours BA in Dance Studies from York University and has an emerging practice as a dance scholar, having written on dance in Offerings Magazine and Back to the World, and spoken on dance at the Canadian Society for Dance Studies Bi-Annual Conference, The White House Studio Project, Double Double Land, as well as on Megabus Travel at Trampoline Hall. Amelia is on the creative team of the Toronto Dance Community Love-In. Photo by Omer Yukseker.

Keith Davidson is involved in the day to day operations of the Equity office, as well as supervising the Business Representative Department. Additionally, Keith has negotiated and administered many of Equity’s agreements and policies including the Alberta Ballet Agreement, Royal Winnipeg Ballet Agreement, the National Ballet Agreement, the Canadian Dance Policy, the Canadian Theatre Agreement, the Canadian Opera Agreement, the Opera Agreement and the Vancouver Opera Agreement.

Ruth Leggett joined Equity as a Business Representative in April 2010, after many years working as a technician in theatre and film/television. Ruth’s primary responsibilities include the administration of Equity’s dance and opera agreements and policies. Additionally, Ruth has participated in the recent negotiation of the Alberta Ballet Agreement, the National Ballet of Canada Agreement, the Canadian Opera Agreement, and the Canadian Theatre Agreement, and is currently participating in the negotiations for a first Agreement at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Agreement. THE BUSINESS OF DANCE continued...

Jennifer Bennett is the Managing Director at the Dance Umbrella of Ontario, leading the organization in delivering tailored management services to Ontario’s dance companies and independent artists. She began her career in Arts Management and Production Administration in 2007 and has had the privilege of working with companies such as Claudia Moore’s MOonhORsE dance theatre, Break it Down Dance Initiatives and Gadfly; and independent artists Holly Small, Sashar Zarif, Darcey Callison and Robert Glumbek. In 2011 Jennifer founded Motive Management Inc., a boutique project and production administration company where she was honoured to work with Toronto-based dance companies including Roberto Campanella’s ProArteDanza and Yvonne Ng’s princess productions (tiger princess dance projects & dance: made in canada / fait au canada). Jennifer sits on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (www. TAPA.ca), and the Steering Committee for the on the MOVE Toronto Conference.

MAPPING YOUR FIRST YEAR OUT

Synergize all that you have learned today in a personalized plan for your first year out of school. People who know where they’re going are far more likely to arrive.

For the past decade, Toronto-based dance artist Tracey Norman has been a driving force in her community, splitting her time between choreographing, teaching, performing and researching dance. Her choreography has been presented across Canada with credits including, DanceWorks, Dance Ontario, Festival de Danse en l’Atlantique (Moncton), Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, Kinetic Studio (Halifax) and the Season Finale of Series 8:08. Her work has been described as “refreshing and original” (the Globe and Mail). Currently on faculty in the Department of Dance at York University, Tracey received her MFA in Choreography & Dramaturgy in 2010. She works as an outside eye to several artists, teaches dance at studios, and creative process workshops in public schools. Tracey worked for Series 8:08 from 2006-12 as Alternative Technique Class Program Manager and Program Assistant, and served on the board of directors for the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists from 2008-11. She recently collaborated in two successful productions: the sold-out run of episodes | andscapes with JDdance and DanceWorks, and no permanent answers with Human Atoms at the Toronto Fringe. www.traceynorman.com