Rebecca Leonard Aerial Performer/Choreographer 4-225 Sterling Rd. Toronto, ON M6R 2B2 416.707-6440 [email protected] Citizenship: USA and Canada FILM AND TELEVISION I Am Aglow Character Sarah Harmer Anita Doron Commedia Aerialist Bravo Sergio Navaretta Stage Fright Aerialist Imax Mark Bethune Chicago Stunt Miramax Rob Marshall Tuxedo Stunt Jackie Chan Prod. Kevin Donavan Bom Bom Bom Dancer/Aerialist Living Things, Revolver Films Floria Sigismondi Imaginary Heaven Principal BlackWalk Prod. Lisa Mann Santa Handjob The Inventress Low Resolution Films Jason J. Brown Wasn't Enough Principal BlackWalk Prod. Jeremy Lynch Far Cry From Leavin' Principal BlackWalk Prod. Warren Sonoda The Broken Rail Vampire Low Resolution Films Jason J. Brown THEATRE & DANCE Selected Original Works and Choreographies*prior to 2008 available upon request 2019 Legends of Horror, Hit and Run Productions. Casa Loma, Toronto, ON 2018 Home is not a place on the map, Music Gallery, Toronto, ON original choreography Balancing on the Edge music/ collaboration/Thin Edge New Music Collective -SoCirC 5th Anniversary, Toronto, ON Aerial Silk, Swinging -Circus and Magic Partnership Showcase, Winnipeg, MB The Rebeccas, Circus Orange-character in contemporary circus film, Jerseyville, ON 2017 Aerial Silks-Festival of Fools Fundraiser, Winnipeg, MB Best Friends Bicycle: Mainstage Show-Harbourfront Circus Festival, Toronto, ON 2016 Duo Tippy Hoop:Mainstage Show- Harbourfront Circus Festival, Toronto, ON Balancing on the Edge-Next Steps Festival Producer, Director, Performer Aerial Bicycle Duet Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON Ghost Bicycle-Nuit Blanche, Collective Space, Toronto, ON 2015 Kick Up Your Heels Dance Festival - Anandam Dancetheatre Stiltwalking character, Toronto, ON Heath Tarlin Entertainment- Stiltwalking characters London, ON and Ajax, ON The Rebeccas, Circus Orange-character in contemporary circus film, Jerseyville, ON The Red Light Project-social circus performance troupe- project facilitator/coordinator, Toronto, ON 2014 Body Break 0.2 – contemporary dance and theatre “Femme Jesus” swinging trapeze-choreographer, performer Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto ON Contemporary Circus Festival of Toronto “The Gyre” acrobatic, dance, aerial bungee performance-director, choreographer, performer Toronto, ON Nuit Blanche-Anandam Dance “Cascade” multidisciplinary multi-artist aerial rope performance-rigger, performerToronto, ON 2013 Cirqiniq Aerial Showcase-circus cabaret of Canadian artists. Kuujjuaq, QC Cirqiniq “Young, Wild & Free”Co-director for Cirqiniq youth troupe. Victoriaville, QC Contessa Awards- commissioned by Heath Tarlin Entertainment. Toronto, ON Seeking Grace Choreographic Consultant for aerial & movement. Momentum Aerial & Acrobatic Troupe. Winnipeg, MB 2012 Madame Butterfly Duo silks choreography & performance. A Girl in The Sky. Toronto, ON Operatic Aerial Hoops Choreography & performance. A Girl in The Sky. Toronto, ON Madame Butterfly Quadruple silks performance. Circus Orange. Toronto, ON Madame Butterfly Solo silks performance. A Girl in The Sky. Vaughn, ON Queen/King of Hearts Choreographic Consultant for trapeze duet. Lookup Theatre. Toronto, ON 2011 Flight into the Future, aerial dance remounted for The Futurist Cabaret at the Distillery District, Nuit Blanche, Toronto, ON Martini Glass, Silks and 10 ft. Martini Glass from a crane. Commissioned by Circus Orange Toronto, ON Lime and The Coconut, Duo Trapeze, The Second City, Toronto, ON Henry Etta Jack, Theatrical Dance Trapeze. The Second City, Toronto, ON 2010 The Rebeccas. An acrobatic dance theatre piece created for the street. Commissioned by Circus Orange, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, The Accidental Performer, Moisture Festival. Seattle WA 2009 The Accidental Performer, Alexander Calder Exhibit. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, ON A.A.R.T. Evolution of the Human Spirit, Nuit Blanche produced by Shevisions. Toronto, ON Cognac and Sausages, Zoo Fest produced by the Just For Laughs Festival. Montreal, QC Psychadelic Cabaret, co-created, performed and co-produced. SPACE, Big Island, Hawaii Le Chic Show ll, directed by Dolorez Leonard. A cabaret performance in SPACE, Big Island, Hawaii Crows Feet Theatre, Choreographic Consultant for dance duet. 2008 Cat's , aerial dance on triple silks hammock created for How Ann Made Me Gay, Buddies Bad Times Theatre, Toronto, ON Flight into the Future, aerial dance created for The Futurist Cabaret produced by U of T Center for Graduate Study, Toronto, ON Fashion Scares, Fashion Cares with Hangtime Presents. An aerial harness interpretation of the Hitchcock film, Vertigo, Toronto, ON The Oil Derrick Just for Laughs Festival, Circus Orange. Character, silks, dance trapeze. Toronto, ON Wild In The City curated by Elley Rae Hennessy featuring aerial silks, duo hoop and aerial straps. Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, ON Luminat’Oh Cabaret, Carmen: duo silks and Cognac & Sausages, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON Le Chic Show, directed by Delores Leonard. A cabaret performance in SPACE, Big Island, Hawaii TRAINING THEATRE Toronto School of Circus Arts, Toronto, ON Ryerson Theatre School, Toronto, ON Honours 1996 Wen Lu, The Actors Lab, Bernadette Jones, Toronto, ON Aerial Dance Festival 2002, Boulder CO Commedia Workshop Paulette Hallich Toronto, ON Elsie and Serenity Smith, Nancy Smith, /Mike Kennard, Rick Kunst Toronto, ON Aerial Rope Workshops Kevin O’Conner CIRCUS Straps: Jonathan Fortin Ecole Nationale de Cirque, Montreal,QC DANCE Mainspace School of Circus Arts, Toronto Ballet: Dance Tech, Toronto, ON Marsha Kennington, Ginger Griep-Ruiz, Simon Girard Modern: Toronto Dance Theatre, Toronto, OOn Le Neoud d’Erseau Montreal, QC Contact Improv: Pam Johnson, Toronto, ON Marie Therese Lessard African: Ballet Creole, Toronto, ON San Francisco School of Circus Arts, San Francisco, CA Jazz,: Dance Tech, Toronto, ON Theresa Dinaberg, Lisa Johnston Kelari &Chaau: Brandy Leary, Toronto, ON BIOGRAPHY: REBECCA DEVI LEONARD Aerialist, actor, and choreographer, Rebecca Leonard, has performed locally and internationally with circus companies across Canada: Les Filles aux Lit, Hangtime, Circus Orange, HighStrung, Cirque Sublime, Cirque Eos, Lookup Theatre, Anti-Gravity. Feature film credits: The Tuxedo and Chicago. Honours graduate of Ryerson Theatre School. Rebecca has choreographed for numerous theatre productions and her aerial performances have been featured at events including the Calgary Stampede, Fashion Cares, Just for Laughs Festival, Toronto Film Festival, CNE, and Vancouver Comedy Festival. In 2003 she founded A Girl In The Sky Productions, a theatrical circus company using circus as one of the main story telling elements. For the past 6 years she has been working collaboratively with Thin Edge New Music Collective, a groundbreaking group of contemporary musicians, creating transformative and compelling interdisciplinary works dovetailing contemporary circus, music, theatre and dance. Collaborations with this talented and hardworking group of musicians has built an unstoppable fire of creativity culminating in 2016 show, Balancing on the Edge and with their second show “Anthropic Traces” on the horizon

Rebecca is Co-Producer/Artistic Director of CCAFT-Contemporary Circus Arts Festival Toronto an annual circus festival in Toronto dedicated to the exploration of contemporary circus arts from a multi disciplinary perspective. The local festival is dedicated to the development of circus arts in Toronto through discussion forums, artistic collaborations and the mentorship of locally based circus and interdisciplinary artists through education opportunities and innovative performance.

Rebecca is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale du Cirque professional coaching program and she been in leadership roles throughout the U.S. and Canada including: Toronto School of Circus Arts, Cirque du Monde, Cirkids, WiseFool, Banff Center for the Arts, Harbourfront Circus Camp, Monica's Danz Gym, aerial and coach at NECCA and Winnipeg Children’s Festival. Her teaching experience ranges from professional level coaching to youth-at-risk programming. Rebecca specializes in aerial arts and has a foundation in ground skills such as acrobatics, partner , balancing and object manipulation. She integrates Pilate’s core-integration into her teaching approach and focuses on injury prevention, body balancing and the general health and longevity of the performer body. Utilizing her background in theatre, she has developed a questioning and image based creation process to refine and specify the artist’s vision. She frequently works with artists on integrating technique and creative vision, developing new works and techniques and refining previously existing creations.

Rebecca Leonard is actively involved in the growing world of social circus and began working with Cirque du Monde in 2003. She has been working with Cirqiniq: regional Arctic social circus collaboration between and the Kativik Regional Government of Nunavik since its inception in 2009 and currently works as a coach and organizer for the program through out the year. The Cirqiniq program is aimed at the youth at risk community and is working to create a model for a sustainable circus program in Nunavik. She

has worked with Cirque du Monde Trainer of Trainers team, a group of

trainers who are responsible for educating coaches in the Social Circus model

created by Cirque du Soleil. In addition to her wide ranging pedagogical

engagements, she is happy to be part of Toronto based social circus project:

SoCirc (Social Circus Circle).