Digital Program
Program Order
The Chasm in Her Chest by Lydia Wilson
Stop the Drizzle by Nadia Dardano
Just the Two of Us by Shona Kiyama + Tiffany Lau
Kytmia by Andrew Clifton
The Night is Ours by Zoë Guthrie
Show Me How by Madison Guarino + Alexandra Sabourin
Gnomes by Averil Dubois
Indispensable by Kathleen Wishart
honey by Natasja Macdonald
masks by Meaghan Desmond + Alexandra McChesney
Tap Cassette by Shona Kiyama
Anemoi by Olivia Okonkwo
I N T E R M I S S I O N
Catapult Daymares by Nadia Dardano
By Any Measure by Meredith Gaston
La Jaguar by Alexandra Sabourin
People We Meet by Gisele Ardosa
Coarse Language by Madison Guarino
Satisfaction by Gabrielle Trudel
penumbra by Averil Dubois + Amelie Mah
Just the Beginning by Demetri Apostolopoulos
A Silent Movie by Meg Blackwell + Molly Tiernan
How Long Until We’re Whole Again? by Julia Mak
Umarmt by Andrew Clifton
Racing Minds by Melina Saintil
Land Acknowledgement
Toronto Metropolitan University is situated on lands and waterways that have known human activity for more than 15,000 years. This is a site where people for generations have danced, made art and created together.
We acknowledge the ancestral lands of the Dish with One Spoon Territory, and more recently Treaty 13. This includes the Mississaugas of the Credit who are part of the Anishinaabe Nation, the Wyandot Nation, also the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of Six Nations, and any other Nation, recorded or unrecorded.
Miigwech, Nya-weh, Thank you for letting us gather here today.
Producer's Note
Welcome to Choreographic Works 2023!
Once again, we are proud to present the work of talented emerging choreographers in their 2nd and 3rd years of the Performance Dance Program at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Tonight, you will see 24 unique works spanning a variety of dance disciplines: ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz, dance-theatre, narrative, and even comedic works. These wonderful dance students have been developing, through their particular processes, the skills required to create, collaborate, perform and thereby derive meaning from movement as a means of artistic communication.
After two long years of the pandemic and an ever-changing world, there are many stories to tell, and much to express. Conceiving and developing new choreographic ideas with the ultimate goal of presenting their work to an audience has been a nourishing and creative journey for these brave artists.
The culmination of this journey is being presented tonight. The students choreographed and rehearsed in their own time. To help determine the mood and aesthetic of their pieces for the performances, they costumed the dancers in their works, catalogued and edited their musical choices and collaborated with lighting designers from the Performance Production Program. What you will see on stage tonight is a manifestation of their ideas, hard work, and passion for the stage.
Thank you to Assistant Professor Louis Laberge-Côté, and Associate Professor Tanya Evidente for their guidance, input and sincere support. Thank you to Dance Program Director Vicki St. Denys for gifting me with this lovely experience, and inviting me as a guest to produce this process and these performances.
On behalf of the dancers, choreographers, and faculty, I extend my gratitude to the Performance Production students for their invaluable contributions and deep commitment to making Choreographic Works 2023 a success.
Finally, a heartfelt congratulations to the dancers and choreographers for sharing their ideas, passion, and spirit with us each night.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us. Enjoy the performance!
Anisa Tejpar
Producer, Choreographic Works 2023
Program Credits
The Chasm in Her Chest
Choreography: Lydia Wilson
Cast: Gisele Ardosa, Tiffany Lau, Natasja Macdonald, Olivia Okonkwo, Shona Kiyama
Music: Chasm by X-Ray Dog
Lighting Design: Jonathan Cestnick
Stop the Drizzle
Choreography: Nadia Dardano
Cast: Maya Collie, Emily Gratton, Madison Gaurino, Norey Lau, Tianna Lyall, Alexandra McChesney, Shelby Nilson, Alexandra Sabourin, Marisa Sherk, Gabrielle Trudel, Kathleen Wishart
Music: The Banjo's Categorical Gut by Matmos
Lighting Design: Connor Paterson
Just the Two of Us
Choreography: Shona Kiyama + Tiffany Lau
Cast: Shona Kiyama + Tiffany Lau
Music: Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.
Lighting Design: Luis Zaldivar
Kytmia
Choreography: Andrew Clifton
Cast: Andrew Clifton, Maya Collie, Nadia Dardano, Madison Guarino, Norey Lau, Alexandra Sabourin, Marisa Sherk
Music: Hollywood Medieval by Maxwell Sterling
Lighting Design: Charlotte Carmichael
The Night is Ours
Choreography: Zoë Guthrie
Cast: Zoë Guthrie, Lydia Hon, Vienna Johnson, Julia Mak
Music: Soul Groove by Skinshape
Lighting Design: Anna Simmons
Show Me How
Choreography: Madison Guarino + Alexandra Sabourin
Cast: Madison Guarino + Alexandra Sabourin
Music: Show Me How by Men I Trust
Lighting Design: Aleksandra Alymova
Gnomes
Choreography: Averil Dubois
Cast: Maya Collie, Meaghan Desmond, Lydia Hon, Amelie Mah
Music: Birthday Suit and Pliocene by Cosmo Sheldrake
Lighting Design: Nathan Gregory
Indispensable
Choreography: Kathleen Wishart
Cast: Nadia Dardano, Madison Guarino, Tianna Lyall, Alexandra McChesney, Shelby Nilsen, Kathleen Wishart
Music: We're Losing the Moon by Slow Meadow
Lighting Design: Samantha Alonzo
honey
Choreography: Natasja Macdonald
Cast: Gisele Ardosa, Millina Fletcher, Shona Kiyama, Tiffany Lau, Olivia Okonkwo, Melina Saintil, Shayla Vu, Lydia Wilson
Music: Sweet Holy Honey by Sango and Xavier Omar
Lighting Design: Charlotte Carmichael
masks
Choreography: Meaghan Desmond + Alexandra McChesney
Cast: Meaghan Desmond + Alexandra McChesney
Music: Insomnia by Balanescu Quartet (cover of Yellow Magic Orchestra's Insomnia)
Lighting Design: Shaan Tahir Mehdi
Tap Cassette
Choreography: Shona Kiyama
Cast: Demetri Apostolopoulos, Shona Kiyama, Tiffany Lau, Molly Tiernan
Music: A Town With an Ocean View by Grooploop
Lighting Design: Mikaila Strickland
Anemoi
Choreography: Olivia Okonkwo
Cast: Demetri Apostolopoulos, Natasja Macdonald, Olivia Okonkwo, Melina Saintil
Music: Ka Bohaleng / On the Sharp Side by Abel Selaocoe
Lighting Design: Charlotte Carmichael
Catapult Daymares
Choreography: Nadia Dardano
Cast: Nadia Dardano, Madison Guarino, Norey Lau, Shelby Nilsen
Music: Steal My Sunshine by Len
Lighting Design: Erwin Lau (劉立言)
By Any Measure
Choreography: Meredith Gaston
Cast: Meredith Gaston + Melina Saintil
Music: Earnestly Yours by Keaton Henson, featuring Ren Ford
Lighting Design: Brenda Diep
La Jaguar
Choreography: Alexandra Sabourin
Cast: Maya Collie, Amelie Giusta, Emily Gratton, Norey Lau, Shelby Nilsen
Music: Carretera Libertad by Liona Boyd and Luis Villegas
Lighting Design: Liam Cox
People We Meet
Choreography: Gisele Ardosa
Cast: Demetri Apostolopoulos, Millina Fletcher, Meredith Gaston, Shona Kiyama, Jeffrey Lapira, Tiffany Lau, Natasja Macdonald, Olivia Okonkwo, Melina Saintil, Lydia Wilson
Music: Olsen Olsen by Sigur Rós
Lighting Design: Samantha Alonzo
Coarse Language
Choreography: Madison Guarino
Cast: Andrew Clifton + Madison Guarino
Music: wav1 by Terekke
Lighting Design: Anna Simmons
Satisfaction
Choreography: Gabrielle Trudel
Cast: Taryn Baird, Maya Collie, Nadia Dardano, Emily Gratton, Alycia Hebert, Lydia Hon, Norey Lau, Tianna Lyall, Alexandra McChesney, Shelby Nilsen, Marisa Sherk, Kathleen Wishart
Music: Satisfaction by Benny Benassi, The Groovy Cat and Colours by PAWSA, Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65
Lighting Design: Samantha Alonzo
penumbra
Choreography: Averil Dubois + Amelie Mah
Cast: Averil Dubois + Amelie Mah
Music: Contaminated by BANKS
Lighting Design: Alex Grozdanis
Just the Beginning
Choreography: Demetri Apostolopoulos
Cast: Demetri Apostolopoulos, Meredith Gaston, Millina Fletcher, Tiffany Lau, Natasja Macdonald, Olivia Okonkwo, Lydia Wilson,
Music: Undone by Ólafur Arnalds
Lighting Design: Samantha Alonzo
A Silent Movie
Choreography: Meg Blackwell + Molly Tiernan
Cast: Meg Blackwell + Molly Tiernan
Music: Mack and Mabel (Overture) by Jerry Herman with Donald Pippin (Conductor)
Lighting Design: Erwin Lau (劉立言)
How Long Until We’re Whole Again?
Choreography: Julia Mak
Cast: Vienna Johnson, Lydia Hon, Natasja Macdonald, Olivia Okonkwo, Alexandra Sabourin, Lydia Wilson
Music: Ladyfingers by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
Lighting Design: Charlotte Carmichael
Umarmt
Choreography: Andrew Clifton
Cast: Andrew Clifton, Norey Lau, Shelby Nilsen
Music: Umarmt by Thomas Fehlmann
Lighting Design: Joana Povido
Racing Minds
Choreography: Melina Saintil
Cast: Gisele Ardosa, Jeffrey Lapira, Tiffany Lau, Natasja Macdonald, Molly Tiernan
Music: Adíos by Benjamin Clementine
Lighting Design: Daniel Lei
Production Team
Guest Artists
| Mikaila Strickland | Production Manager |
| Nathan Gregory | Technical Director |
| Morgan Angus | Assistant Technical Director |
| Erwin Lau (劉立言) | Front of House Manager |
| Annabel Pearson | Stage Manager |
| Khwahish Manrao | Assistant Stage Manager |
| Connor Paterson | Head Electrician |
| Evelyn Rensing | Head of Flys, Head Stage Carpenter |
| Neo Capulong-Jarvis | Head of Audio |
| Jade Wilson | Dresser |
| Noah Fennel | Dresser |
| Jane Ashton | Crew |
| Cait Bellaviti | Crew |
| Term Carpenter | Chelsea Santiago |
Production Assistants
| Henry Aalbers-Davey |
| Alexandra Crngarov |
| Chris Gwynne-Thompson |
| Alaura Heikoop |
| Ximena Martinez Luebbert |
| Jen Park |
| Inessa Snihura |
| Jocelyn Tang |
| Mary Tubog |
| Yllana Williams |
| Lila Bock |
The Choreographic Works team would like to extend special thanks to, Erwin Lau (劉立言), Luis Zaldivar, Jonathan Cestnick, Kiera Doerksen-Smith, Carson McCormick, Melanie Ayoub, Lexie Bucovetsky, Eva Carroll, Kate Chubbs, Max Tilander, Jade Wilson, Niall Durcan, Winnifred Blair, Katie Robinson, Sasha Alymova, Gregory Wicinski, Tess Thomas, Daniel Lei, Visaree Bradshaw-Coore, Makela Dew, Alexandria Oresti, Charlotte Carmichael, Helena Tahtabas, Sebastian Cattrysse, Anna Simmons.
Mercedes Blackwood
Noah Feaver
Arun Srinivasan
Rachel Forbes
Eva Kuo
Sam Hale
Logan Cracknell
Samuel Ferguson
Sadie Epstien-Fine
Jill Connell
Ishan Davé
Jesse Obremski
Val Calam
Dr. Natalie Alvarez Professor and Associate Dean, Scholarly Research, and Creative Activities
Michael Bergmann Assistant Professor, Co-Director of Production + Design
Lisa Cox Assistant Professor
Louis Laberge-Côté Assistant Professor, Co-Director of Dance
Owais Lightwala Assistant Professor
Dr. Caroline O'Brien Associate Professor, Chair, School of Performance
Vicki St. Denys Associate Professor (on sabbatical)
Dr. Cynthia Ashberger Professor
Pavlo Bosyy Associate Professor, Co-Director of Production + Design
Tanya Evidente Associate Professor, Co-Director of Dance
Cole Lewis Associate Professor, Director of Acting
Dr. Cheryl Thompson Associate Professor
Debashis Sinha Assistant Professor
Peter Fleming Production & Operations Manager
Kaya Northway Associate Technical Director
Bronwyn Pel Wardrobe Supervisor
Betty Fan (范 敏 清) Production Intern
Caroline Rodway Communications & Reception Coordinator
Scott Martin Technical Director
Will Sutton Scenery Shop Supervisor
Sooji Kim (김수지) Production Intern
Sunny Fernandez Academic Coordinator
James McCrorie Manager of Administration
Arsenio Andrade
Charissa Bagan
Samatha Booker
Paul de Jong
Joanna Falck
Loudres Hernandez
Rosemary James
Allen Kaeja
Adam Lazarus
Claire Levick
Miha Matevzic
Paul Moody
Adam Paolozza
Mandy Roveda
Siobhan Richardson
Matthew Rossoff
Ivan Sherry
Jennifer Tarver
Caroline Watters
Jennifer Wigmore
Kelly Arnsby
Katherine Chin
Philippa Domville
Robert Glumbek
Kate Hilliard
Raha Javanfar
Kaileigh Krysztofiak
Kejd Kuqo
Ryan Lee
Eugene Ma
Marianne McIssac
Laura Nordin
Michael Reinhart
Marianna Rosato
Lua Shayenne
Matthew Sirna
Cary West
Tim Welham
Suchiththa Wickremesooriya
Ryan Wilson
Helen Yung