(Art)versations - Hosted by Bri Clarke

Kristen and David are the co-founders and co-artistic directors of TOES FOR DANCE. We talk all about their upcoming workshop Ignite! which runs from July 26-31, 2020 at Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre in Toronto. They spoke to me about why Ignite! is different from other training programs in that it offers participants a wide variety of classes, labs, field trips, and even life coaching sessions. If you are interested in auditioning, visit www.toesfordance.ca/ignite to find out more about the program.

Follow TOES FOR DANCE:

Follow Kristen on Instagram: @littlebitsofawesomeness

Follow David on Instagram: @david.norsworthy

Stephanie is a singer, dancer, actor and choreographer, based around the GTA. We talk about how her current work with Smile Theatre has impacted her, the process of creating an online mini-musical with the students of St. Andrew’s College, how virtual wedding planning is keeping her creativity alive, and our mutual disappointment when hearing dance competitions are being postponed.

Follow Stephanie on Instagram: @stephaniewilson345

Follow Smile Theatre Company:

Thomas is an actor, creator, teacher and ACTRA member, originally from Nova Scotia now based in Toronto. Chantelle is a freelance dancer, teaching artist and alumni of Marymount Manhattan College, based in New York.

We talk about the certain tools that they are using to take care of their respective mental health’s, how structure and guilt can affect productivity, Chantelle’s experience with leaving New York when the COVID-19 shutdown happened, the current overload of creation on social media, why Thomas is putting an emphasis on care, and how each of them feel about teaching classes virtually.

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Sophia is a high-fashion runway model, who recently received an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, with a Specialization in Immunology and Microbiology. We talk about how she expresses her creativity in the world of science, her perspective on finding confidence, and the most embarrassing moment she’s experienced on the runway.

Follow Sophia on Instagram: @sophia_tk

The artist that Sophia spoke about: @izzytad

Kalil is a filmmaker and editor, based in Toronto, Canada. We talk about how art has become less innovative, how his short film “Farm Boy” plays on themes of confusion and fear, the pros and cons of releasing art online, and the experimental process of his upcoming film “Tiger Eats a Baby”, which he is planning to release directly through Vimeo.

Follow Kalil on Instagram: @kalil.haddad;

Check out his website: https://kalilhaddad.com/ and his Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/kalilhaddad

Mario is a musician and songwriter, based in Toronto, Canada. We talk about the process of writing two new songs for his band “Foreign Moon”, his open mic nights at Handlebar that had begun before the quarantine of COVID-19, and a memorable moment he had watching The Killers live in concert.

Follow his Instagram: @themariospeedwagon

Follow Foreign Moon on Instagram: @foreign.moon and like their page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foreignmoonband

William is in his final year at Ryerson University for a BFA in Performance Acting. We talk about how his play “SOAP” is shifting towards an online platform due to the COVID-19 climate, his trial and error approach to directing, and why “Tiger King” and playing The Sims 4 have been keeping him creative in quarantine.

Follow his Instagram: @wmflood1998 and the New Voices Festival: @newvoices2020

Alysa is a Toronto based choreographer and a Choreographic Associate for the National Ballet of Canada. We talk about how her early indie projects helped define her career as it is now, the current state of dance opportunities in Toronto, the challenges of adapting Macbeth for her first full-length commission with Ballet Kelowna, and how she handles criticism.

Follow her Instagram: @alysapiresdanceprojects and check out her website: www.alysa pires.com

Kaelin is in his final year at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. We talk about his dream of opening an outdoor space for artists to create, the contrasts between working with Marc Boivin and Apolonia Velasquez in “Impulse”, why his current choreographic process causes him to break out in tears, and why Fiona Apple and Feist continue to be his favourite artists.

Follow his Instagram: @kaelinbaby and General Effect Dance Productions: @generaleffectdp

Maxim Bortnowski is a photographer and theatre artist, based in Toronto. We talk about the terrifying experience he had when his SD card ran out during a show, the differences he notices between shooting dancers and other artists, and why a turtleneck is his go-to outfit. Follow his Instagram: @maximalbphotography ; Facebook: Maxim Luca Bortnowski Photography