The Gathering Performances features Newton Moraes Dance, The Seat Next to the King, Nova Dance, and Alluvial Plain
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 | 7:30-9pm with doors open at 7pm
Aki Studio Theatre
585 Dundas Street East, Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
Performance General Admission: $20 | Students $15
Register on Native Earth’s Box office
Newton Moraes Dance
Newton Moraes was born in Porto Alegre – Brazil. At an early age he started dancing Samba, playing soccer and then pursued studies of Physical Education at the Unisinos University in Porto Alegre. Later he studied Afro-Brazilian Dance, Jazz and street dancing. In 1991 he decided to move to Toronto with his late partner Robert Shirley Professor of Anthropology at University of Toronto and he studied Modern and Contemporary Dance at the Professional Programme at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and became a alumni student. His dance company Newton Moraes Dance Theatre performed to public and critical acclaim in Canada, Germany, Brazil, Colombia and Cuba. NMDT received support from Foreign Affairs Canada, Canadian Embassy, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts, Laidlaw Foundation, Goethe Institute in Toronto.
Moraes has choreographed more than fifty works, both for himself and other dancers. Newton has collaborated with choreographer Patrick Parson in “Orixás Voice” and Dancing Spirits” two new dances created by the Ballet Creole for their season at the Premiere Dance Theatre at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Newton also collaborated with Terrill Maguire in “Crazy to be born” at the World’s Fare Festival at Harbourfront Centre and Alexandro Ronceria in “Agua” at the Planet IndigenUS Festival in the water at the Harbourfront Centre.
Some of Newton’s mentors include Jean Sasportes from Pina Bausch Wuppertal Tanztheater, Fred Traguth, David Earle, Patricia Beatty, Danny Grossman, Marcelo do Nascimento and José do Nascimento (Brazil). Further studies were made in Releasing Technique with Stephanie Scura, Improvisation and butoh with Denise Fujiwara, Natsu Nakajima, Yomiko Yoshioka, Kurt Jooss Technique with Fred Traguth, Afro-Brazilian Spiritual Dance with Pai Beto do Xangó Aganju, gaga dance with Alvin W. Collantes and James Viveiros. Newton Moraes was part of the jury for the Dora Moore Awards 2017/2018 and SummerWorks Festival. One year MFA scholarship student student in choreography at York University. He is very happy with the celebration of NMDT 20th Anniversary season and the collaboration with Sharon DiGenova and his incredible talented performers: Ryan Kostyniuk, Andrea Rojas, Shakeil Rollock, Deltin Sejour and Katherine Semchuk.
Check out our interview with Newton Moraes
The Seat Next to the King
In September of 1964, a chance meeting between two men reveals the bond they share and the ties connecting them to America’s most powerful leaders in playwright Steven Jackson’s stirring The Seat Next to the King.
Behind the door of a public washroom in Washington, D.C., two lives linked to the country’s most influential figures collide when a white man seeking a sexual encounter meets a black male stranger. Winner of the 2017 Toronto Fringe New Play contest, a festival Patrons’ Pick and a sold out run, this affecting work of historical fiction returns to tackle race, sex, identity, and the cost of reconciling each for two disparate human beings with a shared innate need.
Steven Elliott Jackson is an award-winning playwright. His play, The Seat Next To The King won Best New Play and Patron’s Pick at The Toronto Fringe in 2017. The State Of Tennessee placed second in the same contest in 2007. The Seat Next To The King was published by Scirocco Press in April 2018. His new play, Statue Of Limitations will be premiering at Storefront Fringe in Kingston in July 2019 and The Seat Next To The King will be playing in Kitchener and Buffalo in June this year.
Nova Dance
Led by Founding Artistic Director Nova Bhattacharya, Nova Dance is a radically imaginative, contemporary dance company dedicated to reflecting the evolution of Indian classical dance on the Canadian scene. Over the past decade, the company has presented critically acclaimed works, arts events for all ages, and created a context for South Asian dance artists to take space with their art as an integrated part of Canadian cultural expression.
Alluvial Plain
Alluvial Plain is a Toronto-based acoustic band featuring vocals, upright bass and drums. Lead singer Aruna Antonella Handa writes the songs, revealing eclectic influences including French chanson, classical Indian music, tango, folk, the blues, Motown and art song. Songs about elephants, riots, love, outer space, crickets, addiction, inner space and virtual space focus on vocal texture and textual rhythm. Currently the band is working on a debut EP, Of Bones and Addicts, and preparing a new show Voyage to Anthropocene, as part of the Future Food Salon series.
Check out the interview and performance by Alluvial Plain
Accessibility: Aki Studio Theatre, CSI and Regent Park Film Festival are accessible. Nia Centre for the Arts is partially accessible.
We aim to host a fragrance-free event. Please do not wear perfume, cologne, or other scented products.
Ruth Howard is the founding Artistic Director of Jumblies Theatre. Since 2001, she and Jumblies have created multi-year residencies in a series of Toronto neighbourhoods, resulting in large-scale productions and lasting Offshoots. Ruth has worked across Canada and in the UK as a theatre designer; created many projects combining visual, literary, performing arts, oral history research and community-engagement; taught at many universities, colleges and schools; mentored many artists, projects and organizations; and won awards and recognition for her work. Some of her recent projects with Jumblies include the 2016 Train of Thought tour, the 2017 Touching Ground Festival of new works, the Four Lands touring project in 2017/18, in 2019: Odaabanaaag, a collaboration with Soundstreams and composers Melody & Beverley McKiver,Who Knew? with a Jewish seniors’ centre in North York, and Grounds for Goodness, an exploration of social hope. Many years ago, Ruth graduated from the University of Toronto and the National Theatre School of Canada.
Paola Gomez is a trained human rights lawyer, community organizer, artist facilitator, writer and dreamer. A member of PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile, Paola is involved in causes such as ending violence against women and forced migration, as well as community engagement.
Shana Hillman is an Arts Manager with over 18 years experience in audience development, marketing, fundraising and program development. Hillman joined the staff of East End Arts in March 2017. In addition to her work with East End Arts, Shana has been the Producer for Hari Krishnan and his company inDANCE for over 17 years. Previously, she has held positions at Kaeja d’Dance, Creative Trust, Dance Umbrella of Ontario, Toronto Dance Theatre, Sony Centre and the Banff Centre. An active volunteer, Shana is President of Small Print Toronto, an organization that stages interactive literary events for children, and is also a member of the steering committees of ArtsVote and Arts Day at the City.
Bruce Pitkin, Executive Director, Art Starts. As a theatre artist with international experience and a community perspective, Bruce is a true believer in the power of art as a form of expression and a means to empowerment. After earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in performance from York University, Bruce performed, directed, produced, and taught in Japan, Germany, the United States, and Canada. He was the Artistic Director at both the Acting Academy (Munich) and the International Michael Chekhov School of Acting (Munich), and taught Shakespeare, Scene Study and Audition Technique at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts in Toronto from 2007-2013. In 2013, he was named in NOW Magazine’s Top Ten Artists to Watch for his directing work. He comes to Art Starts after five years as Executive Director of Theatre Ontario.
Lila Karim is the founding Executive Director of North York Arts. Over her 17-year career in the cultural sector, Lila has worked for several non-profit arts organizations including the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, ReelWorld Film Festival and The Harold Greenberg Fund. Lila has held various roles including artistic producer and programmer. Through community and commercial partnerships, Lila has helped generate upwards of 500,000 cultural patrons and has created opportunities for artists and cultural-leaders to thrive. Lila is a digital photographer with a B.A.A. in photographic arts from Ryerson University. Her work has been exhibited in Toronto, and she regularly serves on visual arts juries.
Wendy Rading is currently the Interim Executive Director at Arts Etobicoke. She has worked in the not-for-profit arts for the past decade, starting with building community at Artscape and the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. At Arts Etobicoke as the Gallery and Program Manager, she transformed the Storefront gallery into a bustling artist community space with diverse exhibitions and artist talks. As well, she coordinated skilled artist facilitators to provide dynamic art programs for kids, adults and seniors. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Wendy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Recreation Studies from the University of Manitoba and a post graduate diploma in Arts Administration and Culture Development from Humber College. Wendy aspires to build healthy and vibrant communities by using the arts as a catalyst and to support and nurture emerging and professional artists, highlighting the benefits they bring to individuals, communities and the city.
Kim Dayman is an artist, arts advocate and cultural leader. As an OCADU Alumni she strongly believes in community engagement, social justice and that art is a unifying language. For the past four years Kim has worked as Program Manager with Lakeshore Arts and has seen the organization through a period of substantial growth. Her work with the LASO’s as well as past positions with organizations such as Art Starts and The Living Arts Centre her career has focusing on community arts development outside of Toronto’s downtown core. Chosen as one of the Toronto Arts Council’s Cultural Leaders in 2018 Kim believes in increasing equity through critical and reflecting thinking and that artists play an important role in political advocacy and civic engagement.
Marlene McKintosh has been the Executive Director of UrbanArts since 2008. Having worked with some of Toronto’s most notable organizations for over 25 years, Marlene has a solid background and expertise in arts administration, non-profit management, organizational development & capacity building, advocacy, training and employment services for multiple stakeholders. With a passion for youth and the arts, Marlene works tirelessly to ensure young people have access to quality programs and services and that their voices are included in the decision-making process. Marlene is a recipient of the Black Business & Professional Association’s (BBPA) 2015 Woman of Honour Award for excellence in service to the community.
Derek Spooner, M.A., is a non-profit, management and fundraising professional with a strong background in program and fund development, operations, communications, and marketing. Currently, Derek is the Executive Director of Scarborough Arts, one of Toronto’s six Local Arts Service Organizations mandated to bring arts and cultural services to under-served communities outside the downtown core. Derek has built dynamic, profitable fundraising teams throughout his career, including $9.04M in fulfilled gifts between 2011 – 2016 for the Toronto International Film Festival, Save The Children Canada, The New England Aquarium, The Boston Museum of Science, The Chicago Memorial Children’s Hospital and Mirvish Theatre Productions.
Shaunga Tagore is a queer multidisciplinary, multidimensional creator. She is a storyteller & astrologer living, working and loving in Tkaronto. Her last play, Letters to the Universe was presented at The Theatre Centre in 2017, with an exploration presented in 2017’s CPAMO gathering Her work explores themes of survivorship, hero/queeroism, and the tangling of memoir, fantasy, mythology, non-linear time and parallel dimensions. She is also invested in building a language, community and practice around theatre as ritual. Currently, Shaunga is developing a new original musical titled Otherworldly Giants – a story about the outer planets coming to life as everyday humans. She is excited to present an early exploration of this new work at CPAMO’s 10th year anniversary celebration.
Kevin A. Ormsby. Program Manager of Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO), Kevin is also the Artistic Director of KasheDance, movement coach and Arts Marketing Consultant. The Ontario Arts Council’s Chalmers Fellowship recipient (2017), KM Hunter Dance Award Nominee (2016), Toronto Arts Council’s Cultural Leaders Lab Fellow (2015) and The Canada Council for the Arts’ Victor Martyn Lynch – Staunton Award 2014 recipient for outstanding achievement by a mid career artist, he has many interests in the creative practice and administration in dance. He has honed his passion for dance, advocacy, writing and education while performing with various companies and projects in Canada, the Caribbean and the United States.
Roshanak Jaberi is an Iranian-Canadian performer, choreographer, producer, and the Artistic Director of Jaberi Dance Theatre (JDT). She creates inter-disciplinary work that focuses on the intersection of art and social justice. Jaberi has a research informed artistic practice that values collaboration, community, experimentation, risk-taking and knowledge sharing. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University and has presented her work in Canada, US, and Europe.
Sashar Zarif is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator and researcher whose practice invites a convergence of creative and cultural perspectives, steeped in traditional, ritualistic, and contemporary dance and music of Western/Central Asia. He has toured in over 36 countries promoting cultural dialogue through fieldwork, residencies, performances, and creative collaborations.
Laurence Lemieux is a choreographer, performer, presenter, teacher and artistic director of Citadel + Compagnie. Born in Québec City in 1964, Lemieux trained as a gymnast before approaching dance. She began studying ballet in 1979 and demonstrated such promise that one year later, Ludmilla Chiriaeff, founder of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, invited her to continue her dance education at the company’s school in Montreal, where she progressed quickly under the tutelage of Ballet Master Daniel Seillier. During a summer workshop run by the Banff Centre, Lemieux met choreographer David Earle, who was working on his masterpiece, Sacra Conversazione. Under Earle’s instruction, she began learning Graham technique, an approach well suited to the young dancer, and in 1984 she followed Earle to Toronto to study with Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT). She joined the company in 1986, dancing for founders Earle, Peter Randazzo and Patricia Beatty, and later for Christopher House. Her 1998 performance in House’s Cryptoversa earned Lemieux the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Performance in Dance.
Nova Bhattacharya studied bharatnatyam technique in Toronto with Menaka Thakkar. An eloquent performer, she is described by the press as “sly and dreamily contemplative” (Now Magazine), a “contained goddess” (Globe & Mail), and a “mischievous visitor from another world…” (Märksiche Allemeine). Her choreographic language offers poetic, metaphoric, and mythic exaltations of the human spirit. She has created works for the Canada Dance Festival, Dancemakers, Tarragon Theatre, Toronto Dance Theatre, and others. The desire to integrate her practice into contemporary Canadian cultural expression, continues to take her along an exhilarating path of exploration and collaboration with a wide range of artists, including Peggy Baker, Dana Gingras, Ed Hanley, Mika Kurosawa, Marc Parent, and José Navas.In 2012 she received the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for artistic achievement in dance, and in 2016, the Summerworks’ Outstanding Direction Award. The jury citation lauded her “radical work that pulls apart notions of power, tradition, and ritual, puncturing exoticism and querying the contemporary.”
Compañía Carmen Romero is Canada’s most provocative flamenco collective. In their twenty-six years-plus in operation they have developed a rich and original aesthetic that employs flamenco as a language of expression and not as a cultural art form to solely preserve the traditional and historical origins. They invite curiosity, challenge and risk into the process as the genesis to their creations. Compañía Carmen Romero is described as a company that “conveys old traditions to the modern world articulating the primal essence of flamenco.” June Heywood, Caravan World Rhythms. Compañía CarmenRomero breaks the glass ceiling and lets flamenco tell the story, express the idea and open the creative door for all to enter and explore.
Robert Sauvey has an extensive background in arts and cultural leadership positions and is currently the Executive Director of the Dance Umbrella of Ontario. Before joining DUO he was the Executive Director of Dancemakers, the second oldest contemporary dance company in Ontario, recently celebrating their 40th anniversary. At Dancemakers Robert successfully developed and implemented a new curator led operating model to position the organization for the future. His experience in dance also includes over five years as the Director of Touring and Artistic Administration for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Ronald A. Taylor is the Artistic Director of the Toronto-based company Ronald Taylor Dance founded in 1993.
Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) 
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