Coexisdance is a curated evening of short (10-15 minute) improvised duets and small ensembles comprised of sound and movement artists.
We come together in the spirit of collaborative exploration, investigation and adventure.
We come together in the spirit of collaborative exploration, investigation and adventure.
Tara Kannangara
JUNO-nominated artist, Tara Kannangara is a second-generation, Sri Lankan-Canadian force of nature, giving you music that is deeply personal, genre-bending and culture blending. All this, encompassed by wild trumpet melodies, searing guitar lines, lush synths, and piercing lyricism will make you turn your head and listen. As a tween Tara watched hours of television alone in her room eating rice crispy squares after school. These happy times were interspersed with weekly piano lessons, singing lessons and early morning band rehearsals before homeroom. Always a dreamer, Tara imagined herself as a character in a network sitcom television show. Perhaps she could’ve been Frasier Crane’s long-lost daughter after a torrid affair with Padma Lakshmi!
T3N1
Drumming since the age of five graduate in sound engineering/ recording engineering etc play’s the piano drums and talking drum
Bill Gilliam
I’m a Toronto-based composer/pianist, originally from London, UK. My vision is to create pieces as spontaneously and freely as possible through new music and free improvisation, using my intuition to initiate and respond to the sonic ideas, themes, tonalities, rhythms, and moods as they present themselves. I love to collaborate with improvising musicians, dancers, sound poets, and filmmakers to develop spontaneous conversations with music, sound, images, and movement through abstract gestures, using the full spectrum of light, shade, and textures.
Dora
Dora is a Toronto-based electronic musician, keyboardist, and producer known musically as Garden of Magic.
Ian M Chow
Sifu Ian Chow 3rd Generation Toisan Martial Artist/Lion Dancer aswell 1st generation Asian Stuntman in Toronto
Aisha Sasha John
Aisha Sasha John is a performer, choreographer, poet and the 2023-2025 TDT Affiliate Artist.
Zoe Houpt
Zoe is a 17 year-old dancer from Toronto. She began dancing at 3 years old in ballet, later expanding to hip hop, tap, jazz, modern, and more. She currently trains and performs with the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre company. Zoe attends Northern Secondary School where she cultivates her passion for physics, mathematics, and other sciences. She is super excited to be part of this upcoming CoexisDance!
Janel Jones
Janel Jones, a Toronto-based Guyanese-Canadian vocalist, captivates audiences with her soulful blend of jazz, funk, soul, and R&B. An interdisciplinary artist, Janel excels in storytelling across all forms of art, including music and fashion, pushing boundaries with her dynamic performances and unique artistic style.
Matthew Morales
Matthew Morales is a Toronto-based street dancer, choreographer, and teach. With over 12 years of dance experience, Matthew began his journey as a breakdancer, soon after training in popping, locking, house, whaacking, beat ya feet, vogue, jazz funk and commercial choreography. Working professionally for the past 7 years, he has danced for acts including The Toronto Raptors North Side Crew (the NBA’s first co-ed dance team), The Toronto Argonauts A-Team, Toronto Dance Theatre, Nilo Blues, and Ceréna at Osheaga 2022. Currently, Matthew is the creative director and choreographer for multiple Toronto-based recording artists, teaches First Nations communities through Outside Looking In, and teaches weekly drop-ins through the city’s top street dance studios.
Jen Hum
A Toronto based independent dancer, creator and performer, Jen Hum uses her multifaceted background to create performances that seek to question the status quo. Her curiosity has resulted in opportunities to work with a diverse collection of individuals and groups including Fujiwara Dance Inventions, Tracey Norman Dance, Redsnow Collective and Polynomials. Presently she is creating alongside the members of Returning River; an artistic collective dedicated to the exploration of space, place, technology and how they are linked to each other and each members’ cultural background, ancestry upbringing and present day experiences.
Nick Dourado
nick dourado is a breath of hot air
JUNO-nominated artist, Tara Kannangara is a second-generation, Sri Lankan-Canadian force of nature, giving you music that is deeply personal, genre-bending and culture blending. All this, encompassed by wild trumpet melodies, searing guitar lines, lush synths, and piercing lyricism will make you turn your head and listen. As a tween Tara watched hours of television alone in her room eating rice crispy squares after school. These happy times were interspersed with weekly piano lessons, singing lessons and early morning band rehearsals before homeroom. Always a dreamer, Tara imagined herself as a character in a network sitcom television show. Perhaps she could’ve been Frasier Crane’s long-lost daughter after a torrid affair with Padma Lakshmi!
T3N1
Drumming since the age of five graduate in sound engineering/ recording engineering etc play’s the piano drums and talking drum
Bill Gilliam
I’m a Toronto-based composer/pianist, originally from London, UK. My vision is to create pieces as spontaneously and freely as possible through new music and free improvisation, using my intuition to initiate and respond to the sonic ideas, themes, tonalities, rhythms, and moods as they present themselves. I love to collaborate with improvising musicians, dancers, sound poets, and filmmakers to develop spontaneous conversations with music, sound, images, and movement through abstract gestures, using the full spectrum of light, shade, and textures.
Dora
Dora is a Toronto-based electronic musician, keyboardist, and producer known musically as Garden of Magic.
Ian M Chow
Sifu Ian Chow 3rd Generation Toisan Martial Artist/Lion Dancer aswell 1st generation Asian Stuntman in Toronto
Aisha Sasha John
Aisha Sasha John is a performer, choreographer, poet and the 2023-2025 TDT Affiliate Artist.
Zoe Houpt
Zoe is a 17 year-old dancer from Toronto. She began dancing at 3 years old in ballet, later expanding to hip hop, tap, jazz, modern, and more. She currently trains and performs with the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre company. Zoe attends Northern Secondary School where she cultivates her passion for physics, mathematics, and other sciences. She is super excited to be part of this upcoming CoexisDance!
Janel Jones
Janel Jones, a Toronto-based Guyanese-Canadian vocalist, captivates audiences with her soulful blend of jazz, funk, soul, and R&B. An interdisciplinary artist, Janel excels in storytelling across all forms of art, including music and fashion, pushing boundaries with her dynamic performances and unique artistic style.
Matthew Morales
Matthew Morales is a Toronto-based street dancer, choreographer, and teach. With over 12 years of dance experience, Matthew began his journey as a breakdancer, soon after training in popping, locking, house, whaacking, beat ya feet, vogue, jazz funk and commercial choreography. Working professionally for the past 7 years, he has danced for acts including The Toronto Raptors North Side Crew (the NBA’s first co-ed dance team), The Toronto Argonauts A-Team, Toronto Dance Theatre, Nilo Blues, and Ceréna at Osheaga 2022. Currently, Matthew is the creative director and choreographer for multiple Toronto-based recording artists, teaches First Nations communities through Outside Looking In, and teaches weekly drop-ins through the city’s top street dance studios.
Jen Hum
A Toronto based independent dancer, creator and performer, Jen Hum uses her multifaceted background to create performances that seek to question the status quo. Her curiosity has resulted in opportunities to work with a diverse collection of individuals and groups including Fujiwara Dance Inventions, Tracey Norman Dance, Redsnow Collective and Polynomials. Presently she is creating alongside the members of Returning River; an artistic collective dedicated to the exploration of space, place, technology and how they are linked to each other and each members’ cultural background, ancestry upbringing and present day experiences.
Nick Dourado
nick dourado is a breath of hot air
Curatorial and Vision Statement for coexisDance
coexisDance was always envisioned as meeting place for artists of diverse styles and backgrounds. coexisDance founder Colin Anthony was deft at programming a balance of ambitious emerging professionals, established artists and community artists. He always left a profound curatorial mark on the programme with his characteristic simplicity, wisdom and vision.
The organizing team of coexisDance aim to make this commitment to inclusivity stronger than ever, to keep the artistry high and the vibe heartwarming. In this way we curate on the basis of equity, a vision for growing and deepening the community and a desire to showcase the most amazing improvisation. Here are some commitments that are applied when putting together each coexisDance programme:
After artists are selected the curators uses their own artistic judgment to create ensembles that will offer an exciting and balanced show. In general, coexisDance shows will feature small ensembles and will have each artist perform twice in a night in order to allow for a bigger artistic statement. As a result, there is usually only room for 8-11 performers each show.
We hope that this statement is clarifying to all that apply to perform and hope that everyone who applies will be patient and flexible and keep attending the shows!
To many more Coexisdance adventures <3
Raphael Roter & Brenda Joy Lem
The organizing team of coexisDance aim to make this commitment to inclusivity stronger than ever, to keep the artistry high and the vibe heartwarming. In this way we curate on the basis of equity, a vision for growing and deepening the community and a desire to showcase the most amazing improvisation. Here are some commitments that are applied when putting together each coexisDance programme:
- Including artists of colour and indigenous artists.
- Including all gender identities.
- Including artists who are new to coexisDance.
- Including emerging and next generation artists.
After artists are selected the curators uses their own artistic judgment to create ensembles that will offer an exciting and balanced show. In general, coexisDance shows will feature small ensembles and will have each artist perform twice in a night in order to allow for a bigger artistic statement. As a result, there is usually only room for 8-11 performers each show.
We hope that this statement is clarifying to all that apply to perform and hope that everyone who applies will be patient and flexible and keep attending the shows!
To many more Coexisdance adventures <3
Raphael Roter & Brenda Joy Lem
We would like to gratefully acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Ontario and the Canada Council for the Arts for their support.