Ariana Barr
Raised in Victoria, BC, Ariana began her ballet training at the Pacific Dance Centre and has trained nationally and internationally, including at the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program, l’École supérieure de ballet du Québec, Nederlands Dans Theater and the Performance Research Project. While Ariana has since established herself as a proud Edmonton-based artist, she has also found opportunities in her off-season to perform with several Vancouver-based companies such as Inverso Productions, Vision Impure, and Joshua Beamish/ MOVETHECOMPANY, among others. This summer, she had the pleasure of participating in a collaborative production between Wen Wei Dance and Compagnia ADARTE on a work entitled BAROCCO RAVE that premiered in Siena, Italy, at the Ballo Pubblico Festival and toured across western Canada. In 2023, Ariana was announced as a recipient of an Edmonton Artist’s Trust Fund Award in recognition of her ongoing commitment and contribution to the Edmonton arts community. Ariana has been an artist for Ballet Edmonton since 2018.
Nathan Coburn
Nathan Coburn was born in Vancouver, BC. He is a graduate of the Arts Umbrella Dance Program under the direction and mentorship of Artemis Gordon. During his time at Arts Umbrella, Nathan learned from dance artists such as Crystal Pite, Eric Beauschene, Fernando Hernando Magadan, Lesley Telford, and Doug Letheren, among many others. In 2022, he was a dancer with the Ballet BC Annex, performing works by Ethan Colangelo and Micaela Taylor. As a freelance performer, Nathan has danced in works by Jacob Williams, Kay Huang Barnes, Jera Wolfe, and Okanagan Ballet Theatre. He is a co-founder, creator, and performer with Paper Rabbits, an experimental dance theater collective based in Vancouver, BC.
Photo : Michael Slobodian!
Juan Duarte
Juan Duarte is Brazilian Contemporary Ballet trained dancer based in Canada, After graduating from Bolshoi Ballet School and moving to Vancouver they/he have trained with Lamondance Company and Arts Umbrella Dance Company, from 2015 to 2019.
After that Juan has worked with Ballet BC, and started to work as a freelancer where they/he have had the opportunity to work with Move The Company, Traverse City Dance Project, Corporeal Imago and Belle Spirale.
Juan continues to share their/his beauty and artistry with the world, and has been a powerful member of the queer scene in Vancouver. As an ambitious and dedicated performer Juan is looking forward to what the future has to offer, and is very excited to continue to explore the meaning of diversity in the dance industry.
Photo: Michael Slobodian
Livona Ellis
Livona Ellis was born in Vancouver on the unceded territories of thexwməθkwəyə̓m(Musqueam), Sḵwxw̱ú7mesh(Squamish), andsəlilwətaɬ(Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
She has performed with Ballet BC (11 seasons), Buhnen Bern, Mascall Dance and Rachel Meyer. Livona has created works for Dances for a Small Stage, Dance Deck, Public Salon 2019, Contemporary Art Gallery Gala 2018, Arts Umbrella Season Finale, and Ballet BC Take Form.
In 2017 she received the Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for Emerging Artist and in 2023 received the inaugural Louise Bentall Award for Emerging Choreographer.
Livona began dancing with Kidd Pivot in June 2023 and in November 2024 premiered “Fortress”, a duet co-created with NYC-based artist Rebecca Margolick.
Livona is currently on maternity leave.
Photo: Jon McRae
Emma Galvin
Emma Galvin (she/they) is a dance artist from Calgary, AB, now based in so-called Vancouver. Emma is in their graduating year with Modus Operandi, under the direction of Tiffany Tregarthen, David Raymond, Kate Franklin, and Maiko Miyauchi. In their years of study with MO, they have performed new works and repertoire by Out InnerSpace, Yin Yue, Shay Kuebler, Spenser Theberge, Ella Rothschild, Brandon Lee Alley and Vanessa Goodman. In 2022, she worked as a student apprentice for MOVE the company, directed by Joshua Beamish, for the full-length work “Source Amnesia”. Later in 2024, she was engaged as a dancer in a performance of “Salt” for Dance in Vancouver. Emma most recently worked as a dancer with Ballet BC Annex, touring works by Medhi Walerski, Michaela Taylor, and Zachary Seto, through Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and Interior BC.
Marisa Gold
Dance artist, commissioned writer/spoken word performer
Marisa Gold is an intuitive multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Vancouver, BC, with a passion for soulful creative expression. She holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in dance from Simon Fraser University, is a graduate from The Ailey School Independent Study program (NYC).
Marisa has professional experience as a spoken word poet, film/tv actor, musical theatre performer, voiceover artist and vocalist. As a collaborator, Marisa joyfully brings her multifaceted experience to each creative process she takes part in.
Most recently, Marisa has had the opportunity to collaborate with Mascall Dance, Odd Meridian Arts, Raven Spirit Dance, Action At A Distance, Inverso Dance, The Biting School, and Belle Spirale Dance Projects.
She has also created dance works for re:Naissance Opera, Dance Cafe (DOTE), The Search Party Productions, Off The Corner Productions, Sound Body Culture, Theatre La Seizieme, Arts Assembly, BLOOM (Mascall Dance), Museum of Anthropology -UBC, The Dance Deck, Co Erasga Salon Series, FORM Festival, Innovate Film Festival and Vine Arts Festival.
As a poet, Marisa has performed spoken word at various slams and events across BC including: Versus Festival, Vancouver Poetry Slam, The African Descent Festival, Afro Van Connect, Her Tribal Roots Collective, Immigrant Lessons Collective, and The Nelson Mural Festival. Her poetry is also featured in short films created by Pandapix Productions, Hadron Films, Front to Bax Productions, Obscura Studios and DA Productions.
Marisa's artistic influences are strongly rooted in the heart space of her ancestors. Her work is embedded in self reflection, a deep love for humanity and reverence for our planet Earth.
Photo: Sylvain Senez
Will Jessup
Will Jessup, from Alberta, Canada is a Professional dance artist based in Vancouver BC. Will began his professional dance training with Lamon Dance Program (Aritstic director Davi Rodrigues) in 2019. After three years with Lamon he began working professionally with Ne.Sans Opera and Dance, Voirelia, Belle Spirale Dance Projects, Dance Novella, Vancouver Opera, Okamsracer. Zimmerdans.
Sophia Makarenko
Sophia Makarenko grew up on Bowen Island B.C. and is a freelance dance artist currently based in Vancouver, Canada. She joined Arts Umbrella in 2019 where she trained under the direction of Artemis Gordon and graduated from the Post-Secondary Dance Diploma Program. Sophia has worked with artists such as Crystal Pite, Medhi Walerski, Fernando Hernando Magadan, Doug Letheren, Aszure Barton, Ethan Colangelo, and Yvan Dubreuil. She has also performed works by Sharon Eyal, Marco Goecke, Sidi Larbi Cherkoui, and William Forsythe. During the 2022/23 season, Sophia was a dancer in the Ballet BC Annex Project, and she later joined Ballet BC dancers in their production of ‘Over the Ridge’ which was in collaboration with The Fugitives. In 2022, she was a participant of Arts Umbrella’s Young Choreographer Mentorship Showcase led by Crystal Pite which instigated her desire to create and perform her own work. Throughout the past three years she has worked as a performer, choreographer, actor, and teacher throughout Canada. She has performed with companies such as Blackout Art Society and Crossmanuever, and has done local and international video projects with Petrichor North Records. During 2023, Sophia co-founded the Canadian dance collective Paper Rabbits, with the goal of expanding and redefining how dance is perceived. The work of the collective aims to portray the intricacies of temporality, femininity, surrealism, and how these things can be investigated through dance theatre.
Brenna Metzmeier
Brenna Metzmeier is a multidisciplinary artist based in Vancouver, BC, originally from Terrace, BC. She trained at the Victoria Academy of Ballet, earning her diploma in 2016. Brenna's artistic collaborations include; Ballet Etoile, Sawdust Collective, Pi Theatre, The Banff Dance Company, Inverso Productions, Vision Impure, Opera Box, State of Underdress, Little Chamber Music, Corporeal Imago, Wen Wei Dance, Edmonton Opera/Nicole Von Arcs, Action at a Distance, and Belle Spirale. She is also a founding member of CAMP, recognized for its selection in multiple festivals, residencies and choreographic commissions.
Brenna continues to collaborate with Corporeal Imago, Belle Spirale, and CAMP, and recently completed a residency at the Irish Aerial Creation Centre. There, she created and performed a piece titled ‘I,I’, which marked the initial stages of developing her own solo work.
Justin Rapaport
Justin Rapaport (he/him) is a freelance dance artist, choreographer and stager who enjoys collaborating and creating with like-minded artists and individuals. Most recently, he has worked with Kidd Pivot, Anne Plamondon and PARA.MAR Dance Theater. Justin is a former member of Ballet BC, where he had the opportunity to perform various solos and lead roles by choreographers such as Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Aszure Barton, Ohad Naharin and Sharon Eyal. Justin received his formal training at New World School of the Arts, followed by The Juilliard School, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Justin has delved into the choreographic realm throughout his career, starting with Peter London Global Dance Company in 2014 and has gone on to create numerous collaborations for the company. He has gone on to create with HD Theatre, Boykin Dance Projects, Dance Deck Dix and Ballet BC. Most notably in 2021, Justin created Passing By at Ballet BC, in collaboration with Evan Rapaport and Rae Srivastiva, which was selected as a finalist of the 14th Copenhagen International Choreography Competition, and awarded the Danish Dance Theater Award by Pontus Lidburg. Justin had the opportunity to set Passing By on Dansk Danseteater and present the work at the Copenhagen Summer Dance Festival in July 2023.
While growing in Miami, Justin was a trained violinist for 10 years, in addition to his rigorous dance training, but had to put it to the side as dance became his full-time focus after high school. He stills fiddles around with it from time to time. Outside of dance, Justin loves being outdoors biking or at the beach, and the occasional decadent donut.
Photo: Michael Slobodian
Lazaro Silva
Lazaro began his dance career at the age of 21, at the "Universidade Federal de Sergipe" (Brazil). To continue enhancing his studies, he attended Ballet Celia Duarte Dance School, where he took private ballet classes with his teacher, Klely Perelo, to further improve his technique. In 2018 Lazaro joined Lamondace where he trained for three years at the program and has since been a dancer for the Lamondance Company, directed by Davi Rodrigues.
Throughout his years with Lamondance he has had the pleasure of working with many artists such as Alexis Fletcher, Alex Neoral, Nicolas Ventura, Wen Wei Wang, Yoshito Sakuraba, Lara Barclay, Brandon Lee Alley, Kirsten Wicklund, Heather Dotto, Racheal Prince, Alysa Pires, Heather Laura Gray and Cristina Bucci.
Photo: Michael Slobodian