Participants
Otoniya J. Okot Bitek is a poet. Her 100 Days (University of Alberta 2016), a book of poetry that reflects on the meaning of memory two decades after the Rwanda genocide, was nominated for several writing prizes including the 2017 BC Book Prize, the Pat Lowther Award, the 2017 Alberta Book Awards and the 2017 Canadian Authors Award for Poetry. It won the 2017 IndieFab Book of the Year Award for poetry and the 2017 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry. A is for Acholi (Wolsak and Wynn 2022), a new collection of poetry, is her most recent publication. Okot Bitek is an assistant professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Justine A. Chambers is a choreographer, dancer and educator living and working on the traditional and ancestral Coast Salish territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ. Her movement-based practice considers how choreography can be an empathic practice rooted in collaborative creation, close observation, and the body as a site of a cumulative embodied archive. She is Max Tyler-Hite’s mother.
Adriana Contreras is an Interdisciplinary Artist, bilingual Graphic Recorder and Illustrator (English and Spanish), born in Bogotá, Colombia, living and working with respect and gratitude on the unceded, traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ First Nations. Artistic expression has always been a central part of Adriana's life but became an essential tool for navigating the world as a first-generation immigrant. Her migration journey profoundly informs her work and commitment to social justice at a local and global level. Adriana completed her BFA at SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts in 2006 and has worked at numerous local Arts organizations for over the past 20 years.
Isaac Gasangwa's practice is an outcome of negotiating contrasting life experiences, having originated from Rwanda before moving to Vancouver in 2014. He notes the difference in perspectives on dance as a career, something that didn’t exist in Rwanda until he took initiative to establish more rigorous centers for dance training and performances. With Afrobeat Van, Isaac aims to inspire freedom of movement, or, as he puts it, to “Let the people just dance!” By creating an open environment where people feel welcome to be their honest selves supported by their teacher and peers, Isaac makes space for shared dialogue, which then nurtures a sense of dedicated community. He further explains that his work is not aimed at a specific audience—it is not just for African people, or for Black people, or a means to educate non-Black individuals—it is for everyone. Afrobeat Van’s three core values are “Dance, Inspire, Educate,” which are not seen as separate factors, but rather an interconnected philosophy. Though Isaac is a teacher, choreographer, and facilitator, his job is not about demonstrating dance moves, but rather his presence is an example of the embodiment of dance as celebration.
Emilie Jabouin is a PhD candidate in the joint Toronto Metropolitan/York University Communication & Culture program. Her doctoral dissertation explores Black women's intellectual histories, organizing and expressive cultures in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century English-Canada. Her research has grown under the supervision of Dr. Cheryl Thompson, whom she assisted in her SSHRC-funded project, “Newspapers, Theatres, and the Spaces of Black Performance in Toronto, 1880s to 1930s”, with whom she has co-published on media reporting on the black arts. Emilie’s peer-reviewed article “Black Women Dancers, Jazz Culture and ‘Show Biz’: Re-centering Afro-culture and Re-claiming Dancing Black Bodies in Montreal, 1920s-1950s,” received an honourable mention by Canadian Historical Association Jean-Fecteau prize for 2022. As a multidisciplinary academic and dance artist, Emilie merges research and performance to share stories with the public that are under-explored and silenced. Digging through the archives, her work explores early twentieth-century health and black Canadian dance history. In 2020, Emilie began to use her research in choreography and dove deeper into learning, sharing and preserving Haitian folklore – drumming, song, and dance under the guidance of master drummer and choreographer Peniel Guerrier. In manifesting her vision, Emilie founded Emirj Projects, a multi-faceted research, performance, and production company inspired by the dance process of curiosity, intuition and exploration, (www.emirj.ca).
Ceilidh Munroe is a Jamaican-Canadian artist living and working on the unceeded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ Nations. She works primarily in print media with a focus in relief and monotype printing, although this does not exclude experiments with other media. She typically engages with print media in unusual and thoughtful ways, taking the printing process away from paper and using it to explore other methods of production. Her work often engages with the architecture of its surroundings, drawing closely on the contexts in which it is presented. Her practice is partnered with a passion for fine arts education that manifests itself in developing workshops, writing, facilitating discussion, leading tours and more.
Collette “Coco” Murray is a dance educator, cultural arts programmer, mentor and arts consultant. This award-winning artist was one of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women honourees in 2020 and the 2019 Toronto Arts Foundation’s Community Arts Award winner and Canadian Danse Assembly's 2013 I love Community Award winner. Murray pursues a PhD in Dance Studies and holds a Master of Education, and Honours BA in Race, Ethnicity and Indigeneity from York University and a BA in Sociology from University of Toronto. Currently her doctoral work focuses on dance education in the Canadian Afro-diasporic dance sector archive and anti-racist dance pedagogies. Along with Miss Coco Murray, her mobile, dance education business [www.misscocomurray.com], Murray is published in dance media and academic journals. Additionally, Murray is Artistic Director of Coco Collective offering culturally responsive projects connecting participants, organizations, and schools to African and Caribbean arts. Murray is Vice Chair of Dance Umbrella of Ontario's board and serves as Board member of Arts Etobicoke and the National Board of Canadian Danse Assembly offering an equity, diversity and inclusion lens. Murray's performance experiences include Caribbean folklore and West African dance styles, along with curating and advocating for spaces that amplify Black arts and dance styles.