Photo by Kevin Jones.

Nickeshia Garrick is a settler on the stolen land of Tkarón:to and has performed on this land for over 25 years. They are unapologetically a Black, Queer Artist, who believes in the healing power of breath through raw emotion and movement. Nickeshia received their dance training at the Carousel Dance Centre (Kitchener), the NYIDE (New York Institution of Dance and Education), the National Ballet School of Canada (Tkarón:to), Toronto Dance Theatre (Tkarón:to), and Simon Fraser University (Vancouver). Nickeshia has received the privilege of performing in pieces by TDT, Tara Butler, Kaeja d’ Dance, Serge Bennathan, James Kudelka, Ballet Jorgen, the Newton Moraes Dance Theatre and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre.

Nickeshia is a Dora Mavor Moore, winning and multi-nominated artist who holds a BFA in Dance from Simon Fraser University, is an Equity Programming Advisory Committee member with Kaeja D’dance, and a Co-Founder of CinnaMoon Collective, a Central American and Afro-Caribbean contemporary dance duo that is dedicated to reclaiming and honouring ancestral stories from a decolonial perspective.          

Nickeshia is currently exploring the socio-political, cultural and artistic influences on Black Performance Art from the 1960s to now across Turtle Island. the ties that Bind us, the ties that Bond us (working title), aims to excavate the context of the aforementioned influences and the role they potentially play(ed) in shaping Black performance art movements. Through this inquiry, Nickeshia is interested in locating any sites of disruption or a critical challenge of the traditional theatre milieux in Canada beginning in 1960.

Throughout the fellowship period, there will be several opportunities for public engagement including artist talks, a workshop, and a showing. Please join us to follow Nickeshia’s fellowship journey!

“I have always been deeply connected to performance art as the form often challenges its witnesses to think in new and unconventional ways, breaking conventions of traditional arts, and questioning ideas of "what art is". This ultimately is the inquiry at the core of this project; knowing that Black art is political, it is impactful, it is disruptive and challenges how one perceives ‘Blackness’. As a Queer, femme-presenting Black artist, I connect with those who held the stories of my ancestors—as many of those who held this responsibility of knowledge-keeping were Queer.” - Nickeshia Garrick

Fellowship partners include The Centre for the Study of Black Canadian Diaspora (OCAD University), Nia Centre for the Arts, and The Toronto Biennial of Art, with support from Vtape, FADO Performance Art, and ArQuives.

Upcoming Fellowship Events

Artist Talk with Nickeshia Garrick

September 14, 2024 from 1-2pm at 401 Richmond Street W.

Nickeshia will be in discussion with DanceWorks Co-Executive Artistic Producer and Fellowship Facilitator, Dedra McDermott, to talk about the initial months of the Emerging to Mid-Career Fellowship, her archival research interest and recent discoveries supporting her developing research and choreographic project.