Sweet Ephemera

A steamy, queer, thought-provoking double bill featuring works by Calder White and Tavia Christina (Near & Far Projects) 

June 24-26, 2025

Photos: Francesca Chudnoff (L) and Tom Hsu (R / above).

Sometimes the Sex is so Good by Tavia Christina (Near & Far Projects)

How can we work through disaster together? Do we? Amid the ruins of our choices, we confront the ease of staying. Sometimes the Sex is so Good, challenges our sense of autonomy. Tavia Christina, Artistic Director of Near & Far Projects, has crafted a world that confronts our ongoing destruction and admits to an upheaval of civilization.

  • Directed and Choreographed by Tavia Christina

    Performed by Eleanor van Veen and Katie Adams-Gossage

    Dramaturgy by August Winter

    Outside Mentorship by Heidi Strauss

    Costume Design by Angela Cabrera

    Projection Design by KLSR

    Original Score by Luke Gruntz & Dæm

    Original Lighting Design by Mathilda Kane, Adaptation by Emilie Trimbee

    Prop Build by Jarrett Siddall

    This project has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Dance Theatre "Plug N' Play" Residency and Woodland Farm Residency.

only child by Calder White

A solo that is sometimes a duet and occasionally a trio, only child places courtship, reproduction, and romance on a pedestal and under a microscope. Fantasy becomes reality in a series of vignettes that draw from queer intimacy and kink practices, conjuring the simultaneous danger and care that exists in these marginal spaces.

  • Choreography and Performance by Calder White

    Scenography and Rehearsal Direction by Steph Cyr

    Creative Assistance and Lighting Design by Zaya Sawchyn

    Props by Chris White

    Costume Design by Maria Kofman

    Music by Stefan Nazarevich and Khotin

    Co-produced by the Dance Centre BC and Odd Meridian Arts, with paid creation residency, technical and production support, and marketing and front of house provided by Odd Meridian Arts.

    This project has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Choreographers

Tavia Christina is a multi-hyphenate artist who embraces their ethereal nature as a driving force in artistic expression and research. Their work seamlessly blends genres across dance, theatre, and performance art. Their practice is rooted in somatic movement and spiritual endurance. With a background spanning Western contemporary dance, street dance, and classical ballet, Tavia also holds interests in various other art forms, including curation, music, acting, poetry, film, and death work. In their freelance career, they have been nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore award, and are interning as an artistic director at adelheid facilitated through The Metcalf Foundation.

Headshot by Colin Medley.

Calder White is a freelance dance artist based on the unceded and stolen lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations (so-called “Vancouver, BC”). He is an alumnus of Tkaronto’s Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre and holds a BFA in Dance from the Ohio State University. He has originated roles in work by Shay Kuebler, Joshua Beamish, Ziyian Kwan, Rachel Meyer, Wen Wei Wang, and Santee Smith. Calder’s choreographic interests lay in oversharing, recalling memory, and the effects of video documentation on self-image. His work has been shared with audiences across Canada and the US, receiving commissions from Ohio Dance Festival, The School of Dance Ottawa, Boombox Vancouver, Dancing on the Edge, and Danceworks Toronto. He is also a floorwork teacher, sharing his workshops with institutions across North America. He is the proud recipient of the 2022 Hnatyshyn Foundation’s Ukraine – Heritage, Spirit, and Future award for Exceptional Talent in Contemporary Dance.

Headshot by Kendra Epik.

Photo by Francesca Chudnoff, featuring performers Katie Adams-Gossage and Eleanor van Veen.