Staff Team
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Based in Tkarón:to/Toronto, Dedra McDermott (she/her) is a new-generation artist-researcher, emerging curator, and movement dramaturg. With a foundation as a movement artist, her evolving interdisciplinary practice explores identity, memory, and grief. Through autoethnographic methodology, she weaves movement and literary choreographies to create live, filmed, and installation works. Being a Black (Jamaican, First-Generation Canadian) and woman-identifying emerging leader, she believes that all of her knowledge coalesces into her dancing body—a vessel that holds an accumulation of embodied practices and unwavering resilience.
Dedra has earned a BFA in Choreography and Performance (York University), an MA in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies (University of Toronto), was a 2023-2024 Ontario Graduate Scholar and recently completed an MFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practice at OCAD University.
In the role of Co-Executive Artistic Producer, Dedra aims to create opportunities that nurture artistic practice and champion knowledge sharing in diverse public spaces.
Select Performance Credits: Disney's "Zombies" and "Zombies 2", fu-GEN Theatre, Bicycle Opera, and "American Gods" on Starz Network.
Dedra McDermott
David Norsworthy
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David Norsworthy (he/him) is a Tkarón:to/Toronto-based dance artist, choreographer and producer of mixed Japanese immigrant/British settler descent who is “an exceptionally lucid performer, impressive and articulate” (Globe and Mail). A graduate of The Juilliard School where he trained in Euro-American contemporary dance, David delights in asking questions, and believes deeply in the transformative power of dancing.
David has performed with dance companies and collaborated with dance creators in Canada, USA, Sweden and Australia, and his choreographic career has included independently produced full-length works, international tours, and commissioned projects for companies, universities and schools. His choreographic work has focused on community-building through co-creation; cultivating participatory environments that work with the materiality of emotion and dialogue through improvisational scores.
David is the grateful recipient of the Living Arts Centre’s Ron Lenyk Award and was one of three finalists for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award.
Driven by a desire and responsibility to support other artists, he served as a part-time Rehearsal Director for the Swedish dance company Norrdans between 2022-2024. Further, David is a Co-Founder/Co-Director of TOES FOR DANCE, through which he has founded Fresh Dance Intensive, Common Ground Dance Festival, the Process+Practice Dance Series among other programs.
Photo by Colton Curtis.
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Neetika Sharma is a distinguished Arts Manager and Kathak Dance Artist dedicated to advancing cultural diversity and inclusivity within Canada’s not-for-profit and charity sectors, with a focus on the performing arts. With over a decade of experience in Arts Management, Neetika leverages her expertise to drive positive social change and enhance representation in the dance community.
A graduate of the University of Toronto's Business Management program, Neetika currently holds dual leadership roles as the Director of Operations at DTRC and the General Manager at DanceWorks, a leading presenter of independent dance in Toronto. Her extensive career includes significant positions at CaribbeanTales Media Group/CineFAM and Fall For Dance North Festival Inc., among others, where she has been instrumental in supporting artists from diverse cultural backgrounds.
In 2019, Neetika founded the Katha-Ras Dance Lab, a pioneering program designed to empower underrepresented women dancers of color in Toronto, with support from ArtReach Toronto and, subsequently, the Canada Council for the Arts. Her contributions extend to ArtReach Toronto, where she has served as a grant adjudicator and consultant, and she has received past support from the Laidlaw Foundation. Additionally, Neetika is a Creative Connect mentor at Nia Centre for the Arts and serves as the Board Chair at ArtStarts.
Creatively, Neetika explores the traditional Kathak repertoire, offering innovative and relevant interpretations through her research, choreography, and performances.
Neetika Sharma
Catherine Romano
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After completing a graduate program in New York City, Catherine spent almost a decade living in New York while pursuing a career as a performing arts manager, including a role as the Outreach Manager at New York City Ballet. Catherine returned to Toronto and worked as an arts writer and photographer, before joining DanceWorks as the Education and Outreach Manager. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance and a B.Education in Arts Integration from York University, and a M.A. in Performance Studies from NYU. Catherine's current research interests include youth dance subcultures and audience engagement in traditional theatre spaces that intersect with new media technologies.
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Kaylee McCullough (she/her), a current Creative Industries student at Toronto Metropolitan University, is a passionate and multifaceted artist focused on movement-based and digital artforms. She is deeply involved in her community, dedicating her time and efforts to expanding accessibility in the arts. Kaylee is committed to creating inclusive spaces where everyone can experience and participate in artistic expression. Through her projects and initiatives, she strives to break down barriers and ensure that art is accessible to all, regardless of background or ability. Professionally, Kaylee is building a career in social media marketing and digital content creation, leveraging her artistic skills to engage audiences and create compelling digital narratives. Creatively, she uses various mediums, including video production, photography, writing, dance, and fine art, to explore what it means to be an artist.
Kaylee McCullough
Young Associates
Artistic Advisory Committee
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Mimi Beck dedicated her career to advancing and promoting dance in all forms through presentation, commissioning, advocacy and research. As founding Dance Curator of the DanceWorks series in Toronto, she encouraged dance literacy among adults and youth. Beck served as Executive Director of the Canadian Network of Dance Presenters, CanDance, as well as Dance Ontario. She was inducted into the Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame in 2023, receiving the William J.S. Boyle Dance Luminary Award. From 1990 – 1994, Beck was Canadian director of a bi-lateral touring exchange with Dance Theatre Workshop (NY) and the U.S. National Performance Network. An active choreographer and performer in Toronto’s independent dance movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she received the first Canada Council grant awarded to a dance curator for professional development.
Beck currently enjoys her roles as mentor, consultant and facilitator.
Photo by Liliana Reyes.
Mimi Beck
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Ravyn Wngz “The Black Widow of Burlesque” is a Tanzanian, Bermudian, Mohawk, 2Spirit, Queer and Transcendent empowerment storyteller. Ravyn is an abolitionist and co-founder of ILL NANA/DiverseCity Dance Company, Black Lives Matter Canada, & the Wildseed Centre for Arts & Activism. A Canadian Best-Selling Author and Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada recipient of 2021, Ravyn is committed to eradicating all forms of anti-Black racism and settler colonialism systems of oppression while nurturing Black and Indigenous solidarity and healing in communities.
Photo by Jackie Brown Photography.
Ravyn Wngz
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Devyani Saltzman (she/her) is a Canadian writer, curator, and arts leader with an in-depth practice in multidisciplinary programming at the intersection of the arts, ideas, and social change. She was most recently Director of Public Programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario, one of North America’s leading art museums. Saltzman was previously the Director of Literary Arts at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, as well as a founding Curator at Luminato, Toronto’s international multidisciplinary arts festival. She is the author of Shooting Water which The New York Times called “a poignant memoir.” Her work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Atlantic, Room Magazine, and Tehelka, India’s weekly for arts and investigative journalism. She is the Vice Chair of the Writers’ Trust of Canada, President of the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Association of Art Galleries and Nova Dance. Saltzman has a Masters in Anthropology and Sociology and is currently working on her second book of nonfiction which will be published by Random House in 2025.
Photo by Liat Aharoni.
Devyani Saltzman
Board of Directors
Mario Fasce
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Mario Fasce was born and raised in Peru, moving to Vancouver at age 18 to study film and psychology. While at UBC, he developed a love for marketing and all things digital - and now works with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Rivian and Build a Bear, helping them develop their marketing strategy and executing them to success. Mario moved from Vancouver to Toronto in 2019 to do his MBA, and that’s where he met Mimi Beck. He immediately loved DanceWorks’ mission and values and raised his hand to help lead the team through its digital transformation. DanceWorks’ community focus is critical to sustaining the dance community in Toronto, and Mario is proud to be helping Dedra and David take it to the next level.
Jennifer Wan
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Jennifer, a Chartered Professional Accountant, left the corporate world to transition her lifestyle to allow more freedom and movement as a Pilates instructor, artist/stage manager and business consultant.
As an avid dancer, she engages and connects with the dance community to help educate dancers and artists on financial literacy. By leveraging experience gained throughout her career she is able to help organizations such as the National Ballet of Canada, City Dance Corps, UNITY, Artscape Daniels Launchpad, Dance Ontario, DTRC, Dancemakers, CDA, Gadfly, TAPA and JAYU further their cause and support our local talented dancers and artists.
Belinda Ngai
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With over two decades in the financial industry, Belinda has experience of building data products and enabling analytics and reporting capabilities to provide data-driven insights in marketing, product and risk management areas. She is also a D&I champion, part of an employee resource group’s leadership committee, focusing on accelerating the inclusion and representation of diverse professionals in leadership positions. Outside of work, Belinda loves to bake, travel and enjoys visual and performing arts. She takes great pleasure in leveraging her skills and experiences in supporting the great work and values that DanceWorks brings to the arts community.
Alex Hsiao
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Alex is a seasoned leader with over a decade of experience in financial services, payments, and loyalty. He brings a wealth of expertise in strategic planning, partnerships, and product management. Having successfully led complex initiatives, such as launching new products and leading major program transformations, he excels in driving impactful results. Passionate about the arts, Alex is excited to support DanceWorks’ mission of championing diverse stories and lived experiences through choreographic performance. He values DanceWorks' commitment to creating spaces that challenge dominant cultural narratives and foster community connections. Outside of work, Alex enjoys exploring the performing arts and actively supporting local cultural initiatives.
DanceWorks' Board of Directors as of November 2023 including (L to R, back) Belinda Ngai, Mario Fasce, Douglas Tanton, Alex Hsiao, Adam Kurnik, with Mimi Beck (front, middle) and Dedra McDermott and David Norsworthy (front, right). Photo by Kendra Epik.