Photo by Gabrielle Tyrie featuring Julianna Heft, Alison Viegas, Nidhi Baadkar, and Leah Wilson.
@profile is an immersive dance exhibition featuring four scores of improvised movement in a performance context. The four scores are Artist as Other, as Self, as Group, and as Gallery. These scores transform from co-existing as strangers, to solo introductions, to connecting as a team, and, finally, inviting the audience to be involved. This event prioritizes emerging artists - providing a platform to share their craft and cultivate new relationships.
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Previous iterations of @profile have taken place around the G.T.A and have been artistically directed by Abbey Richens thus far, with Zuri Skeete joining as co-facilitator this year. In April 2023, Abbey led the first four events as her senior project at York University. For Abbey, this event emerged out of needs she felt entering the professional dance community in Toronto post-grad; noticing that having space to present work and perform as an emerging artist is difficult to come by. This space has offered community and creative fulfillment for Abbey and 40+ artists from the Greater Toronto area and beyond. 11 events later, they have presented this event in studio spaces, at the Beaches, and cafes. @Profile will have 6 iterations during the 2024/25 season.
This event is a part of Unfinish / Unfurl, DanceWorks’ mini-festival focused on creative practice and choreographic process and is made possible with co-production support from Dancemakers.
About the Organizers
The Meaningful Movement
The Meaningful Movement is an art collective co-founded by Abbey Richens and Zuri Skeete. The pair started this initiative with the aim to bridge different art mediums together and explore making spaces that were specifically curated for emerging artists. Since 2020, The Meaningful Movement has evolved from digital to physical spaces, with over 15 events within the G.T.A and surrounding areas. This collective continues to hold space for artists to discover new avenues of their practice and build community. The Meaningful Movement is committed to equitable environments where multi-disciplinary work can flourish.
Photo by Natasha Smith
Featured Artists
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Sarah Evasiw (she/her), a current Honours Bachelor of Musical Theatre Performance student at Sheridan College, is a Filipino-Canadian emerging multidisciplinary artist and performer from Amiskwaciwâskahikan/Edmonton, whose passion for creation and love for her craft has led her to create in the Tkarón:to/Toronto area.
Her continuous training as a musician, dancer, and performer has led her to collaborate in a variety of theatrical and contemporary works across Canada, using her multifaceted knowledge to create in many different mediums with precision and care. She is driven to create works that make people feel and move authentically, and is excited to collaborate with other artists to make work that’s meaningful and profound.
Photo by @kaylinschenkphotography
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Rowan-Muriel O’Sullivan is a Black genderqueer trans man living working and learning in Toronto. Rowan-Muriel is a dancer, musician, and community worker in Toronto’s west end. He has worked with Dance Immersion, the George Chuvalo Neighbourhood Center and the TDSB to create and facilitate arts and social programming. He continues to be inspired by his mentors in Toronto's burlesque and drag communities. He draws on the creative spirt of artists before him such as Bill T. Jones and Cathrine Dunham to approach dance and art from an inclusion first standpoint.
Photo by Paedric O’Sullivan @fauxto.gravure
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Tyler Quincy Yan (he/him) is a 25-year-old queer street dancer, choreographer, and lawyer based in Tkaronto.
Tyler started his dance journey in 2017 as a "healthy" university hobby, but quickly fell in love with the creativity and community of street dance. He intensively trained in waacking and hip-hop dance—and later trained in commercial and jazz funk choreography.
Upon moving to Toronto in 2021, Tyler dove into a professional dance career through commercial work and dance education. He is currently a Community Director for Toronto Waacking and faculty at Studio North Toronto. He has established himself as an emerging artist, with credits of Johnny Orlando, FASHION Magazine, Quarterback Baby, It Gets Better Canada, and Toronto Dance Theatre.
Beyond his artistic practice, Tyler is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, specializing in refugee and immigration law.Photo by Nicole Yen
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Sofía Ontiveros is a queer, gender fluid Mexican dance artist and choreographer based in Tkaronto, Ontario. Sofía is a 2021 graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University 's The Creative School BFA Dance Program. The TMU faculty chose them for the Lipson Family Endowment Award for an Emerging Choreographer. Their most recent work Ojalá..., in collaboration with María Riaño was showcased at CAMINOS 2023 by Aluna Theatre and The Citadel Dance Mix 2023 by The Citadel + Compagnie, co-produced with Fall for Dance North. They are currently re-working and re-presenting Ojalá… for Vanguardia Dance Festival in May 2025.
As a performer, Sofía has worked with various artists/companies like Kelly Shaw, Justine Chambers, Kenny Pearl, Jera Wolfe, Bobbi Jene Smith, Or Schraiber, Kylie Thompson, Seanna Bailey, Zuri Skeete, Nina Li, Rose Harris, Proarte Danza, The Bentway, Aluna Theatre, Teatro Línea Sombra, and A Front Company. Additionally, Sofía has continued their commercial dance training, finding a passion for heels dancing. They trained with Kode Red Academy during their 2023-2024 season, a performance and dance training company run by choreographer Jac Valiquette. Versatility and diverse training is deeply important to Sofía, as it expands and challenges their mind and body as both performer and creator.
Photo by Colette Léa
Tickets
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This year, DanceWorks is piloting a Pay-What-You-Can ticket pricing model. Please use the below reference points to select a ticket price option that aligns with your circumstance.
SUPPORTER - $24.00 including facility fee, not including order fee - If you have access to a salary, savings, investments, assets, or familial wealth, selecting this rate will help subsidize the attendance of someone for whom cost is a barrier.
REGULAR - $18.00 including facility fee, not including order fee - This rate reflects the regular cost for the event. Please select this rate if you have access to a regular income and are able to meet your basic needs around food, housing, and transportation.
SUBSIDIZED - $12.00 including facility fee, not including order fee - Please select this rate if you are able to meet your basic needs but have gaps in your income and limited access to savings or familial support.
REDUCED - $5.00 including facility fee, not including order fee - Please select this rate if you are able to meet your basic needs but don’t have access to a regular income, savings, or familial support.
ACCESS - $0.00 - The option to access this event at no cost ensures that members of our community for whom price is a barrier to participation are able to join us.
This approach is greatly inspired by the Toronto Dance Community Love-In. Special thanks to Leelee Oluwatoyosi Eko Davis for sharing their knowledge!
If you have questions about attending a performance, ticketing, or would like assistance purchasing tickets, your best option is to email [email protected]. You can also reach the Theatre Centre box office by phone at (416) 538-0988. Please leave a message and they will endeavour to return your call within 48 hours.
Keep in Mind
Please be aware that there will be a level of participation asked of the audience in the space, the degree of which you participate is up to you. Audience members will be asked to disperse themselves within the space dancers will be moving in as well as disrupt the performance environment through different choices or tasks.
Unfinish / Unfurl is about creative process and experimentation - so it’s a perfect opportunity to try something new and take risks! This is a welcoming and judgement-free space.
This event will be documented with photo and video. By attending this event you consent to your image being taken and potentially being used on DanceWorks’ website and social media.
Access Information
This event will include options for participation with various levels of mobility. If you have any Access Needs, please reach out to Cass Cabral Pucci, Festival Coordinator.
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The Franco Boni Theatre is accessible via a single-user accessibility lift on the main floor:
The lift is key-operated and must be operated by a staff member. Upon arrival, please notify the Box Office or Café/Bar staff for lift assistance. When leaving the venue, the lift includes a blue call button to request staff assistance to go down.
The second floor provides level access into the theatre, with reserved seats on the ground level to accommodate accessibility devices.
An accessible bathroom is located on the second floor.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this event, please contact The Meaningful Movement, organizers of @profile.
For Box Office & Ticketing Inquiries, please reach out to The Theatre Centre Box Office by email or phone.
