ARTISTIC TEAM

Cassandra Bowerman

Cassandra is a Hamilton born dance artist and choreographer with a passion for quirkiness and physicality. After receiving her BFA from Ryerson University’s dance program she spent time in Calgary studying with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. A fan of jazz, tap and rhythm, she thrives on anything groove based and filled with musicality. Recent performances include coexisDance89-Toronto (The Parahumans), Residue- Meghann Michalsky & Matthew Hall (Project InTandem-Calgary, Good Women Dance Collective-Edmonton), Time Flies- Cassandra Bowerman, Alyssa Nedich & Josh Taylor (Dusk Dances Hamilton 2018). A dance educator at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, she can also be found teaching workshops and classes around the GTA. Cassandra is Co-Artistic Director of Hamilton’s To the Pointe Dance Project.

Serwaa Daley

Serwaa is an emerging dancer and choreographer. She recently graduated with her Honors BFA in Dance from York University. After receiving her degree, she travelled to New York City to attend ArchCore40, artistically directed by choreographer Jennifer Archibald. She was a member of the York Dance Ensemble and has performed work by choreographers Tracey Norman and Susan Lee. She recently performed in Nuit Blanche 2018 as a member of Expect Theatre's Beats + Intentions Emerging Inter-Arts Ensemble. She has also danced for Jasmyn Fyffe in the 2017 New Blue Emerging Dance Festival, performed in the Toronto Fringe with Arbez Drama Projects, and performed repertoire from Peggy Baker Dance Projects as part of Dance: made in Canada/fait au canada. Serwaa intends to pursue a career both in performing and choreographing and plans to travel to become familiar with dance communities in New York City, Montreal, and abroad.

Amanda Meadows

Amanda is originally from Canmore, Alberta and now dancing in Toronto. Most of her training has been with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in Calgary, where her deep love for jazz was born and she completed two years of their Professional Training Program. Amanda has since trained at the Kaeja d’Dance intensive and most recently had to pleasure of joining Billy Seigenfeld and Brandi Coleman at the Jump Rhythm® Jazz Project Summer Intensive. Amanda’s passion in dance is most often driven by the music. She has been exploring this drive while working with The Parahumans performing in coexisDance, Short Dances/New Blue Festival and Experimental Solo Dance Showcase, combining her passion of jazz dance and rhythms, with the concepts of contemporary dance.

Lauren Runions

Lauren is a Toronto-based contemporary dance artist. As a maker, she draws inspiration from the built world. Working with the intersection of body and site, her practice plays with experiencing the permanent and ephemeral. Her work offers solitude and introspection while investigating intimacy, corners and environment. Lauren is the artistic director of I/O Movement, a contemporary dance project joining body and site. This project founded in 2014, has performed at multiple galleries and artist run centres and has choreographed music videos for New Fries, The Weather Station and Ian Daniel Kehoe. Lauren has participated in process and creation-based residencies including Banff Centre: The Creative Gesture, Connection Dance Works: PERSPECTIVE, The Roundtable Residency, Dancemakers: Plug & Play, The Living Room Series and Anda Residency. She has also facilitated her own residency This is Our Place in an empty house and at The Bentway. Lauren hopes to pursue more opportunities to foster work of her own and of the community.

Yui Ugai

Yui was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She majored in drama at high school and studied dance and music at Kobe University. She has a BFA in Dance from York University in Toronto. She has danced and toured with York Dance Ensemble, Skindivers, Limitless Productions, The Parahumans, The Little Pear Garden Collective, Ballet Creole, Kashe Dance Company, Anima Inc. (Mexico/Peru) in Japan, Taiwan, Jamaica, The United States and England. Yui has worked for The Toronto Blue Jays in the In-Game Promotion as a JForce since 2014 and actively performed in the festivals such as Nuit Blanche, Fringe Festival, WE DAY, Dance Ontario Dance Weekend, Dance Matters. Yui also focuses on the community engagement through dancing. She has performed Arts in the Parks with Ballet Creole and Porch View Dances with Kaeja d’Dance. In Japan, she produced the annual dance festival, "Dance Kotoen" sponsored by Nishinomiya City in order to support youth dance artists and community since 2011.