TEAM
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Jane Gabriels, Ph.D. (she/her/they) supports artists, communities and non-profit theaters as Executive Director, Dance West Network (based in “Vancouver”; the traditional, ancestral and unceded Coast Salish territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations).
Gabriels’ dissertation (Concordia University, Montréal) focused on artists, creative processes, curation, and non-profit arts organizations in The Bronx, NY, her professional and artistic home for over 20 years. This dissertation led to ongoing collaborations with Thomas F. DeFrantz to produce Configurations in Motion: Performance curation and communities of color in the US and in Canada with Seika Boye and MJ Thompson in Montréal and in Vancouver, Configurations was produced in collaboration with Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Calgary’s Springboard Performance and the CanDance Network.
Gabriels contributed and co-edited Curating Live Arts: Critical perspectives, essays, and conversations on theory and practice (Berghahn Books, 2018), and booklet: Essays from Configurations in Montreal (published by Duke University and Concordia University, 2018). Gabriels contributed an essay about the work of dance maker Merián Soto to Latina Outsiders (Routledge Press, 2019), and wrote “Fellowship: A Response from a Circle of Cedars” for Imagined Theatres Issue #4: Curating Performance (Oct 2020). Collaborations with Merián Soto led to a research website: familiasdancingcommunity.com. Gabriels was invited to review writings for TURBA: The Journal for Global Practices in Live Arts Curation and Dance Research Journal, and contributed an interview with Thomas F. DeFrantz and Seika Boye to TURBA (Spring 2023).
Gabriels has been a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Performance Studies, Simon Fraser University (Vancouver), and at the Institute of Dance Scholarship at Temple University (Philadelphia).
She has supported the work of Mei-Yin Ng for over a decade, facilitating her 2022 Commission, OH NO! RENEGADE, and her community engaged work, Sit, Eat and Chew 五味杂陈 with Montréal’s Festival Accès Asie, 2023.
Gabriels also supports the non-profit Pepatián: Bronx Arts ColLABorative (Bronx, NY) in collaboration with other artists and community partners.
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Manager: Community Engagement, General Admin, Promotions
I am curious about how to create community-engaged projects that support enriching collaborations between artists and community members in territories and areas beyond the Lower Mainland.
As part of my work at Dance West Network, I am currently part of the Pathways pilot project, and have participated in several of the Talking Stick @PuSh Industry series as well as the San’yas Anti-Racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program. I have also participated in conversations and workshops with equity and accessibility consultants Seika Boye and Amy Amantea. I am looking forward to participating in Vines Arts Ecosystems Symposium: Strengthening Artist Relations in late November 2023.
I appreciate the people so willing to give of their time and the many opportunities offered as we walk this path to deeper understanding.
Additionally, with a MA in Dance from New York University and Advanced Arts and Entertainment Certificate from Capilano University, I have previously worked for several dance companies and organizations in Vancouver, including DanceHouse, MACHiNENOiSY and Mascall Dance.
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Jullianna Oke is an interdisciplinary dance artist of mixed-race Japanese-Canadian descent, working in Vancouver as a settler on the unsurrendered lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She holds a BFA (hons.) in Dance from Simon Fraser University, with her recent works exploring themes of identity through movement, sound and media. She has presented works through the Festival of Recorded Movement as a commissioned artist, Evergreen Cultural Centre’s incubator program, and the Dance Centre’s 12 Minutes Max program. julliannaoke.ca
photo: Mikela Vuorensivu
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Treaty 1-born Sophie Dow is a multidisciplinary creative, inspired by dance, music, film, collaboration and Michif/Assiniboine + French/Ukrainian roots. An avid adventurer, Sophie exudes passions for busking, yoga and traveling on top of holding a degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from York University. Sophie presently fulfills roles as: artistic associate of O.Dela Arts, Chimera Dance Theatre & V’ni Dansi/Louis Riel Métis Dancers, residency coordinator at Dance West Network, musician with The Honeycomb Flyers, a licensed practitioner of Traditional Thai Massage, a trained facilitator & student of BreathWave, a freelance dancer/choreographer/sound designer and a puddle jumping trickster.
Photo: Audrianna Martin Del Campoion
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Fascinated by a variety of dance styles, Audrey Gaussiran trained from a young age with masters in Brazil, Cuba, New York, and Spain. She completed her studies at the Conservatoire de danse de Montréal in 2007, integrating classical ballet into her eclectic training, shaping her art with a decidedly cosmopolitan approach.
From 2008, Audrey accumulated numerous experiences as a performer, including La Traviata (2008, Ottawa), Sherazade(2008 to 2011, Canada/France), and Ballet Oriental du Canada (2011 to 2012, Montreal/Germany). Additionally, she responded to numerous choreographic commissions, such as the adaptation of the famous Blank Placard Dance by Anna Halprin (2014), Lakmé by the Théâtre d’art lyrique de Laval (2016), Par la fenêtre with poet Nancy Lange (2019), and Quebra (2022) with slam artist Sarah Khilaji.
From 2012 to 2016, Audrey found her place in Calgary within a company that deeply inspired her through its contemporary and rhythmical approach: DJD (Decidedly Jazz Danceworks). From 2017 to 2021, she performed and co-choreographed with the percussive dance company ZEUGMA Danse.
As an independent choreographer, Audrey expresses her social concerns through works such as Le 2e sexe (2014) and Corrida (2017). Her artistic exploration also materialized through the creation of Portraits dansés (2015 to 2017), a series of seven short films that earned her a nomination for the CALQ's Work of the Year in 2019.
Her creative repertoire expanded with pieces such as CTRL:N(2019), Fisheye (2020), and MOSAÏCO (2024), where her hybrid movements intertwine harmoniously with digital innovation. Her choreographic journey earned her a nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year in Laval in 2024. Audrey Gaussiran thus embodies a modern artistic vision, rooted in the cultural and technological diversity of our time.Photo: Jean-Sébastien Cossette
CONSULTANTS
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Olivia C. Davies is a community-engaged dance artist, choreographer, community-arts facilitator and emerging curator of Anishinaabe, French-Canadian, Finnish and Welsh heritage. Her choreographic works often explore the emotional and political relationships between people and places. Davies holds an executive administration certificate from Vancouver Community College and has extensive experience as an arts administrator and outreach coordinator for Raven Spirit Dance, Kokoro Dance Theatre, Skwachàys Lodge Artists In Residence Program, and most recently with the Arts Council of New Westminster along with supporting the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists – Western Chapter as Board Director and Chair.
photo credit: Dayna Szyndrowski
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Sevrin Emnacen-Boyd is a half-filipino b-boy and an enthusiast of all things rhythmic and expressive. Seeking to emulate the aberrant creativity emerging from the growing Vancouver street dance scene, Sevrin’s approach to dance is characterized by a rigorous attention to musical details and an embrace of movements uncommonly explored in breaking. He is an active member of the Vancouver street dance community, eager to play a role in building what is quickly becoming a prominent force in the local art scene. He has organized a number of youth-oriented street dance battles with the City of Surrey and has worked with various non-profit organizations that seek to support emerging Canadian dance artists. Sevrin has also participated in a wide range of international street dance competitions ranging from Amsterdam to Tokyo. He is an active member of the Now Or Never Crew, Scndrlz and Think Twice Japan
photo credit: Shawn Kim
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Virginia Jessica Sparvier-Wells (McMann)
V. Jessica Sparvier-Wells is a Cree musician, contemporary dancer and choreographer. She is a member of Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan. A classically trained flutist, she has a Bachelor of Music from the University of Calgary. Her research focus has been contemporary music, jazz, and improvisation. She has successfully defended her thesis for her MFA - Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University. Her recent compositions and soundscapes explore Indigenous identity and history.
She has been dancing fancy shawl, jingle and hoop dance since 2003, and has had the opportunity to present contemporary and traditional work at festivals across western Canada, and tour northern Europe. Currently her personal experience, Two-Spirit identity, Cree and Blackfoot language, and the strength of Indigenous women guide her current contemporary dance work.
www.wildmintarts.com www.jessicamcmann.com
photo: Chelsea Yang Smith
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Mohammed is a Syrian-Canadian dynamic force, impacting both television and the stage. Notable TV credits include appearances on "Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist," "Deadly Class," and "America's Got Talent." Beyond the screen, he has featured in music videos and key productions like "Sandaar Ji" and "Young Rumi (Short).” With formal training in hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, and ballet, he paved his way to Vancouver where he began training and traveling with companies such as TwoFourSeven. Formal acting training has enhanced Mohammed's ability to bring depth to his performances. Notable training in acting includes Scene Study, Meisner Technique, and Script Analysis, all contributing to his multifaceted artistic expression. Mohammed was recently selected as a dance artist in the Re-Centering/Margins 2023 Residency with Dance West Network. With a rich tapestry of experiences and a commitment to artistic growth, Mohammed continues to captivate audiences with his dynamic presence and innovative choreography.
photo credit: Bridgette May
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Tsatassaya White, B.A., M.A., is a curator, event planner and community mobilizer of the Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) & (Opetchesaht) Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. She carries knowledge about the Snuneymuxw Nation and Territory and has many connections among the Coast Salish and throughout the Pacific North West.
Tsatassaya has curated the qw’uy’ulush ‘utl swy-a-lana “Dancing at Swy-a-lana, an Indigenous dance festival at the InFrinGinG Festival annually since July 2019 in Nanaimo BC, and since in 2020 curated and co-produced the Sum̓sháthut (Sun) Festival in collaboration with Nanaimo’s Crimson Coast Dance Society. She has been the lead consultant of the Breaking Bannock program, a community reconciliation project on Gabriola Island.
Tsatassaya is the 2021 & 2024 curator of conversations with esteemed dance leaders Margaret Grenier, Haa’yuups, Andrew Peter / Qwun Qwinuhw, and Lindsay Katsitsakatste Delaronde which developed into a booklet, Huulthapi: Dancing Airwaves, edited by Emily Dundas Oke.
Tsatassaya White is the recipient of the 2025 Culture Award from the City of Nanaimo
