The Citadel’s Creative Incubator and Residency Program build on relationships that have been cultivated between The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance and artists and organizations within the dance community to extend support beyond presentation, and foster creative practice through the allocation of space, time, and production and administration resources.
Expanding on the company’s existing values of inclusion, collaboration, accessibility and trust, Citadel + Compagnie is furthering its impact by creating more space for more artists at its home, The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance.
The Creative Incubator and Residency Program have been developed as part of a long-term structural transition in response to recent calls for social justice alongside adapting to the realities of investing in performance art during COVID-19. Citadel + Compagnie is excited by the programs’ potential for the interlocking of communities to create an expanding network of artistic exchange within Toronto.
Our programs offer the following three pillars of engagement:
The Creative Incubator Pilot Project
Company-in-Residence
Presenter-in-Residence
Creative Incubator
Photo by David Leyes
Syreeta Hector
Syreeta Hector is a dance artist and educator in Toronto, Ontario. As a highly accomplished performer, Syreeta has worked for internationally recognized companies like Adelheid Dance Projects, Danny Grossman Dance Company, Political Movement, and Toronto Dance Theatre.
Read more +She is a proud graduate of The National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program, The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and has achieved her Master of Arts in Dance Studies from York University.
Her work “Black Ballerina” focuses on the dualities within one’s identity, along with Syreeta’s blackness and indigeneity in relationship to classical ballet. This short work in progress solo gained recognition at the SummerWorks Festival in 2019. Here, the piece won the Stratford Festival Lab Award for Research and Creation. The condensed version of the piece was also performed at the Citadel Dance Mix 2019. Here, the performance was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award.
The development of the full-length version of “Black Ballerina” took place through the support of Citadel + Compagnie, Canadian Stage, and the Kaaitheatre.
Photo by Hans Michael Lenz
Naishi Wang
Naishi Wang – 王乃石 is a dance artist based in Toronto. Born in Changchun, China. At age 11 years old, he began with Chinese folk dances and Ballet training at Jilin College of Art. In 2004, he moved to Canada and joined The School Of Toronto Dance Theatre, and he was active as a full-time TDT company member for nine years.
Read more +Since 2015, the award-winning performer has been inspired to work as an independent choreographer. Wang shares in the belief that performing arts create imaginary perspectives that expand what dance can be in the 21st century. His rigorous practice themed on intertwined approaches from “communication” to “translation” in a somatic and conceptual point of view. Desire and honesty are a huge part of his works, expressed through repetition, contortions, waving, impulsion, and shaking. His tactile aesthetic was nurtured from Chinese calligraphy, political arts, conceptual music and experimental film. Bringing him to question how to open up the realm of perceptions.
Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh
adelheid
adelheid creates dance and performance works centring on relationships: relationships between people, relationships with space, place and the environment, and our relationship with the current moment – the world we navigate together.
Read more +We are interested in the questions dance inherently asks around human behaviour, and the potential performance has to shift perspectives, and allow for reflection. Collaborating with artists, considering audience experience, animating public space and integrating different media allows us to be constantly learning, and evolving our thinking and approach. Important to us is supporting others in our programming; we do this through Cohort (for makers integrating smartphones into creation) and re:research (for emerging dance creators).
adelheid is grateful to have had support of residencies at the Factory Theatre (2008-2012), The Theatre Centre (2013-2016), and Harbourfront Centre (2019). These opportunities gave space for Dora Award winning works like ‘this time’, and ‘what it’s like’ to be created.
Photo by Dahlia Katz
Nova Dance
Nova Dance brings new ideas to stages and sites, re-inventing the possibilities of the artform. The company breaks down conventions, encourages new talent and works with artists from many art forms and a multitude of backgrounds to create a community that celebrates the life-force of art in our lives.
Read more +The company presents critically acclaimed works and arts events, creating a context for an array of dance artists to take space with their art. Equity is in the DNA of Nova Dance, and we believe that bringing differences together always leads to greater things. The company is dedicated to creating meaningful points of intersection for dance and audiences; supporting artists; and celebrating the role of the arts in a vital society.
Founded by Nova Bhattacharya in 2008 the company has established a body of work that has garnered awards, international recognition, and most importantly made connections with audiences and communities.
company-in-residence
Photo by Christopher Cushman
KasheDance
Embodying artistic diversity in technique and choreography, KasheDance echoes in a new genealogy of Afro contemporary dance supported by presentation, outreach initiatives in communities and in education.
Read more +The company creates within a three-pronged CRP model where Creative / Research / Presentation, is supported by further creative inquiry with the Critical Response Process pioneered by Liz Lerman and grounded in Collaboration, Representation and Partnerships. KasheDance finds inspiration from visual arts, music, mixed media and spoken word and is creatively and socially curious about how dance can fuel focused and progressive conversations around our practice while situating people and audiences in cross-cultural engagement. KasheDance’s production FACING Home: Love and Redemption was voted in Top 10 2015 performance in Madison, Wisconsin, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Madison Dance Department and has toured to ten cities in US, Canada and the Caribbean. The work was the featured performance event of the USVI, St. Croix Pride 2019.
presenter-in-residence
wind in the leaves collective
www.windintheleavescollective.com
The ‘wind in the leaves collective’ has developed a significant body of work over the past decade. Our unique approach to multi-disciplinary performance takes its lead from the artistic director’s poetry which is explored and choreographed by dancers, musicians and video artists.
Read more +This collaboration across disciplines has been successful in engaging audiences and building a profile for this type of performance. The ‘collective’ is now staging performances with other artists that involve similar elements, i.e., connecting poetry with dance and music in creation and performance. The ‘collective’ has been approached by the Citadel to curate performances and is now Presenter in Residence at the Citadel where selected artists will share the stage and advance the notion of poetry and dance as a seamless art form practiced by racialized and Indigenous artists and drawing from historic pre-colonial practices made contemporary.