Allies and Friends (March)

A graduate of the School of TDT, she has danced for multiple choreographers, including Amanda Acorn. Her choreographic works have been shown in Ontario and Quebec. In 2019, she created a solo for Sonia Rodriguez, principal dancer at the NBoC. Meryem has received residency support nationally and internationally, and funding from the CCA, the OAC and the TAC. She also enjoys being involved in arts-education and community arts projects. 

Described by the Toronto Star as “one of Toronto’s fastest rising dance talents,” Rodney recently debuted Dora-nominated ‘welcome, we’ve been waiting’ for Toronto Dance Theatre and has created choreographic works for Tapestry Opera, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, Tapestry Opera, Toronto Metropolitan University, Tableau d’Hôte Theatre, Art Gallery of Ontario, SummerWorks Festival, Irie Music Festival, and has interpreted works by Stratford Festival, Holla Jazz, Canadian Stage, Luminato Festival, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, KasheDance, the Wind in the Leaves Collective, to name a few. Beyond their artistic practice, they moonlight as a community activator and writer. They are a co-founder of Black Lives Matter—Canada and the Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism. 

As a passionate recitalist and chamber musician, Daniel has performed throughout North America and Europe collaborating with renowned musicians including Jonathan Biss, Miriam Fried, Ida Kavafian, Daniel Philips, Rachel Podger, Wolfgang Redik, and Fazil Say; appearing in concert halls such as Berliner Philharmonie, Cadogan, Carnegie, Flagey Studios, and Konzerthaus Berlin. Daniel finds inspiration in working with artists as Steven Isserlis, Ferenc Rados, and Rita Wagner, with invitations to festivals such as Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, Krzyzowa Music, Mendelssohn on Mull, Music Academy of the West, Ravinia’s Steans Institute of Music, Tsinandali Festival, and Yellow Barn.  

Season highlights include an Ontario-wide tour with Fall for Dance North, being named Artist-in-Residence at Symphony in the Barn, recording at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio, and a concerto performance with the Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra in Ottawa.  

Daniel pursued his Bachelor of Music at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Julia Lichten and David Geber, Master of Music at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ Berlin in the class of Nicolas Altstaedt, and as a recipient of the prestigious Bicentenary Award and the Drake Calleja Trust Award, Daniel completed an Advanced Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music. During the 2021-22 season, Daniel was an artist-in-residence at the coveted Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel working closely with Gary Homan. During the 2022-23 season, Daniel holds a fellowship position at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Residency Program.  

Daniel plays on a Cremonese cello made in 1690 by Francesco Rugeri, generously on loan from a private collection.  

He co-founded COBA Collective Of Black Artists in 1993, and danced for the Danny Grossman Dance Company (Canada), Jubilation Dance Co (USA), Toronto Dance Theatre (Canada), Artcho Danse Repertoire (Haiti) and several independent choreographers in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. BaKari also appeared as an original cast member of Disney’s The Lion King from 2000 to 2002. BaKari was nominated for Dora Mavor Award in Best Male Dance Performance in 2017. 

Walter has been living in Toronto, Canada since 1996 and is known to be a versatile and consummate musician. He has played traditional African music for the likes of Ballet Creole, COBA, Lua Shayenne, Newton Moreas, Alpha Rhythm Roots, Amadou Kienou etc.; and has worked extensively
with contemporary styles as well, from jazz and blues to calypso, R&B, and much more; collaborating with Kobot-Town, Donne Roberts, African Guitar Summit, Laura Hubert, Kingsley Etienne Trio, Dave West Group, Thriller Canada Tribute Band, Madagascar Slim, to name just a few. 

Since 2014, Walter has also worked and collaborated with The wind in the leaves collective on numerous performances and recordings. 

Claire has worked and performed under Colleen Snell (Fringe, 2018), Citadel + Compagnie (2019-22), and Kylie Thompson (Fringe, 22) and is a member of the Wind In The Leaves collective. Most recently, Claire has been collaborating with two collective artists in curating social events around poetry and dance.