allies and friends (March)

As an arts educator, Lilia’s pedagogy is rooted in empowerment and social justice. She enjoys working in multi-disciplinary and community-engaged projects involving participants of a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds and abilities. As a choreographer she is drawn to themes of identity, home and ancestry. She holds a BA Degree in Dance from York University (2004), and is a graduate of the Professional Training Program at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (2007). 

Lilia’s artistic practice is deeply influenced by her work in community- engaged arts. She has developed a strong relationship with Jumblies Theatre, and The Community Arts Guild, participating in several projects and productions since 2011. She has taught for different theatre companies and grass- roots organizations including: ExpressARTE 2012 program for Pan-American youth and for Aluna Theatre’s Young Panamerican Vo(i)ces. She has been a core dance teacher with Kaeja d’ Dance since 2009, teaching their successful EXPRESS DANCE method to hundreds of children from JK to grade 12, as well as the Kaeja partnering technique KAEJA ELEVATIONS.

Mata’s sensibility to inclusion and border stories is due to her eclectic upbringing in three continents before the age of fifteen. Mata’s intimate, dynamic and visceral aesthetic is rooted in traditional Venezuelan dance genres reframed through contemporary expressions. Intersectional, multi-framed community arts and the abolishment of violence against women are some of Mata’s passion. She has intricately weaved these themes in her MFA in Contemporary Choreography and is the foundation for some of her recognitions such as being a recipient of the Metcalf Foundation, a finalist of the Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award and 7 Dora nominations. Mata deeply believes in the arts as a core and tangible mode of sustaining and transforming the paradigms of oppressive tropes to populate a sphere of discourse, play, exploration and possibility.

Since his arrival in Canada in 1991, Moraes has choreographed more than fifty works, both for himself and other dancers. Newton has collaborated with choreographer Patrick Parson in Orixás Voice (2003) and Dancing Spirits (2004) two new dances created by the Ballet Creole for their season at the Premiere Dance Theatre at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Newton also collaborated with Terrill Maguire in Crazy to be born (2003) at the World’s Fare Festival at Harbourfront Centre and Alexandro Ronceria in Agua (2004) at the Planet IndigenUS Festival in the water at the Harbourfront Centre. 

Newton Moraes was a board member of Dance Ontario Association for more than six years and is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists (C.A.D.A.). He was in the Faculty at the Ballet Creole school of Performing Arts in Toronto for many years teaching Brazilian, African-Brazilian, contemporary dance and choreography. Newton Moraes has also received the Ontario Arts Council Artist in Education Grant to teach in the schools across the Province of Ontario in and Travel Grants from Ontario Arts Council. Newton Moraes studied on 2011/2011 for one year a Master in Fine Arts in Choreography with a scholarship at York University and currently he teacher at The Theatre Department at Humber College at the Lakeshore Campus and at the Dark Side Studio at Kensington Market. Newton Moraes is incredible excited for the opportunity to create Mulheres for The Free Flow Dance Theatre Company from Saskatoon for their 25 Anniversary Season in August in Saskatoon. He is working very hard with his Museoogist Renato Baldin in their 20th Anniversary Exhibit of Newton Moraes Dance Theatre at the Rotunda at the Toronto City Hall later in the summer 2020. As well as the world premiere of LIFE UNDER MY SKIN by Newton Moraes Dance Theatre.