Sex Dalmatian

Blurring dance, theatre and comedy from an anti-patriarchal perspective, she founded a company called Rock Bottom Movement in 2012. Their works play with irreverent winks at modern dance and have been shared in seasons and festivals ranging in size throughout the country and abroad. She has been commissioned to create new work for Toronto Dance Theatre, The National Ballet of Canada (MicroCommission), Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, Toronto Metropolitan University and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. She’s worked in residence at The Banff Centre, Canadian Stage and The Stratford Festival. Outside of the dance world, Alyssa has brought her psychedelic image-based choreographic process to theatre, musical theatre and opera productions across the country including with The Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Talk is Free Theatre, theatrecorps and FAWN Chamber Collective. She guest teaches often, leading creative workshops as well as her NONDancer workshops. Her recent works include; Sex Dalmatian, DINO, Bin Chicken and hollow mountain. She’s been awarded multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards, The Bulmash-Siegel Award for New Creation at Tarragon, The Jack McAllister Award for Alumni Achievement and the Canadian Stage Award for Direction. In all her work, she hopes to offer unbridled romps through cheeky explosions of our consciousness while deeply considering the audiences, communities and collaborators who come to play.

Their 2019 production, hollow mountain, was awarded two Dora Mavor Moore awards for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble. Her most recent production with Rock Bottom Movement, DINO, premiered at Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal, Festival des Arts Saint Sauveur, and at Sharing the Stage with The National Ballet of Canada in Summer 2022. Other collaborators include: Brodie Stevenson, Jaberi Dance Theatre, Portal Dance, Emma Kerson, Nico Contreras, Irma Villafuerte, and Alias Dance Project.

Drew is the resident photographer/videographer with Kaeja d’Dance and has done freelance photo/video work with many independent artists and organizations in the community. Drew was an artist in residence for the 2020/21 season at Guelph Dance where she created a short film Portraiture, which premiered at the 2021 Guelph Dance Festival and was later shown at Hillside Homeside and Dance Made in Canada where it received the Moving Pictures Award. Drew is also on faculty at Centennial College teaching Ballet. A graduate from Quinte Ballet School of Canada’s post-graduate program, Drew holds her BFA (Honours) from the Performance Dance program at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Since his training, Brayden has worked with the likes of Rodney Diverlus, Anne Plamondon and many of his peers in collaborative processes. Brayden is interested in movement that can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life. He binds dance and lived experience to create challenging works of art, utilizing different media such as writing and film. Many of these ideas come from a powerful need to uplift the queer and BIPOC communities. Brayden will often be found researching what it is to feel pleasure and what can come from self-exploration. 

In addition to her work with Rock Bottom, Sam has collaborated and performed with choreographers including Hanna Kiel, David Earle, Susie Burpee, Shannon Litzenberger, Julia Aplin, Jennifer Nichols, Anisa Tejpar, and Clare Preuss.  

In addition to performance, Sam is a passionate educator, leading workshops in dance, movement, and fitness through workshops across Canada. Sam has been a guest teacher with Rock Bottom Movement, VIEW Dance Convention, Toronto Metropolitan University, The Fifth, Cawthra Park Secondary School, Etobicoke School of the Arts, Unionville High School, and Kalos Collectives. Sam earned her BFA in Performance Dance from the Toronto Metropolitan University in 2013, is a certified Extension Method™ teacher, as well as a certified Mat Pilates instructor. 

Pony works as a writer, director, actor, and dramaturge. Her filmic work has been programmed and awarded at festivals such as the Vancouver International, Whistler, TIFF, TIFF Next Wave, Chattanooga, Forest City, Myrtle Beach, the Los Angeles Independent Short Awards, and now streams on CBC Gem. 

Natasha is a frequent performer with Rock Bottom Movement and Côté Danse, and has worked with Conny Janssen Danst, Kevin Wynn Collection, BoucharDanse, The Dietrich Group, Roderick George, Benjamin Landsberg, Ryan Lee, Gadfly, Little Pear Garden, and Hit & Run Dance Productions, among others. She is a Dora Award-winning performer with Rock Bottom for its acclaimed production, hollow mountain.  

Natasha has been the Associate Artistic Director of CCDT since 2019 and the company’s Rehearsal Director since 2012. She enjoys rehearsal direction for various independent artists and is a sought-after dance educator specializing in Limón-based modern technique.