Jessica Joy Muszynski + Savage & Samuelle

Jessica Joy Muszynski is a Filipina-Polish Canadian dancer and choreographer who began her training in Richmond BC, before moving to Calgary AB in 2012. After graduating from the Inaugural class of USC Kaufman in 2019, she moved to Montréal to work with RUBBERBAND, and is currently in her sixth season with the company. Since graduating she has also danced with companies such as Aszure Barton & Artists, Anne Plamondon Productions, Vías, and Bettina Hoffman. Jessica has presented work in Tangente’s Danses Buissonnières program, Festival de Danse Contemporaine de Sherbrooke and Festival Quartiers Danses, where she was awarded the Prix Découverte for fam ly. Curious about worldbuilding within dance and exploring the concept of identifying as a corporeal physicist, her current works, such as Tête-à-Tête and All My Fears, investigate the countless angles of conflict and resolution while navigating conflicting visceral emotions within the body.

Adèle Ross is a dancer and visual artist based in Montréal. She began her training in hip hop and continued at Ballet Divertimento before graduating from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre in 2021. Adèle specializes in partner work, floor work, and imaginative movement. She has worked with choreographers like Victor Quijada, Pulga Muchochoma and Jessica Muszynski, performing across Canada and internationally. As co-founder of Horizons, Adèle has created and presented work at Festival Quartiers Danses and teaches dance, inspiring creativity and joy in her students.

Hailing from Northern Alberta, Jake Poloz is a professional dancer and choreographer. He has performed works by Lesley Telford, Kirsten Wicklund, Guillaume Côté, and Jessica Muszynski, among others. Since 2018, he has been a company dancer with ProArteDanza and he joined Ballet Kelowna in 2022. Jake has also worked with Alysa Pires Dance Projects and Bouchardanse, and was part of the Dora Award-nominated ensemble in Human Body Expression’s Resonance.

Jia Yi (Judy) Luo, a Chinese Canadian dance artist based in Toronto, explores patterns, people, and play. She holds a BFA in Dance from Toronto Metropolitan University and toured internationally with Rambert2, performing works by Sharon Eyal, Micaela Taylor, and others. Now freelancing, Judy collaborates with artists like Nova Bhattacharya, Liam Francis and Jessica Muszynski, sharing performances across Canada, Germany, and Sweden. Passionate about interdependence and community-building, she works as a performer, rehearsal director and educator, marveling at the body’s intelligence.

Rion Taylor, from Newcastle, England, began dancing through the hip-hop scene under Bad Taste Cru, becoming an original member of Battalions Crew, competing across Europe. Inspired by training with Akram Khan in the National Youth Dance Company, he studied at London Contemporary Dance School, working with James Cousins Company right after graduating. Rion moved to Montréal in 2018 to join RUBBERBAND, performing globally and now serving as artistic coordinator. Since 2020, he has collaborated closely with Jessica Muszynski, performing in Québec-based festivals.

Joshua Castillo is a Filipino-Canadian musician, born and raised in Montréal. He studied at Vanier College, receiving a Diploma of College Studies in Jazz Music Performance. Following graduation, Joshua co-led musical workshops and continues to play locally in various bands. Playing an array of instruments, including but not limited to drums, guitar and piano, Joshua has composed music for choreographer Jessica Muszynski for the past five years. He continues to perform and produce music and composition while also pursuing a Master’s at Concordia University in Computer Science, exploring immersive musical experiences in augmented and virtual reality.

The initial concept was to explore duets where partners were connected at the head. The dancers and I studied National Geographic videos of rams and mountain goats locked in battle. In contrast to my own experience of anger where bitterness lingers, I was struck by how the animals’ anger erupted as quickly as it dissipated. This interplay became a foundational element of our creative inquiry.

Later on, with guidance from mentor Mathieu Leroux, the dancers and I explored where anger manifests in the body. For me, it was my chest. We were asked to initiate movement from this point in our body. After about 20 minutes of this exercise, a piercing sorrow began to surface that overcame my rage. We had discussed at length how anger is a secondary emotion, but to physically experience how it yields to the primary emotion underneath was revelatory and validating.

Savage & Samuelle (Victor Vân Tran and Samuelle Auclair) are a Vancouver-Montréal-based choreographic duo whose work emerges from hustle, a soulful partner dance born in the Latin and Black nightlife scenes of 1970s New York City, known for its syncopated rhythm and rotational movement. They met in Vancouver in 2015 through the street and social scene, and have spent years cultivating their artistic language across dancefloors, battles, and community spaces. As one of the rare choreographic voices in Canada working with hustle, their duet work bridges street and social dance culture with choreographic experimentation. Their creations are intimate and improvisational, shaped by lead-and-follow exchanges, circular tension, and shifting axes between two bodies in motion.

Victor Vân Tran is a Vietnamese-Canadian dance artist rooted in freestyle forms from the Black and Latinx communities of 1970s New York City. Based between Tiohtià:ke/Montréal and Vancouver (MST territories), he brings two decades of experience in cyphers, battles and clubs to the stage. He has performed in both street dance events and stage productions, including GRAND SAUT (plastic orchid factory, 2024), Project Soul’s Into the Tao (2016), and Deanna Peters’ The Enormous Room (2024). Festival appearances include the Vancouver International Dance Festival, Breakin’ Convention Toronto, and the Vancouver Street Dance Festival.

Samuelle Auclair is a Montréal-Vancouver-based dancer who began her journey in 2001 and discovered a passion for street dance in 2007, particularly hip hop and waacking. In 2015, Samuelle found her calling in hustle and, alongside her partner Victor, formed the duo Savage & Samuelle, known for their captivating connection. Samuelle is passionate about spreading the love of hustle and fostering connections through dance. In 2022, she began her stage career as a dancer and choreographer in Victor’s project GRAND SAUT, mentored by Deanna Peters. Since 2024, she’s embraced kizomba, adding another layer to her dance journey.

We build our creative process around conversation, freestyle, and experimentation in duet form. As Savage & Samuelle, our work emerges from social and street dance practices — particularly hustle — where call and response, improvisation and mutual trust are essential. u go, i go began as a learning tool, then grew through studio explorations where we practiced ideas like extension — stretching the connection beyond between us — and power dynamics — playing with who leads, who yields, and how control moves between us. We kept asking: how can we stay true to the dance and still push its edges? With Deanna Peters as our outside eye and mentor, we moved between structured improvisation and cinematic composition, testing how intimacy and contrast could shape a duet. Our process is rooted in fully witnessing one another, in motion, in stillness, and in the unknown. It’s about listening, letting go, and knowing when to lead or follow.