Stéphane Labbé first studies pure and applied sciences, then design, in Québec. Settling in Montréal after touring as a dancer with Up With People, he begins a Bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Dance at Concordia University before completing his training as a dancer at the EDCM in June of 2002. Upon graduating, he dances in the musical Man inc., written by Jacques Languirand and choreographed by Laurence Lemieux. Between 2001 and 2003, he is featured in three Cine Qua Non film productions choreographed by Estelle Clareton, Hélène Blackburn and Danielle Tardif. He joins the Tangente team in 2004 as production manager after having volunteered with the organization for one year. In 2006, he becomes a programming associate. Beginning in early 2010, he shares the artistic and general direction of Tangente with Dena Davida. In 2013, he takes over the general direction of the organization. Stéphane has been a member of the Board of Directors for La danse sur les routes du Québec and contemporary dance company Mandala Sitù. He acted as President of the Chantier Relève disciplinaire : continuité et mutations in preparation for the dance community’s Second General Assembly, held by the Regroupement québécois de la danse in April of 2009.

Dena Davida has practiced contemporary dance for 45 years as a performer, teacher, researcher and curator.  A Californian who immigrated to Montréal in 1977, she co-founded, directed and is currently the curator of Montréal’s Tangente dance performance organization.  She was also co-founder of the Festival international de nouvelle danse de Montréal.  She taught dance improvisation and composition, Laban Movement Analysis, dance aesthetics and anthropology as a chargée de cours at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) for over 25 years.  Her essays and research articles have been published in numerous magazines and journals. In 2006, she completed the doctoral Programme d’études et pratiques des arts at UQÀM with an ethnographic study of meaning in “contemporary dance events” (an analysis of O Vertigo Danse’s Luna choreographic project).  Among her recent publications: an international anthology on artistic dance ethnography, for which she was editor: Fields in Motion: Ethnography in the worlds of dance. In 2014, she initiated a long-term project to develop the theory and practice of performing arts curation with a website, an international symposium, seminal master’s level seminar and the publication of the forthcoming Curating Live Arts: Global Perspectives, Envisioning Theory and Practice in Performance.