For Homebody’s creative process, I am using hip hop freestyle, popping/animation/waving, and floorwork techniques. They will be utilized with the intention of creating a reflective, entrancing experience for the audience, in hopes of inciting curiosity so that spectators can live through the work. These techniques allow me to express the interplay of power dynamics through isolations, bounces, speed control, footwork, slides/glides, waving, strobe, and hitting/popping to articulate sounds and musical layers. I will explore moods and sensations, namely eeriness, isolation/solitude, inner storms/tides/struggles, catharsis, powerlessness/taking power back. Using visual references from science-fiction movies such as Alien for extreme belly-breathing/abdominal control that twists and contorts, representing the dichotomy of birth/purging the toxicity that can live within the body after abuse, conveying that the body is making movement happen and not an outside force that imposes movement on or within the body.

Born in Winnipeg into a family of musicians, Kalliane Brémault is a dancer, movement director, teacher, and choreographer. From age 5, she dove into hip hop music, learning breaking at age 7, then hip hop, popping, and house in her teenage years. In 2017, she moved to Toronto to pursue her career and is now based in Montréal. Kalliane has worked for notable street dance companies/choreographers (Tentacle Tribe, Lady C, FRGMNT), co-choreographed with Rebels de la Soul for Breakin’ Convention, acted and danced in Netflix, Disney and Cirque Éloize productions. Kalliane continues to battle and perform internationally.

Jaleesa “Tealeaf” Coligny has trained diligently in streetdance: 15 years in hip hop and 3 years in krump under the mentorship of several pioneers and community leaders in Montréal and New York. She has been a dancer for Ebnfloh Dance Company, led by Montréal hip hop pioneer Alexandra “Spicey” Landé, since 2018. She has also performed for several artists, including Victoria Mackenzie (Never Not Moving aka d**gs), playwright Phillip Boutin (The Rise of the BlingBling – La Genèse), and Dana Gingras in her last piece, Creation Destruction.

Ali Can Çekirge is a musician, producer, beatmaker, and DJ from Istanbul, Turkey. During university, he ventured from Brazil to Canada, culminating in a degree in Film Studies from the University of Manitoba. Ali’s music journey started early, crafting mixtapes on cassette and VHS tapes. Self-taught on the guitar at age 10, he expanded his skills, leading to 12 years of producing sampler-based hip hop and other genre blends. He hosted a university radio show for 6 years, where his love for world music, jazz and reggae dub deepened, influencing his sound. Ali continues to collaborate with emcees and on indie movies.

Aloysius Bell is the alter ego of Winnipeg-born, Montréal-based singer-songwriter Annick Brémault. Aloysius Bell, born of existential exploration, aims to shed light on dark, in-between spaces. After 3 years of living in Japan and 10 years of international touring with the Juno Award-winning group Chic Gamine, the former modern dancer is best known as a songwriter and collaborator, background and guest vocalist (Damien Robitaille, David Myles, WestTrainz). Aloysius Bell’s debut EP Warm Thing drops in February 2024. The offering seamlessly blends her distinctive songwriting and pop, electro, R&B influences, and sets the singer’s evocative, agile voice front and center.

Tiffanie Boffa is a lighting designer and technical director with a solid background in dance, theatre, and scenography. Trained at the University of Nice and at Concordia University, she counts among her collaborators Katya Montaignac, Georges Stamos, Jon Lachlan-Stewart, Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Paul Chambers, Hana Sybille Müller, and Brice Noeser, to name only a few. She is also a technician at UQAM and collaborates with the CCOV and other institutions from time to time.

With the help of a studio residency at Montréal, arts interculturels (MAI), I explored how I could show the different aspects of myself. With locking, a huge inspiration is music, so I first did a lot of research and googled a variety of Asian and funk music to figure out the direction that I want for my story: which music moved me, made me want to shake my booty, and would help me tell my story. Once I found the music, I approached my process like a drawing or colouring book. I loosely outlined my narrative and then, with repeated exploration and questioning, I started building and colouring in the sections.

Born in Singapore and raised in Calgary, Melinda “Melofunk” Yeoh has been training in locking for 12 years. Melinda has been living and working in Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal since 2014. Having learned from first generation lockers such as Scoo B Doo, Damita Jo, and Fluky Luke,  as well as the creator himself, Don “Campbellock” Campbell, Melinda is deeply passionate about locking. As a member of the LockUnity collective, she has taught locking classes at Urban-Element Zone; choreographed and performed in locking performances with LockUnity; competed in numerous events such as Bust A Move, Vancouver Street Dance Festival, and KOD; and has organised and hosted locking battles, notably Rumble in the Lock. Melinda is committed to deepening and enriching her locking expression and movement by actively training in other dance styles, such as tap dance, all while continuing her journey with the LockUnity collective.

Lucy M. May aka Pluto is a dance artist born in Eqpahak/Wolastokuk/Fredericton and based in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal since 2003. Improvisation resides at the heart of her work as a dancer, creator and teacher, nourished by her experiences performing with Compagnie Marie Chouinard (2009-2016) and Margie Gillis (2015-present), as a freelancer, and through her practice of krump since 2016. Programmed across Canada, Lu’s choreography investigates the materiality of human attention and our relationships to place. In recent years, she has been moonlighting as an illustrator, exploring the link between her dance and drawing practices.

Writer, actor/dancer, theatre director, and dance dramaturge, Mathieu Leroux is a graduate of L’École Supérieure de théâtre of UQAM. He created and performed the dance duet Bones & Wires with Sébastien Provencher (May 2021). He is dancing in the new Other Animal creation, Plasticity/Desires (MAI, January 2024). Leroux has built sustainable partnerships with prominent choreographers and has been working with, amongst others, Victor Quijada and Alexandre Morin for years. He has been part of the Danse à la carte mentoring team since 2018. Leroux earned his master’s degree in French literature at UdeM. He published novels and plays, plus an essay on performing the self.

Born in Montréal in 1971, Natasha “Tash” Jean-Bart’s career spans over 37 years in the performing arts. She’s a BIPOC artist, writer, dancer, choreographer, teacher, and intergenerational street dance/hip hop connector and consultant. Her credits as a performer and choreographer have taken her to well-respected stages, including Cirque du Soleil’s The Beatles LOVE as lead character Lady Madonna and as rehearsal locking/hip hop coach and consultant. She is currently performing In My Body with the Canadian troupe Bboyizm Dance Company. Her expertise has garnered her numerous international positions as a juror for elite dance competitions. She also gives workshops and lectures internationally. She also uses her voice to assist and inspire artists from all walks of life to find their purpose. A wife, mother of 4 beautiful children and Nana to 5 lively grandchildren, Natasha divides her time between Las Vegas, her hometown, Montréal, and the rest of the world.

Jessica Poirier-Chang is a designer from Montréal, where she graduated in Set and Costume Design from the National Theatre School in 2006. Recent credits include costume designs for Foxfinder (Imago Theatre, 2022), for which she was nominated for Outstanding Costume Design at the Montréal English Theatre Awards; 3 GÉANTS (Cirque Éloize, 2022); and the opera Incoronazione di Poppea (Atelier Lyrique, 2023). Her upcoming projects include costume designs for Chimerica at Théâtre Duceppe and for RBO with Cirque du Soleil.

Maryanna Chan is a queer, Chinese-Canadian illustrator and scenographer. She has a degree in illustration from the Alberta University of the Arts and graduated from the scenography program at the National Theatre School of Canada in 2021. Her work focuses on representation, cultural identities, equality, and liberation.

Tiffanie Boffa is a lighting designer and technical director with a solid background in dance, theatre, and scenography. Trained at the University of Nice and at Concordia University, she counts among her collaborators Katya Montaignac, Georges Stamos, Jon Lachlan-Stewart, Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Paul Chambers, Hana Sybille Müller, and Brice Noeser, to name only a few. She is also a technician at UQAM and collaborates with the CCOV and other institutions from time to time.

We are particularly interested in the dialogue between two states found within our expression: a more visceral and intuitive approach versus a more cognitive and mathematical approach. It’s within play and research between those two modes that the material emerges. A big part of our process is also based in freestyle and in response to a musical proposition.

Valmont “Ignite” Harnois is a Montréal dance artist who specializes in popping and contemporary dance. Since finishing his bachelor’s degree in dance, his creative process has lied in interdisciplinarity and the place of street dance within stage work. He works with various choreographers and artists, such as Martin Messier, Simon Ampleman, Handy “HYA” Hyacinthe, Elon Hoglünd, Philippe Boutin, and Rebecca Lazier.

Mukoma-K. Nshinga, also known as J. Style, was introduced to street dance at the age of 7. His passion was fueled by classic dance movies such as You Got Served. In his teens, he began a thorough training in popping with Montréal’s elite: MonstaPop, 7 Starr, and Venom. With an insatiable desire for hip hop culture, he embarked on a succession of travels in order to train under world-renowned dancers, compare his skills on an international scale and add styles to his lexicon, such as bruk up, flexn, and hip hop. His credits include television appearances on Révolution and in several commercials for Little Burgundy, Gaz Métro, Subway, and Tourisme Montréal. He was featured as the Angel of Change in the Kin Fables trilogy, recipient of the Best Cinematography prize at the Fantasia International Film Festival. He’s been a judge at Hit the Floor and has been invited to compete as a Canadian representative in countries such as Switzerland, France, and Senegal. Nowadays, J. Style divides his time between his digital projects with his collective, N’TERLUDES; his clothing brand, K A N K; his performance night, Open Body; and his career as an artist. Young and with a promising future, Mukoma strives to inspire by paving an unorthodox path that is true to his way of dancing.

Tiffanie Boffa is a lighting designer and technical director with a solid background in dance, theatre, and scenography. Trained at the University of Nice and at Concordia University, she counts among her collaborators Katya Montaignac, Georges Stamos, Jon Lachlan-Stewart, Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Paul Chambers, Hana Sybille Müller, and Brice Noeser, to name only a few. She is also a technician at UQAM and collaborates with the CCOV and other institutions from time to time.

Both AT and Vic were initially attracted to breaking because of its potential to briefly eliminate negative feelings and experiences from the psyche through an attack-based approach. This pattern played a large role in shaping our approach, movement selection, and general aesthetic. Now we question how members of a community so steeped in tradition and tightly bound movement aesthetics represent their evolved selves? Where do ease, grace, and openness fit into the binding aesthetic developed by our angst-driven past selves? How does the inclusion of updated values affect form and flow? Can a new purpose be squeezed into the framework we have become so used to?

Victoria Mackenzie/VicVersa is a Montréal-based independent dance artist. Her main areas of focus are performance, pedagogy, facilitation, and event coordination. Vic has been dancing since early childhood and has since practiced and performed various styles in various arenas. She is an amalgam of classical training, b-girl-ism, and nightclub free form.  She has performed, taught, and battled locally and internationally. Her frequent past and present collaborators include: Tentacle Tribe, Helen Simard, WAFD Creations, Ebnfloh, 100Lux,Tangente, and FRGMNT. Her connections with the street dance and club scene are an essential part of her life. Her approach considers musical emphasis, expression of self, and catharsis above all else.

Anniina Sono Tikka/AT has been one of the most influential dancers in her field for almost twenty years. She started dancing in 1995, training in multiple styles until landing on her true passion, breaking, in 2004. Her style is influential internationally, and her professional approach has been paving the way for more female representation within the breaking scene. She has a long career as a member of Flow Mo Crew, a pioneering break crew in Finland. She has been performing in the largest breaking and hip hop events worldwide and is one of the first female breakers to judge the world’s largest tournaments: Red Bull BC One, Battle of the Year, and Youth Olympic Games, to name a few. She is the only female Finnish champion and IBE footwork champion, and has proven that women can compete against men in breaking, with great results. Her lectures and workshops have been very popular around the world due to her strong understanding of breaking culture, coupled with a mastery of breaking technique and foundations.

DJ Benny Lava is your guide to a musical journey that’s intricately tailored to the pulse of the breaking community. With roots in the vibrant Montréal street dance scene, Benny is the architect of soundscapes that will elevate cyphers with hypnotic and soulful grooves. Benny Lava draws inspiration from a diverse range of artists and genres, including the Beastie Boys, SOS Band, James Brown, Budos Band, and elements of boom bap and psychedelic funk. These influences have left a distinct mark on his musical style, infusing it with an eclectic and dynamic character.

Writer, actor/dancer, theatre director, and dance dramaturge, Mathieu Leroux is a graduate of L’École Supérieure de théâtre of UQAM. He created and performed the dance duet Bones & Wires with Sébastien Provencher (May 2021). He is dancing in the new Other Animal creation, Plasticity/Desires (MAI, January 2024). Leroux has built sustainable partnerships with prominent choreographers and has been working with, amongst others, Victor Quijada and Alexandre Morin for years. He has been part of the Danse à la carte mentoring team since 2018. Leroux earned his master’s degree in French literature at UdeM. He published novels and plays, plus an essay on performing the self.

Tiffanie Boffa is a lighting designer and technical director with a solid background in dance, theatre, and scenography. Trained at the University of Nice and at Concordia University, she counts among her collaborators Katya Montaignac, Georges Stamos, Jon Lachlan-Stewart, Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Paul Chambers, Hana Sybille Müller, and Brice Noeser, to name only a few. She is also a technician at UQAM and collaborates with the CCOV and other institutions from time to time.

My creative process thrives on a continuous flow of ideas, encounters, questioning, vocal and dance exchanges. I place fundamental importance on the freedom of expression within this flow, constantly nourishing it with unique moments. My artistic creation is based on the freestyle and open body approach proposed by salsa and house dance. It is then enriched and challenged by the grounding and rhythmic connection offered by African contemporary dance.

As an emerging choreographer, my challenge lies in the development and mastery of my learning, as well as in the determination to push movement beyond its conventional boundaries. I am committed to exploring new dimensions and transcending pre-established limits, guided by an unwavering passion for art and dance as well as a constant quest for innovation.

Inhabited by movement since childhood, self-taught dancer Mithra Rabel aka Myth dedicated several years to training in salsa and then pursued her journey in street dance, specifically in house dance. She became an emblematic figure in the scene, evolving in nightclubs and teaching the form for over 12 years. Simultaneously, Myth trained in African contemporary dance at Zab Maboungou/Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata, where she graduated in 2011 from the Professional and Artistic Dance Training and Education Program (PEFAPDA). From then on, she taught and became part of the company, performing various pieces, such as Lwáza, Montréal by Night, and Mozongi, until 2022. After gracing Canadian and international stages, as well as participating in music videos and documentaries, Myth now asserts herself as an emerging choreographer. In 2023, her creativity was put to the test and she conceived her first piece, Ode, presented at La Tohu as part of the gala of the 15th-anniversary of Maison d’Haïti.

Samantha Hinds aka “Sam I Am” Montolla started dancing at the tender age of five and her love of music has brought her to singing and songwriting. Through dance, she has traveled internationally for hip hop and waacking. Being one of the first Canadian waackers and teachers of the style, she is known as Princess Shayla in the crew The Chapter. Soul, R&B, hip hop and funk are where she likes to play, without forgetting her Caribbean heritage. She has made the PalmarèsADISQ Campus radios list and was a featured artist at Canadian Music Week 2021. She continues to mentor in street dance. As a sound healer, she incorporates her knowledge of sound. In 2022, she was featured in Sovann Rochon-Prom Tep’s Sam & Angèle and she is now part of the Centre de Création O Vertigo) as artistic curator for 2023-2026.

Jason “Blackbird” Selman is a Montréal-born poet, trumpet player, and community worker. He is the author of The Freedom I Stole (2007, Cumulus Press), Africa As A Dream That Travels Through My Heart (2016, Howl), and co-editor of the poetry anthology Talking Book (2006, Cumulus Press), which chronicles the writings of Kalm Unity Vibe Collective (of which he is a founding member). He works as a teaching artist, conducting poetry workshops in schools across the Montréal area and beyond. His work is grounded in the themes of ethno-musicology, surrealist expression, love, and the intersection of masculinity and emotional vulnerability.

Tiffanie Boffa is a lighting designer and technical director with a solid background in dance, theatre, and scenography. Trained at the University of Nice and at Concordia University, she counts among her collaborators Katya Montaignac, Georges Stamos, Jon Lachlan-Stewart, Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Paul Chambers, Hana Sybille Müller, and Brice Noeser, to name only a few. She is also a technician at UQAM and collaborates with the CCOV and other institutions from time to time.

Our creative process began with a trip to Chicago, where we met with crew leaders, Chicago natives and pioneers of Chicago footwork. We paid close attention to their stories and the impact of Chicago footwork on their lives. From lectures to battles, we were able to take in Chicago from a cultural point of view, which helped solidify our direction. Returning home, we discussed what we took from the experience and applied it to our concept. A large part of our creative process is connecting the roots of Chicago footwork to our lives in Montréal. Our process has five parts and we dissect each one: music, history, battling, hitting the speaker, and carrying on a cultural legacy. We are consistently in communication with our international crewmates to build on our concepts and vision for our performance.

Allanna Cave is a dancer and teacher based in Montréal. Her love for movement began while training in martial arts. Her journey shifted once she was introduced to dance and she has not looked back since. With a background in jazz and contemporary, her passion for learning has pushed her to continue training in other styles, such as Chicago footwork, heels, and hip hop. She is a member of Creation Global, led by King Charles, and has been training under him as well as Ant & Tal Sugarmann. Allanna is a strong believer that we are never finished training and that we always have room to grow and learn.

Charles Lee Parks aka King Charles is a Chicago footwork pioneer and international teaching artist from the Southside of Chicago. He has been a global ambassador for the art form for over 19 years. King Charles is the founder and leader of Creation Global, an international Chicago footwork crew with now over 70 members worldwide. King Charles was also the artistic director and an original member of the renowned Chicago dance company The FootworKINGZ, and was featured on major television shows, including America’s Got Talent and America’s Best Dance Crew. King Charles has worked professionally with many top artists, including Madonna and Will.I.Am, and continues to blow audiences away with his energy and creativity. His commercial work and stage performances include Omarion, Twista, Bakermat, Willow Smith, Verizon, and Nike, just to name a few.

Julian Lekeuche is a dancer based in Montréal and a member of Creation Global. He was a young athlete who unexpectedly switched to dance at the age of 16. He started in studios learning choreography and street dance moves. Later, he switched his focus to hip hop and, soon after, Julian stumbled on Chicago footwork. He started learning it online with Ant and Tal Sugarmann to then move out of the city to learn directly from King Charles. Dance has been an outlet that helped Julian to communicate and express himself with better ease. He focuses on his own training and growth in order to gain a better understanding of his body and the connection of his movements to a wordless language. His goal is to build a community of footworkers in Montréal.

Sarah Steben is a Montréal-based dancer, educator, and choreographer. She is a Monsters Dance alumnus, Motivating Excellence alumnus (Rhapsody James), School.ed alumnus (Marty Kudelka), and a member of Creation Global (Chicago footwork). Sarah has trained under many Montréal street dance pioneers and LA industry choreographers throughout her career. She has danced and choreographed for artists like Brittany Kennell, Stephen Voyce, and Alicia Moffet. She has made TV appearances as a dancer on La Voix, Star Académie, En direct de l’univers, and many more. Sarah was also a featured dancer on Pixar’s Trolls 2: World Tour, choreographed by Marty Kudelka. She is the director of the Moving Beyond dance program, and choreographs on television shows like Zénith, and shows at the Festival d’été de Québec, Montréal International Jazz Festival, World Cultural Festival, and more.

Hailing from Chicago, Eddie Martin aka Pause Eddie began dancing at the age of 15. Out of options, with nowhere to turn, and eager to avoid the violence that plagued his neighborhood, Pause picked up dance as a creative outlet. What began as just a hobby quickly turned into a full-fledged career teaching all over the USA. Pause has performed on stages for Dancing with the Stars, MTV Video Music Awards, America’s Best Dance Crew, America’s Got Talent, the NBA, and Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring Day Tour. Remembering his roots, he constantly gives back to the community by training dancers through his crew, Creation Global. Pause donates his time to different local programs such as After School Matters while teaching in low-income/project areas to help encourage the youth to better their lives. His unwavering drive to keep pushing his art is motivated by his peers, friends and family, and the tragic death of his brother Kendall.

Wesley Stewart was born in Markham, Illinois, about 30 minutes away from the city of Chicago. He started taking dance seriously around the age of 7, in the styles of hip hop and Chicago footwork. Wes has been a part of Creation Global, a Chicago footwork team that has been traveling around the world since 2004, as well as teaching at a competitive studio in Iowa City since 2014. Another amazing opportunity was teaching in Upstate New York for Southwoods Summer Camp. Wes has performed in events for the Chicago Bulls Halftime Show, Red Bull Dance, Chance the Rapper, Chicago Sky, and more! He tries to teach not just dance but to have confidence and he loves seeing kids grow and gain confidence through his classes. For him, it’s not just about the dancing itself but more about the confidence.

DJ T-RELL, one of the most underrated producers and DJs in Chicago, has been on the music scene for over 15 years and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He served as the executive director of Phantom, Inc, and later became known for his guest mixes on multiple mainstream radio stations in Chicago.

Tiffanie Boffa is a lighting designer and technical director with a solid background in dance, theatre, and scenography. Trained at the University of Nice and at Concordia University, she counts among her collaborators Katya Montaignac, Georges Stamos, Jon Lachlan-Stewart, Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Paul Chambers, Hana Sybille Müller, and Brice Noeser, to name only a few. She is also a technician at UQAM and collaborates with the CCOV and other institutions from time to time.