Vías + Matthew Quigley

Born and raised in New-Caledonia/Kanaky from Vietnamese descent, Charles Brecard is a dance artist (EDCM, 2017) and a sports massage therapist (AMS, 2015) based in Montréal/Tio’tia:ke. Although he collaborated with various local and international artists and companies as a performer, his limitless curiosity drove him to develop his own approach, FLUIDIFY, influenced by his multiple experiences in traditional, contemporary and street dances, and his knowledge in biomechanics and bodywork. He is teaching in various contexts, for amateurs through cultural mediation and for professionals during festivals, intensives, or educational programs. His choreographic work, imbued with a strong physicality and a distinctive aesthetic made of surrealistic fantasy and poetry, has been presented, awarded and recognized in Germany, Spain, Canada, Greece, and Brazil. Realizing that art should firstly bring people together, he co-initiated in Montréal a few community projects such as Le Bercail, a shared practice space; Sacré Jam, a multidisciplinary art gathering; and Protopie, a forum/think-tank for artists.

Sahra Maira is a freelance dancer based in Montréal. She graduated with honours from Kirov Academy of Ballet. After graduation, she danced with Universal Ballet Company in South Korea for 3 years. She then danced with the Hungarian National Ballet as a demi-soloist for 7 years. Her most recent engagement was with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, where she has been a soloist for 14 years. Maira has worked with a wide range of choreographers, from Laszlo Seregi to Mats Ek, as well as Ohad Naharin, Didi Veldman, Stijn Celis, Andew Skeels, and Vera Kvarvakova/Jeremy Galdeano, to name a few. Besides dancing, she is a mother and a solopreneur. You can find her dance creations under DellAira Designs.

James Viveiros is a Canadian dance artist of mixed Cree Metis and Portuguese descent, whose performance and creation career spans over 25 years, most notably with Montréal’s Compagnie Marie Chouinard. Having graduated from both the Musical Theatre and Dance programs of Alberta’s Grant MacEwan University in 1998, James has performed in various theatre, film, and choreographic works at festivals and on stages worldwide. He received a Gemini Award in 2009 from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for Best Performance alongside fellow company dancers in the Chouinard company’s film bODY_rEMIX/les_vARIATIONS_gOLDBErg. In 2015, James went on to study with Ohad Naharin of the Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv with grant support from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, which helped inform his unique approach to teaching movement. He works with actors, dancers, circus artists, yogis, athletes, opera singers and the general public, creating and collaborating on his artistic work. James frequently travels to share his passion for movement at various schools, universities, and art institutions. He is a recent independent study graduate of the Directing program at the National Theatre School of Canada. His work explores movement, poetry and the power that comes from the body’s biology and its various physical and emotional states.

After an early career as a classical guitarist, Simon Rivet turned his interests toward writing music for concert, film, and dance. Following a three-year period of solitude living in a cottage by a small and quiet lake, his music has found inspiration from the surrounding nature and laid down its roots in the poetry of colorful harmonies, subtle orchestrations, and the integration of space/silence. Simon is composer in residence for Ensemble Prisme, and has won the first prize at the La Gnove Musiche International Orchestra Composition Competition and first prize at the SYN(es)THESIS International Composition Competition, among other recognitions.

Siam Obregón is a Mexican independent filmmaker and visual artist based in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. She completed her BFA with a Specialization in Film Production at Concordia University. Her film works have been featured in festivals such as HotDocs, Festival International du Film sur l’Art, REGARD, and Rhode Island Film Fest. Siam collaborated in the design and production of an interactive installation, as well as in the visual direction for the piece Flesh and Sound by Vías. Her work focuses on observation, intimacy, and themes of cultural identity.

Born in Mexico City, Paco Ziel studied at École supérieure de ballet du Québec. Since 2015, he has been a dancer with the company RUBBERBAND and has worked with other Montréal artists and companies such as PPS Danse, Anne Plamondon, and Martin Messier. Paco has been a guest teacher at Springboard Danse Montréal Transformation, Domaine Forget, École supérieure de ballet du Québec, and École de danse de Québec. Paco co-directs the company Vías with Diana León, and was involved in the productions On this path, you are sure to get lost; Sabor de mi corazón; and Flesh and Sound. He is a self-taught filmmaker, photographer, and electroacoustic composer.

Jon Cleveland is a Montréal-based lighting designer and visual artist. Working in theatre and dance, he has worked with the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, the National Arts Centre, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Tangente, Cabal Theatre, Scapegoat Carnivale, Susanna Hood, Lucy M. May, Rabbit in the Hat, Malik Nashad Shapre, and Kim-Sanh Châu, among others. His design for Tragic Queens with Cabal Theatre was nominated for a 2017 META Outstanding Lighting Design Award. When not designing, he tours as TD and head of lighting with the Tashme Project and Lara Kramer around Canada, Europe, and the South Pacific.

Marilyne Cyr completed her performance training at École supérieure de ballet du Québec in 2014. She subsequently joined the company RUBBERBAND, and then danced with Andrea Peña & Artists, Ample Man Danse, Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Ballet Ouest de Montréal, and the circus company The 7 Fingers. Marilyne has also worked with several emerging choreographers onstage and onscreen. She is currently working with choreographer Andrew Skeels (Skeels Danse, Past Rooms), whom she assisted for the piece Broken Specter for Nederlands Dans Theater 2. Marilyne also works with the companies PPS Danse (Perles; Corps, Amour, Anarchie), Sylvain Émard Danse (Rhapsodie; Les préludes), Rhodnie Désir Créations (Symphonie de cœurs) as well as with Janie and Marcio (Sans toi[t]).

Cara Roy is a contemporary dance artist and cultural mediator based in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. Originally from New Brunswick, she pursued her studies at École de danse contemporaine de Montréal (2013-2016). Passionate about the body’s sensitive, expressive and empathetic capacity, Cara has collaborated with Hélène Remoué, Sarah Dell’Ava, Lucy Fandel, Sylvain Émard, and Isabelle Van Grimde. Greatly influenced by her studies of Fighting Monkey with Alanna Kraaijeveld and Authentic Movement with Sarah Dell’Ava, Cara’s artistic practice is defined by an approach that explores the body with curiosity, openness, and rigor. Cara is also involved with different communities through the conception, coordination and facilitation of cultural mediation workshops with Berceurs du temps, PPS Danse, Danse Carpe Diem, Festival Quartiers Danses, Estelle Clareton and Bouge de là, engaging with people of all ages and backgrounds. Cara is currently a part-time bachelor student in the Action culturelle program at UQAM.

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.

Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo formed in San Francisco and currently
based in Baltimore. M. C. (Martin) Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but
they frequently include other artists on their records and in their performances, including
notably J Lesser. Apart from releasing twelve full-length studio albums and numerous
collaborative works, Matmos is also well known for their collaboration with Icelandic
singer and musician Björk, both on studio recordings and live tours. After being signed
to Matador Records for nine years, Matmos signed with Thrill Jockey in 2012. The name
Matmos refers to the seething lake of evil slime beneath the city Sogo in the 1968 film
Barbarella.

Marc Mellits is an American composer and musician. Mellits was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1966. He studied at the Eastman School of Music from 1984 to 1988, at the Yale School of Music from 1989 to 1991, at Cornell University from 1991 to 1996, and at Tanglewood in 1997. His composition instructors include Joseph Schwantner, Samuel Adler, Martin Bresnick, Bernard Rands, Christopher Rouse, Roberto Sierra, Jacob Druckman, Poul Ruders, and Steven Stucky.

Christopher LaPlante is a Montréal-based dancer, DJ, and music producer.

Laura Toma is a contemporary dance artist of Romanian origin living in Montréal. She is a graduate of the Laban Center in London, UK, and The School of Dance in Ottawa. Her additional professional training includes theatre and American-style Latin and ballroom dance. In 2012, Laura graduated from the first official Gaga Teacher Training Program in Tel Aviv, Israel, and is the first certified Gaga teacher in Canada. In addition to her ongoing Gaga/people classes, she has taught for Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, and L’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec, among others. She is co-founder and co-choreographer of LA TRESSE collective alongside partners Geneviève Boulet and Erin O’Loughlin. Between 2014 and 2022, Laura was a core member of Andrea Peña & Artists, touring nationally and internationally. In 2016, she performed at the Venice Biennale of Dance for Israeli/French choreographer Emanuel Gat.