NYDA KWASOWSKY
Dance Artist, Interpreter, Performer, Choreographer
My language is the moving body and my practice is used as a tool of hope. Creating space to reveal vulnerability, to foster connection, care and a feeling of healing. This body has the role of remembering, 'dance as the action that collects us'. My work centres around hybridity, grief and belonging. Transforming memories and histories from colonial supremacy. To voice and empower marginalized experience.
Indo-Caribbean (Guyanese)/British Ukrainian, my ‘moving body’ echoes the fluidity and ambiguity of my hybrid identity. I score multidisciplinary, experimental, improvisational explorations, using sensation to create emotional environments. My presence in this racialized diasporic body is connected to the past, presence and the dreams of emergent futures. Creating a ritualist relationship to place and time. I hope to generate undefinable states that are sourced and shared through somatics, where non-definitive synesthetic relationships become an opportunity to connect and world build, that push at the constructs of who and what we can be together.
Based in Tis Tkaronto (so called Toronto, Canada)
Treaty Dish with One Spoon Territory
Wampum Belt Agreement
RESUME
EXPERIENCE (Freelance Dance Artist)
Experience:
2024 Music Gallery - self-directed residency
2024 Doris McCarthy - Artist in residence (Jan-March)
2024 Toronto Dance Theatre - Plug&Play self-directed residency
2024 Daina Ashbee - creation residency and Premiere My Tale on a Fish’s Body (Banff, AB)
2024 Lena residency - self-directed (Galiano Island, BC)
2024 Field Center (Vermont) - F.I.R.E (Forum for Indigenous Research and Exchange)
2024 ‘Working On Working On Us’ collective - initially created by Andrew Tay
2023/24 Anxiety - new creation from Sujata Goel
2023 IAM - Visual artist Radha Chaddah Immersive 3D Light experience
2023 Assemblies - Eve Tagney commissioned for Nuit Blanche (Toronto, ON)
2023 Summerworks Lab - LOOP with collaborator Yarro
2023 Nova Dance Tour - Svaha in Vancouver
2023 Anandam Dance - International Choreographers Project
2023 Aisha Sasha John - Creation residency (dancer & costumer)
2022/23 Daina Ashbee - My Tale on a Fish’s Body creation residency
2023 Compagnie Kunal Ranchod - film / Toronto History Museum
2023 Eroca Nicols - Costuming for group work Theytriarchy (Berlin premiere)
2023 Danse Collection Danse - written commission by Brannavy Jeyasundaram
2022 Casa Albeirta - One month residency in Oaxaca, MX
2022 InterAccess - Terms & Expectations exhibit of Coralie Vogelaar's 'Arranging, Moving, Rotating, packing'
2022 Toronto Dance Theatre - research for Ease & Agita with Leelee eko davis and company
2022 Nova Dance - Svaha Premiere with Bluma Appel TO Live at Meridian Hall
2022 Dent - Short film
2022 Sketch Working Arts - Collaborative Anniversary merchandise
2022 Toronto Dance Theatre - Short & Sweet Toronto Edition solo 'Sugar Mountain - Was the Sugar Sweet?'
2022 Guelph Dance Festival - duet with Kate Holden for Double Time
2022 Diana Ross Dream - costuming & invited guest for Aisha Sasha John's group work
2022 Gibraltar Artscape - One month residency
2022 New Elevator Collective - Film (CANCELLED DUE TO COVID19)
2022. Toronto Dance Theatre - Micro residency with Leelee oluwatoyosi eko davis
2021 Sketch Working Arts - Vending Residency
2021 New Monuments - Nova Dance company member with Canadian Stage, Luminato, CBC Gem
2021 Eve Tagny - Labouring bodies (eulogy for the soil) and Landscape bodies (rewilding still lives) exhibitions
Momenta Biennale and GALERIE DE L’UQAM
2021 Guelph Dance Festival - Short and Sweet solo 'The JuiceBox'
2021 Nova Dance - Guest Company dancer
2021 Artspace - Exhibition 'Attention is the Task We Share' Robin Love workshop 'On Breathe'
2021 Public Recordings - With Toronto Dance Community Love-In 'What's Collective' project
2021 Its Bigger Than All of Us - Piece entitled 'On Home' Publication of Kristen Jordan Alaan Sison
2020 Gibraltor Artscape- Winter residency
2020 Eve Tagny- Monuments aux vestiges, Small Arms building Mississauga
2020 Antonija Livingstone- CHAUD Agora de la danse Spring 20/21, Montreal, QC (CANCELLED DUE TO COVID19)
2020 Peer Learning Network- Dancemakers Programme (CANCELLED DUE TO COVID19)
2020/21 Toronto Dance Community Love In- Merchandise designer
2020 Carnations publication- Christina Hajjar, Luther Konadu, and Mariana Muñoz Gomez Winnipeg, MB
2020 Amelia Ehrhardt- 3 year Creative process
2020 Making Place Residency- At Sketch Working Arts
2020 Toronto Dance Community Love In - Merchandise Coordinator
2020 Valence Movement Dance Theatre- Creation work
2020 Daina Ashbee- J'ai pleuré avec les chiens Creation Residency Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON
Role Shadow Apprentice (CANCELLED DUE TO COVID19)
2020 Handle with Care- Exhibit curated by Emilie Croning and Maria Kanellopoulos with artists; Dainesha Nugent-Palache ,
Adrienne Elise Tarver , Camille Rojas and Danielle Smith
2020 This Mortal Medical Body- Choreographer Candice Irwin
2020 Artist Residency- Stoneboat space support of QuoteUnquote Collective
2020 Solo 'Land of Many Waters'- Creative process funded by OAC with mentorship/dramaturgy Karen Kaeja/Lee Su-Feh
2020 Lee Su-Feh (Battery Opera)- Creation at Dancemakers
2020 Pocoapoco Residency- Collaboration with Katie Plaizier
2020 Rhubard Festival- With percussionist Rajna Swaminathan
2019 Kinetic Halifax- Presenting solo work and Facilitation of BIPOC Incubation space
2019 Invisibilities Launch & publication- Melina Mehr
2019 Canadian Opera Company- Production of Rusalka
2019 Nuit Blanche- Francesca Chudnoff Project 'Halcyon'
2019 New Mineral Collective- Collaborative Film for Toronto 2019 Biennial
2019 Banff Residency- The Creative Gesture Composition and Dance
2019 Derives- Site specific Installation work with Noemie LaFrance
2019 Mocean Residency- Clear Forum Canning, NS
2019 Anda Residency-Exploration of the World Housing Crisis
2019 The Platform T.O.- Creative research residency
2018 Pocoapoco Residency- Oaxaca, Mexico
2018 Valence Movement Dance Theatre- Full length 'What Exists Here'
2018 I/O Movement Residency- This is Our Place: The Bentway
2018 Andrea Pena & Artists- Kairos performance Festival Quartiers Danses
2018 bc/pa- Nuit Blanche 2018 Project 'Operations'
2018 Nowhere in Particular- Improvised performance with Live music
2018 Project Contrabête- Choreographer Kaitlyn Ramsden work titled BALLS
2018 Sketch Working Arts - Indie Studio Residency (6 week artist in residence)
2017 Jamee Valin- Company Dancer (Solo creation 'Soft Bones' for New Blue Dance Festival)
2017 Toy Guns Dance Theatre- Company Dancer
2017 Kaeja Dance - Porch View Dances and Allen Kaeja new creation 'I am the child of'
2017 Brendan Fernandes- Installation work titled Reverence
2017 Shay Kuebler- New Creation
2017 Lua Shayenne Dance Company- Company member
2016-2017 Avinom Silverman Dance Projects- Creation work 'Untitled'
2016 Les Grand Ballet Canadians- Nutcracker Production (Two seasons)
2016 QuoteUnquote Collective- Stoneboat artist retreat direction Amy Nostbaken and Nora Sadava
2016 The Performing Body- Human Body Expression (Direction Hanna Kiel with Bonnie Kim)
2015-2016 Jennifer Dallas- Creation/Exploratory work for new piece 'Liminal'
2015-2017 The Garage Collective- Collaborative Creation work with Toronto Choreographers
2015 Bill Coleman- Collaborative creation for Beats& Intensions Nuit Blanche (2015 piece)
2015 Opera Atelier- Direction Marshall Pynkoski and Jeanette Lajeunesse Singg
2014-2017 Hit&Run Production- Direction of Anisa Tejpar and Jennifer Nichols
2014-2015 Ballet Creole- Direction of Patrick Parson
2014-2015 Cadence Progressive Company- Direction Courtnae Bowman
2012-2014 Ballet Edmonton - Company member (Two seasons) Artistic Director Francois Chevennement
2012 James Gregg- Worked privately solo creation (As part of Le Jeune Ballet du Quebec)
2011 Ballet Ouest- Company member for The Nutcracker Production
2011 Danielle Agami- Installation entitled Sophia (As part of Springboard Dance Montreal)
2011 Springboard Dance Montreal -Ami Shulman (repertoire Marie Chouinard)
2009-2012 Le Jeune Ballet du Quebec- Company member
EDUCATION
The National Ballet School of Canada
Ecole Supérieure De Ballet Contemporain - Post Secondary
Re- Evaluation / Co-Counselling Facilitation - for BIPOC leadership and Liberation
Polyvagal Certified - Through Embodied Philosophy theoretical course with Dr. Stephen Porges
Transformative Justice Training- With Naty Tremblay and Unit 2
Cupping (TCM) Practitioner - Ontario College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Auricular Acupunturist (Acu-detox)
CHOREOGRAPHIC WORK
2022 Toronto Dance Theatre - Solo 'Sugar Mountain - Was the Sugar Sweet?' for Short and Sweet T.O. Edition
2021 Guelph Dance Festival - Solo 'The Juicebox'
2020 Rhubarb Festival, Toronto, ON with Collaborator Rajna Swaminathan
2019 Kinetic- Presenter Halifax, NS
2019 Ontario Arts Council- Dance Project Grant
2019 Toronto Community Love in- P.S. WE ARE ALL HERE series
2019 Invisibilities Issue #2- 'Self Study #2' solo work
2019 HotWire Performance Art series- Unit 2 'Self Study #2' solo work
2019 Splitbill Program- With I/O Movement & WareHaus Collective Vancouver
2019 Long Winter 2019 at Workman Arts - 'Land of Many Waters' Solo work
2018 Native Earth Performing Arts Weesageechak Festival - 'Land of Many Waters' Solo work
2018 This is Our Place: The Bentway through I/O Movement - 'Land of Many Waters' Solo work
2018 FormCDT Prospects Showcase - 'Land of Many Waters'
2018 New Blue Dance Festival - 'Land of Many Waters' Solo work
2018 Sketch Working Arts- 'Land of Many Waters' Solo work
2018 Buddies and Bad Times Theatre (OpenOpenOpen Festival)- 'Land of Many Waters' Solo work
2014 Nuit Blanche (2014)- 'The Fragility of Life' (collaboration with musician Calvin Love& Poet Alexandra Babiak)
2016 Long Winter- 'Fragility of Life' Performance
FILM & MUSIC VIDEO WORK - Inquire as needed
TEXTILE & NATURAL DYE PROJECT - 'Holding One Another' HOA
- For purchase on Shopify
- Inquire for nature dye workshop facilitation
