(Art)versations - Hosted by Bri Clarke

Anti-Racism Resources provided by Chantelle Good: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1maa3qLiPscjjKpnFxBceTvp9WiG1j-C-e2zZcxTAxpE/mobilebasic Claire is a singer/songwriter and creator, currently studying Musical Theatre at the University of Michigan. We talk about the changes she made in her life after being on “The Voice”, the process of creating her upcoming single and music video, her experienc...

Anti-Racism Resources provided by Chantelle Good: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1maa3qLiPscjjKpnFxBceTvp9WiG1j-C-e2zZcxTAxpE/mobilebasic Michael is a choreographer, visual artist, and dancer with Compagnie Marie Chouinard, based in Montreal. We talk about the changes in his rehearsal schedule due to COVID-19, why his movement practice starts with groove and music, the quick process of choreog...

Anti-Racism Resources provided by Chantelle Good: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1maa3qLiPscjjKpnFxBceTvp9WiG1j-C-e2zZcxTAxpE/mobilebasic Aaliyah is an emerging costume and fashion designer, who recently graduated from Ryerson University’s BFA Performance Production and Design program. We talk about the pros and cons of social media for the creative industry, how she influenced her teacher to...

Anti-Racism Resources provided by Chantelle Good: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1maa3qLiPscjjKpnFxBceTvp9WiG1j-C-e2zZcxTAxpE/mobilebasic Ricardo is a director and theatrical performer currently based in Houston, Texas. We talk about how he came to the difficult decision to take a year off of school, his early life living on Saint Croix island without internet, our first time working together...

Anti-Racism Resources provided by Chantelle Good: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1maa3qLiPscjjKpnFxBceTvp9WiG1j-C-e2zZcxTAxpE/mobilebasic Alessia is an emerging designer and artist who recently graduated from Ryerson University’s BFA Performance Production and Design program. We talk about our mutual longing for being in a room with other creatives, why oil painting portraits of her family mem...

Anti-Racism Resources provided by Chantelle Good: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1maa3qLiPscjjKpnFxBceTvp9WiG1j-C-e2zZcxTAxpE/mobilebasic The Playground Project is an emerging dance company, co-founded by Maria Riano & Dominique Tersigni. We talk about the limitations that are keeping artists from creating, why Maria decided she needed to be her own boss, their use of musical landscaping f...

Donation links for #blacklivesmatter: https://ca.gofundme.com/f/cggys2-justice-for-regis https://blacklivesmatter.ca/donate/ Kelly is a Toronto-based dancer, teacher, and fitness instructor. We talk about the performance of social media, why the soundtrack to “A Star is Born” prepped her backstage before a performance with ProArte Danza, how she is finding ways to remove the lid on her voice, and...

Donation links for #blacklivesmatter: https://ca.gofundme.com/f/cggys2-justice-for-regis https://blacklivesmatter.ca/donate/ Kate is a Mad (Bipolar Disorder 1) queer actor, creator and producer who earned her BFA in Acting from the University of Windsor. We talk about her crazy trip to New Jersey that was cut short before she could see her first Broadway show, how she and her co-founding members o...

Kristen and David are the co-founders and co-artistic directors of TOES FOR DANCE. We talk all about their upcoming workshop Ignite! which runs from July 26-31, 2020 at Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre in Toronto. They spoke to me about why Ignite! is different from other training programs in that it offers participants a wide variety of classes, labs, field trips, and even life coaching sessio...

Stephanie is a singer, dancer, actor and choreographer, based around the GTA. We talk about how her current work with Smile Theatre has impacted her, the process of creating an online mini-musical with the students of St. Andrew’s College, how virtual wedding planning is keeping her creativity alive, and our mutual disappointment when hearing dance competitions are being postponed. Follow Stephani...

Thomas is an actor, creator, teacher and ACTRA member, originally from Nova Scotia now based in Toronto. Chantelle is a freelance dancer, teaching artist and alumni of Marymount Manhattan College, based in New York. We talk about the certain tools that they are using to take care of their respective mental health’s, how structure and guilt can affect productivity, Chantelle’s experience with leavi...

Sophia is a high-fashion runway model, who recently received an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, with a Specialization in Immunology and Microbiology. We talk about how she expresses her creativity in the world of science, her perspective on finding confidence, and the most embarrassing moment she’s experienced on the runway. Follow Sophia on Instagram: @sophia_tk The artist that Sophi...

Kalil is a filmmaker and editor, based in Toronto, Canada. We talk about how art has become less innovative, how his short film “Farm Boy” plays on themes of confusion and fear, the pros and cons of releasing art online, and the experimental process of his upcoming film “Tiger Eats a Baby”, which he is planning to release directly through Vimeo. Follow Kalil on Instagram: @kalil.haddad; Check out...

Mario is a musician and songwriter, based in Toronto, Canada. We talk about the process of writing two new songs for his band “Foreign Moon”, his open mic nights at Handlebar that had begun before the quarantine of COVID-19, and a memorable moment he had watching The Killers live in concert. Follow his Instagram: @themariospeedwagon Follow Foreign Moon on Instagram: @foreign.moon and like their pa...

William is in his final year at Ryerson University for a BFA in Performance Acting. We talk about how his play “SOAP” is shifting towards an online platform due to the COVID-19 climate, his trial and error approach to directing, and why “Tiger King” and playing The Sims 4 have been keeping him creative in quarantine. Follow his Instagram: @wmflood1998 and the New Voices Festival: @newvoices2020

Alysa is a Toronto based choreographer and a Choreographic Associate for the National Ballet of Canada. We talk about how her early indie projects helped define her career as it is now, the current state of dance opportunities in Toronto, the challenges of adapting Macbeth for her first full-length commission with Ballet Kelowna, and how she handles criticism. Follow her Instagram: @alysapiresdanc...

Kaelin is in his final year at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. We talk about his dream of opening an outdoor space for artists to create, the contrasts between working with Marc Boivin and Apolonia Velasquez in “Impulse”, why his current choreographic process causes him to break out in tears, and why Fiona Apple and Feist continue to be his favourite artists. Follow his Instagram: @kaelinbaby...

Maxim Bortnowski is a photographer and theatre artist, based in Toronto. We talk about the terrifying experience he had when his SD card ran out during a show, the differences he notices between shooting dancers and other artists, and why a turtleneck is his go-to outfit. Follow his Instagram: @maximalbphotography ; Facebook: Maxim Luca Bortnowski Photography

Tavia Christina is an emerging artist based in Toronto, Canada. We talk about their new position as Performance Director at the Ryerson Communication and Design Society, the many ways they are developing their voice to be an advocate for indigenous, POC and queer representation, and what’s coming up for NEAR&FAR Projects. Links to check out: Instagram- @tavschristina @nearfarprojects ; Websites- w...

Mike Flynn is a physics teacher at St. Matthew’s High School in Ottawa. We talk about how he grew up balancing physics and theatre, why teaching high schoolers is better than an anechoic chamber at The Canadian Space Agency, and his favourite prank to play on his students involving a cooler.

Sarah is in her final year at Ryerson University for a BFA in Performance Acting. We talk about the impact that a recently passed professor had on her, her emotional journey with body image, and why she’s producing a play that terrifies her. Follow her Instagram: @sarah_shoshana

Kirsten is a dancer and choreographer, based in Toronto. We talk about her current research on the concept of time, the unique experience she had watching Rock Bottom Movement’s “hollow mountain”, how she grew up training in multiple sports and much more. Follow her Instagram: @kirstsullivan

Jake is in his final year at Ryerson University for a BFA in Performance Dance. We talk about our competitive dance days, his experience running the New York City Marathon, and his current obsession with the singer Lauv. Follow his Instagram: @jake_myles and check out “Mountain Movers Podcast” on Apple and Spotify.

Kat is in her final year at Ryerson University for a BFA in Performance Production. We talk about our experience working with Dylan Crossman of the Merce Cunningham Trust, how she built a ramp at Honest Ed’s, and our dream cast for a 2030 revival of American Idiot. Follow her Instagram: @katurdays

Judy is in her final year at Ryerson University for a BFA in Performance Dance. We talk about the interchangeability of being a student and a teacher, her plans after graduation, the artist's role in society and more. Follow her Instagram: @judstahhh