Dirty Feet

Takako Segawa is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, movement coach, dance-theatre performer, and teacher of Japanese Arts. Born in Japan, Takako trained in both traditional arts and contemporary Japanese movement styles, before graduating from the London Contemporary Dance School. Her 20-year career includes performances throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.  Takako has been an Ottawa-bas...

An interview with Jessica Ruano about the world premiere of Skin Songs . This dance theatre performance takes place outside in a public park in Ottawa, Canada. The score, along with the performer's personal stories, are delivered via headphones while the four women dance through the park dressed in red. The show, which focuses on a variety of experiences and perspectives of femininity, was dev...

An interview with Hannah Sampson , a Senior Dance Artist with Stopgap Dance Company , and Renata Soutter , Co-Director of Propeller Dance . Stopgap Dance Company (based in Southeast England) is driven by a diverse creative team who uses dance as a movement for change. Propeller Dance (based in Ottawa, Canada) is an integrated dance organization for people with and without disability. This conversa...

Host Allison Elizabeth Burns speaks with playwright, actor, and director Laurie Fyffe about her new upcoming play, Exciting Cause (about the women of Rockwood Asylum ) and an associated workshop, Moving Through Theatrical Space . The show’s script and movement are being developed simultaneously, influencing one another. Allison is choreographing the production and facilitating the workshop, and so...

Ana Gherasim is an artist, educator, and the owner and founder of Azucar, Latin Dance Company in Ottawa. We speak about her evolving relationship to dance, how her studio has changed recently, and what is on the horizon for a more inclusive and consent-aware social dance scene.

Brittney Canda is a choreographer and dance film director among other things. We speak about her unique style, how she discovered her love for dance on film, and her recent accolades. Specifically we talk about her works, Wrap Me Up - which was awarded Best Choreography in a Music Video at the UKMVAs - and Touch which was awarded Best Film at Festival Quartiers Danses.

This episode explores the impact the COVID-19 global pandemic has had on different Contemporary dance artists in Ottawa. Yvonne Coutts the artistic director of the Ottawa Dance Directive, Sylvie Desrosiers the director of the Contemporary Dance program at The School of Dance, Frédérique Pelletier a recent graduate of that same school, and Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson a mid-career independent dance ar...

This episode covers the third edition of the Dark Horse Dance Projects which took place in September 2017. Host, Allison Elizabeth Burns, starts off the episode by interviewing Project Leader, [ … ]

In a very special episode, Allison interviews her childhood dance teacher. Judith Davies has been a pillar of the Ottawa dance community for many years. She is the Director and [ … ]

Dirty Feet host, Allison Elizabeth Burns is premiering the multidisciplinary show, Do You Want to Live Forever?, at the Ottawa Fringe Festival this summer. In this episode she speaks with co-creator [ … ]

Award winning, multi-faceted artist, Marie-Josée Chartier is presenting work in Ottawa this week. She speaks with Allison about scale, big projects and small projects, her company, Chartier Danse, working with [ … ]

Dirty Feet Resident Composer, Tristan Henry is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and music teacher based in Montreal. Although we hear his music every episode, the last time he was on the [ … ]

May 12th in Wakefield, QC, Jordan Es is producing the event, Rooted Contemporary Dance. The show is a double bill featuring Jordan’s choreography, The Idea of the North and a [ … ]

Mathilde Papillon describes her vision for bringing together dance and science. She recently gave a TEDxKanata talk on Novel ways to talk science: dancing relativity. A student at the French [ … ]

Propeller Dance is an integrated contemporary dance company based in Ottawa. The organization is recognized as a leader in Canada for their innovative, inclusive creations and teaching practices. I speak [ … ]

Sylvie Desrosiers is not only the Director of Contemporary Dance Studies at The School of Dance (see episode #181), she is also an established choreographer, and the Artistic Director of [ … ]

Laura Taler is a multitalented artist who has worked as a choreographer, dance-film director and visual artist. She is presenting an exhibition at Gallery 101 titled, The soft and the [ … ]

This episode features a conversation with Sylvie Desrosiers, the Director of Contemporary Dance Studies at The School of Dance. We talk about the benefits of a conservatory-style training, successful program [ … ]

The show TRUST, a requiem for wood and stone, by 10 Gates Dancing is being presented by the Ottawa Dance Directive in their upcoming Séries danse 10 / Series Dance [ … ]

This episode features a complete episode of The Working Arts podcast by Erica Martin. The tables are turned, and Dirty Feet host, Allison Burns is interviewed. In this new podcast, Erica [ … ]

The Ghomeshi Effect is a verbatim dance-theatre piece that tackles sexual violence in Canada. Creator and Director, Jessica Ruano, and Choreographer, Amelia Griffin, tell us about their work in theatre [ … ]

Hannah Beach is an educator, artist, author and speaker with a background in social work. She is the founding director of Dandelion Dance, a company which creates empowering dance experiences [ … ]

Karen Kaeja is an awarding-winning, Toronto-based artist. She is a dancer, choreographer, project instigator and co-artistic director of Kaeja d’Dance alongside her partner, Allen Kaeja. She is presenting her choreographic [ … ]

Anik Bouvrette is a Franco-Ontarian choreographer and the Founder, Artistic Director & General Manager of Tara Luz Danse. The francophone contemporary dance company creates and tours work for all ages. [ … ]

Amanda Bon is a professional dancer, pilates instructor, musician and scientist. In this interview she reveals her career experience, her adventure overcoming an injury and returning to dance, and her [ … ]