Artists

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  Artistic Director Alexandra Damiani

  

  Artistic Director Alexandra Damiani

  Appointed Artistic Director of BJM – Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal in the spring of 2021, Alexandra Damiani has been a major player in the dance community for over two decades. During her 10 years with New York's Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (2005-2015), first as Ballet Mistress and then as Artistic Director, Damiani had the opportunity to work with and present a wide selection of contemporary dance choreographic languages by such internationally renowned choreographers as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Crystal Pite and Hofesh Schecter. Damiani also presented the company in major cities and international festivals, including at the Lyon Biennale in France and Sadler's Wells in London.

  Originally from France, Damiani is a multidisciplinary artist who has been lending her expertise to the world of film, television and advertising for many years. Her credits include playing the ballet mistress in Darren Aronofsky’s cult film Black Swan and working alongside Tanisha Scott on Cardi B’s performance for the 2019 BET Awards. Damiani is also passionate about training the young dancers of tomorrow and has excellent connections with highly regarded institutions like Jacob’s Pillow and The Juilliard School.

  Damiani trained in classical dance at the Geneva Dance Center, and later in the French capital with teachers from the Paris Opera Ballet. After winning the Bayonne competition in France, she received a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the US. She began her career as a dancer-performer in New York where she danced as a soloist with Donald Byrd/The Group and with the company Complexions, directed by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. Her career continued in Montreal with the Rubberband dance company and later with the Ballets Jazz de Montreal under the direction of Louis Robitaille (2002-2005).

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  Choreographer, We Can’t Forget What’s His Name Ausia Jones

  

  Choreographer, We Can’t Forget What’s His Name Ausia Jones

  Originally from Dallas, Texas, Ausia Jones received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a focus on choreography at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. During her time at USC Kaufman, Ausia received training at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Orsolina Forsythe/Pite, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. As a dancer, she has had the honour of performing works by William Forsythe, Robert Battle, Cayetano Soto, Azure Barton, Jiri Kylian, among others. She has choreographed at Booker T. Washington HSPV in Dallas, TX, USC Kaufman Choreography in Los Angeles, CA and New York Live Arts in New York, NY. 

  Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Jones is the Orion Choreographic Fellowship Recipient, Toulmin Creator Grant Recipient, White Bird panelist “Celebrating Black Women in Dance”, YoungArts Honorable Mention in Choreography and Modern Dance and 2020 USC Deans Scholarship (Quarter-Tuition Academic Award). As she continues to cultivate her passion, Ausia hopes to share her knowledge and love for dance in a way that inspires and educates the next generation of young artists. Jones joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020. 

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  Choreographer, Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue Crystal Pite

  

  Choreographer, Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue Crystal Pite

  In a choreographic career spanning three decades, Crystal Pite has created more than 50 works for dance companies in Canada and around the world. She is the founding artistic director of the Vancouver-based company Kidd Pivot, world-renowned for radical hybrids of dance and theatre that are assembled with a keen sense of wit and invention. Ms. Pite is known for works that courageously address such challenging and complex themes as trauma, addiction, conflict, consciousness, and mortality; her bold and original vision has earned her international acclaim and inspired an entire generation of dance artists. 

  Crystal Pite was born in Terrace, BC, and grew up in Victoria. She began her dance career as a company member of Ballet British Columbia (Ballet BC), then William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. She made her choreographic debut in 1990 at Ballet BC, and since then has created works for such prominent companies as The Royal Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Cullberg Ballet, Ballett Frankfurt, The National Ballet of Canada, Ballets Jazz Montréal (resident choreographer 2001–04), and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. She has also collaborated with Electric Company Theatre and Robert Lepage, and is currently Associate Choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater, Associate Dance Artist of Canada’s National Arts Centre, and Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells in London.  

  In 2002, she formed Kidd Pivot, a company that strives to distill and translate universal questions into artworks that connect us to deep and essential parts of humanity.  

  “Running through all of my work is the question of what moves us,” she says. Kidd Pivot tours internationally with critically acclaimed works such as Betroffenheit and Revisor (both co-created with playwright Jonathon Young), The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action and The You Show. In 2008, Crystal Pite participated in the inaugural GGPAA Mentorship Program as the protégée of 2004 GGPAA laureate Veronica Tennant, former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada. 

  Crystal Pite is a Member of the Order of Canada. Her other awards and honours include the Benois de la Danse, Canada Council Jacqueline Lemieux Prize, Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal, two UK Critics’ Circle Dance Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and an honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University. 

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  Choreographer, Les Chambres des Jacques Aszure Barton

  

  Choreographer, Les Chambres des Jacques Aszure Barton

  Aszure Barton was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She received her formal training at the National Ballet School in Toronto, where, as a student, she helped originate the ongoing Stephen Godfrey Choreographic Showcase. 

  To date, she has collaborated with and created works for Mikhail Baryshnikov, Fang Yi Sheu, Ekaterina Shipulina/Bolshoi Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sydney Dance Company, Ballet British Columbia, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Ballets Jazz Montréal (Resident Choreographer 2005-08), among many others. Aszure has also led masterclasses, mentored, and created for renowned training institutions including Harvard University, The Juilliard School, New York University, Arts Umbrella, Canada’s National Ballet School and The Laban Institute (UK). 

  Other work includes choreography for the Broadway revival production of The Threepenny Opera directed by Scott Elliott (translation by Wallace Shawn and starring Alan Cumming, Jim Dale, Nellie Mackay, Ana Gasteyer, and Cyndi Lauper), film and installation projects, and international outreach activities such as “Kenya’s Earth Project: Healing the Rift”, at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy. Aszure’s choreography has been featured in numerous film and television projects, including the Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts Series with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Alice Waters. 

  Aszure was the first artist in residence at The Baryshnikov Arts Center in 2005 and has been an artist in residence at The Banff Center since 2009. She was proclaimed an official Ambassador of Contemporary Choreography in Canada and, more recently, received The Koerner Award for Choreography. In 2012 she was honored with Canada’s prestigious Arts & Letters Award, joining the ranks of Oscar Peterson, Eugene Levy, Karen Kain and Christopher Plummer. 

  She is the proud founder and director of Aszure Barton & Artists, a collective of visual, sound, and performing artists, and her work continues to tour to Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. 

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  Featuring Ballets Jazz Montréal

  

  Featuring Ballets Jazz Montréal

  Ballets Jazz Montréal is an internationally renowned contemporary dance company founded in 1972. With Alexandra Damiani as Artistic Director since 2021 and its troupe of high calibre dancers from around the world, the company continues to pursue its original mission while collaborating with celebrated contemporary dance choreographers that push boundaries and explore new ways of moving and expressing emotion. Ballets Jazz Montréal is one of the most prolific dance companies in Canada and a major force on the Montréal cultural scene. 

  To date, Ballets Jazz Montréal has presented over 2,600 performances in 68 countries, reaching a total audience of nearly 3 million spectators. Ballets Jazz Montréal would like to thank the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation for the support given to the creation of the show. 

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  Principal Artist Yosmell Calderon

  

  Principal Artist Yosmell Calderon

  Russian-born Yosmell Calderon graduated as a dancer and teacher of both contemporary and folk dance from Cuba's National School of Dance (ENA) in Havana in 2005. He also received a diploma from the University of Arts (ISA) in 2014. Yosmell has collaborated with such outstanding figures in the world of dance as Rafael Bonachela, Mats Ek, Itzik Galili, Carlos Junior Acosta, Jan Linkens, Juan Cuz and Ana Laguna. He has performed as a principal dancer for Danza Contemporanea de Cuba and the Pal Frenak Company, as well as in over 22 works by Cuban and foreign choreographers, touring major festivals and theatre venues around the world. Yosmell is a choreographer for the Cuban National Ballet School and its performances at the International Ballet Festival of Havana. Thanks to his background in Olympic gymnastics, he also choreographs for circus performances. Yosmell joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in July 2016 and was promoted to principal artist in 2019.

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  Principal Artist Gustavo Barros

  

  Principal Artist Gustavo Barros

  Brazilian-born Gustavo Barros began his professional path as a dancer in his hometown of Goiânia under the direction of Gisela Vaz. He then went on to join some of Brazil’s top contemporary dance companies, such as the CIA de Dança Deborah Colker and Balé da Cidade de São Paulo. Gustavo continued his career in Germany where he danced for Ballethagen and Staatstheater Augsburg. In the course of his career, Gustavo has performed works by many renowned choreographers such as Ihsan Rustem, Stephen Delattre, Itzik Galili and Cayetano Soto. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

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  Principal Artist John Canfield

  

  Principal Artist John Canfield

  Originally from Virginia, John Canfield grew up training at local dance studios before moving to Canada to attend Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto. Upon graduating in 2014 he joined the Alberta Ballet, where he danced for five seasons, working directly with choreographers Aszure Barton, Jean Grand Maitre, Anne Plamondon, Yukhichi Hattori and Wen Wei Wang, among others. In 2020, John joined Cas Public as a dancer, performing the work of Helene Blackburn for one season. In addition to his involvement with a number of private movement research programs across Canada, John has also attended Springboard Danse Montreal as well as Creative Gesture at the Banff Centre for the Arts. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2021.

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  Principal Artist Diana Cedeño

  

  Principal Artist Diana Cedeño

  Panama-born Diana Cedeño began her dance training at the Academia de Danzas Steps. Upon completing her training, she continued exploring contemporary dance and ballet at the Boston Conservatory. Diana has had the opportunity to attend various intensive programs and festivals such as The Juilliard’s Summer Intensive, VIM VIGOR, Springboard Danse Montreal, Opus Ballet and b12 in Berlin. She has also worked under the direction of distinguished choreographers such as Shannon Gillen, Catherine Coury, Loni Landon, La Intrusa, and Darrell Moultrie, among others. Diana joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

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  Principal Artist Astrid Dangeard

  

  Principal Artist Astrid Dangeard

  Paris-born Astrid Dangeard obtained her National Diploma in Choreographic Studies in 2016 with honors from the jury at the Conservatoire de Boulogne-Billancourt. In parallel, she studied classical acting at the Cours Cochet Delavène in Paris. In 2017, she moved to New York City to study at the Steps On Broadway dance studio, as well as with the Bob Fosse Legacy. Also in parallel, she pursued her acting training, delving into Contemporary American Theatre. In New York, she danced for choreographer James Kinney, and played the role of Déa in The Man who Laughs at the Producer’s Club. In 2020, she played “Iris Kelly” in the Casino de Paris’ production of Fame, directed by Ned Grujice. Astrid has appeared in several music videos, including Flame, created by French artist Naë. She joined the Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

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  Principal Artist Hannah Kate Galbraith

  

  Principal Artist Hannah Kate Galbraith

  Hannah Kate Galbraith was born in Nelson, New Zealand and began her dance training at the Rebecca Bignall Academy of Dance and the Southern Ballet in Christchurch. She then studied at the Tanya Pearson Academy in Sydney, Australia under the direction of Lucinda Dunn. At the age of 17, she moved to New York City to study at the Ailey School as a scholarship student under Milton Myers, Ana Marie Forsythe, Caridad Martinez and Jacquelin Buglisi. During this time, she performed works by Alvin Ailey, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cayetano Soto Ramirez, Ronald K Brown and Dwight Rhoden. Hannah has worked with such renowned companies as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Futorian Dance Theatre. She joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

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  Principal Artist Shanna Irwin

  

  Principal Artist Shanna Irwin

  Shanna Irwin grew up in New Jersey where she began training as a competitive dancer. She switched her focus to ballet when she was accepted into The New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble under the direction of Nancy Turano. She spent her summers training with World Dance Movement- Italy, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella. Shanna then went on to continue her studies at Marymount Manhattan College under the direction of Katie Langan. She began touring with Complexions Contemporary Ballet during her senior year, and graduated with a BFA in Dance in May 2014. Shanna completed five seasons with Complexions and joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019.

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  Principal Artist Ausia Jones

  

  Principal Artist Ausia Jones

  Originally from Dallas, Texas, Ausia Jones received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a focus on choreography at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. During her time at USC Kaufman, Ausia received training at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Orsolina Forsythe/Pite, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. As a dancer, she has had the honour of performing works by William Forsythe, Robert Battle, Cayetano Soto, Azure Barton, Jiri Kylian, among others. She has choreographed at Booker T. Washington HSPV in Dallas, TX, USC Kaufman Choreography in Los Angeles, CA and New York Live Arts in New York, NY. 

  Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Jones is the Orion Choreographic Fellowship Recipient, Toulmin Creator Grant Recipient, White Bird panelist “Celebrating Black Women in Dance”, YoungArts Honorable Mention in Choreography and Modern Dance and 2020 USC Deans Scholarship (Quarter-Tuition Academic Award). As she continues to cultivate her passion, Ausia hopes to share her knowledge and love for dance in a way that inspires and educates the next generation of young artists. Jones joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020. 

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  Principal Artist Austin Lichty

  

  Principal Artist Austin Lichty

  Austin Lichty was born in Stratford, Ontario and pursued professional dance training through the Fine Arts in Performance Dance program at Ryerson University's School of Performance in Toronto. He then completed the Arts Umbrella Graduate program under Artemis Gordon in Vancouver. Austin has participated in the Springboard Danse Montréal, Arts Umbrella International Summer Dance Intensive, TransFormation Danse and ProArté Danza Summer Intensive programs. Throughout his professional career, he has worked with choreographers such as James Kudelka, Crystal Pite, Guillaume Côté, Emily Molnar, Simone Orlando, Lukas Timulak, Amos Ben Tal and Ihsan Rustem, to name a few. Austin joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020. 

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  Principal Artist Marcel Mejia

  

  Principal Artist Marcel Mejia

  Marcel Mejia is originally from Miami, Florida and graduated from the New World School of the Arts before attending George Mason University’s School of Dance under the direction of Susan Shields. He has performed works from world-renowned choreographers such as Lar Lubovitch, Nacho Duato, Andonis Foniadakis, Ivan Perez and Alejandro Cerrudo. Marcel also attended summer dance programs such as Springboard Danse Montreal in Canada, where he performed works by Johannes Wieland and Rachel Erdos, as well as at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, dancing original works by Tom Weinberger, Alex Ketley, and excerpts of Ohad Naharin’s repertory. Marcel has served on the faculty of the Thomas Armour Youth Ballet and as a volunteer dance instructor at the Lotus House Shelter in Miami, Florida. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019.

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  Principal Artist Andrew Mikhaiel

  

  Principal Artist Andrew Mikhaiel

  Andrew Mikhail is originally from Mississauga, Ontario and earned a BFA at the Marymount Manhattan College in 2017 under the direction of Katie Langan. During his tenure at MMC, he danced in works choreographed by Paul Taylor, Aszure Barton, Alexandra Damiani, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Norbert De La Cruz III, Adam Barruch, Larry Keigwin, and Jo Strømgren. He performed at The Joyce Theater for the Martha Graham Company’s University Partners Showcase, at the 92nd Street Y’s Fridays at Noon Series, and for the American Dance Guild. In his senior year, Andrew directed and organized a dance outreach program for NYC public schools, serving 240 3rd-to 5th-graders. He attended Springboard Danse Montreal in the summer of 2016. Andrew joined Ballets Jazz de Montréal in 2017 and became artistic coordinator in 2020.

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  Principal Artist Eden Solomon

  

  Principal Artist Eden Solomon

  Eden Solomon grew up in Montreal, where she studied at l’École supérieure de ballet du Québec before continuing her education at Arts Umbrella and in the Performance Research Project in Vancouver. She also attended programs such as Springboard, the Creative Gesture (Banff Centre for the Arts), and Gaga intensives (SF, NYC). As a freelancer, Eden has worked with several choreographers, including Lesley Telford, Wen Wei Wang, Jasmine Ellis, Danielle Agami, and David Harvey. She has been a member of the TWObigsteps collective, and collaborates with the multimedia collective Crack Cloud. Eden has also presented choreographic research in Vancouver. She joined Ballets Jazz de Montréal in 2020.

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