STAFF TEAM

David Norsworthy

  • David Norsworthy (he/him) is a Tkarón:to/Toronto-based dance artist, choreographer, producer, curator, and arts educator of mixed Japanese immigrant/British settler descent who is “an exceptionally lucid performer, impressive and articulate” (Globe and Mail). A graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City, he delights in asking questions, and is fascinated by the transformative power of dancing. David has performed with dance companies and collaborated with dance creators in Canada, USA, Sweden and Australia. Notable performance projects include productions with Dancenorth (Melbourne), Skånes Dansteater (Malmö), Peggy Baker Dance Projects (Toronto), and The Merce Cunningham Trust (New York City). His choreographic career has included independently produced full-length works, international tours, and commissioned projects for companies, universities and schools. David is the grateful recipient of the Ron Lenyk Award (2016) and was one of three finalists for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award (2018). He is a Co-Founder/Co-Director of TOES FOR DANCE, and has recently served as a Board Member of CanAsian Dance, and a part-time Rehearsal Director for Norrdans, a contemporary dance company in Sweden. Between 2023 and 2025, he was a Co-Executive Artistic Producer for DanceWorks, a choreographic presentation platform in Toronto.

    Photo by Colton Curtis

CHANTELLE GOOD

  • Chantelle Good, originally from Toronto, Canada, is a performer, choreographer, and teaching artist, now based in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at Marymount Manhattan College, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in choreography. To further her training, Chantelle also attended Springboard Danse Montreal where she performed repertoire by La Tresse Collective, Shumpei Nemoto, Stijn Celis, and Ohad Naharin.

    Past commercial dance credits include: H.E.R., Jennifer Lopez, Snoop Dogg, Daddy Yankee x Bad Bunny, iskwē, Haai x Jon Hopkins, Gary Clark Jr., David Byrne, Rothy’s “That’s More Like It” Global Campaign, Tyson, Volvo, and CNCPTS/PUMA. Concert dance credits include: Freddie Falls in Love (Joyce Theater), New York Fashion Week (A--Company), Still Motion Dance Company, Kate Harpootlian & Artists, Loni Landon Dance Project, The Forest of Arden, and Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More. Currently, Chantelle can be seen performing on Broadway in MJ The Musical.

    In addition to her work with TFD, Chantelle is also the Programs Director of Share The Movement, a non-profit dedicated to providing access and opportunity to young BIPOC dancers. She also enjoys sharing her knowledge and passion for dance as a teaching artist and guest choreographer for institutions and programs across North America. She continues to deepen her learning around decolonizing practices, in order to foster inclusive environments for her students and cultivate community whenever possible.

    Photo by Jon Taylor

KRISTEN CARCONE

  • Kristen Carcone is a Toronto-born, internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, teacher, and reiki healer. She is a company member of Third Rail Projects (New York, NY), currently performing in their Bessie award winning production Then She Fell . Kristen is a guest artist with cross-disciplinary performance company, FROG IN HAND, and has also performed the original works of Jason Parsons, Nicole Von Arx, Kate Wallich, Gabriel Forestieri, and the Kuperman Brothers. She has performed internationally in a variety of shows and festivals including: The Phish Concert at Madison Square Garden (New York, NY), Tangente’s Danses Buissonnieres (Montreal, Quebec), The New Prague Dance Festival (Prague, Czech Republic) and Art Gallery of Ontario’s MASSIVE PARTY (Toronto, Ontario). In 2016, Kristen was named one of the 25 Most Influential Young Choreographers to watch by Narcity Toronto. Her choreography can be seen in Joseph Gordon Levitt’s My Favourite Things video, Cardinal’s Pride music video Masterpiece, and in Supa’Nova, a new play by Maria Corina Ramirez. Kristen’s work has been described as “energetic, highly entertaining and refreshingly playful” - Sarah Lochhead/The Dance Current. As a creator of experiential theatre, Kristen has great interest in mindful performance and healing through the arts. She graduated from the dance division of New World School of the Arts in 2011 earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with Highest Honors. www.kristencarcone.com

    Photo by Alvin Collantes.

  • Keira Marie Forde (She/They) is a multidisciplinary artist and community arts producer who has worked in culturally relevant pedagogy and the arts for over nine years.

    Keira’s artistic practice focuses on amplifying stories from youth (under 30) in Toronto. Recent performance credits include The Sonkofa Trilogy with the Wata Theatre, NYC’s Richest Man (web series), Suitable Climate with b current at SummerWorks, The Christie Pits Riot with Hogtown Collective, What’s So Funny with Carousel Players, and her original digital work No More News for Nancy with Alberta-based company Major Matt Mason Collective. In 2023–2024, No More News for Nancy underwent further research through the Creative Catalyst Dance Program at Nia Centre for the Arts.

    In 2025, Keira completed a residency on the decolonization of bodies at HAUT in partnership with KRA/RAS in Denmark. In 2024, she produced and choreographed Generation Gentrified for the Paprika Festival, inspired by Toronto’s changing communities.

    Photo by Eden Graham.

KEIRA MARIE FORDE

  • Shannon Widdis (she/her) is a Queer multidisciplinary artist with a strong focus on creative advertising and digital media. With nearly two decades of experience in dance and the performing arts, Shannon brings a unique, arts-informed perspective to her work in marketing and communications. She holds a diploma in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Humber College in Toronto and previously studied Art, Performance, and Cinema Studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. Her background in performing arts, art history, and film has helped shape a well-rounded and thoughtful approach to storytelling and strategy in the arts and culture sector.

    In addition to her work in advertising, Shannon is an experienced photographer and videographer, producing content that ranges from promotional campaigns to documentary-style storytelling. She has worked as both a freelance digital marketing specialist and Marketing Coordinator for professional theatres and non-profit organizations across the GTA.

    You can view Shannon’s portfolio at shannonwiddis.weebly.com or follow her creative work on Instagram at @shannonwiddis_.

    Photo credit: Ceilidh Creative.

SHANNON WIDDIS

  • Tanveer Alam started his Kathak training with Sudeshna Maulik and continued further nuanced studies with guru Sandhya Desai. Alam is a 2019 graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Alam has performed in the works of Rina Singha, Lata Pada, Padmini Chettur, Brandy Leary, Harikishan S. Nair, Sashar Zarif, Lucy Rupert, and Peter Chin, to name a few. Alam is also invested within the dance sector as an Alliance Lead at The South Asian Dance Alliance of Canada, a guest curator alongside Nithya Garg at Dancemakers (2023 season), and was a guest curator/artistic associate with TOES FOR DANCE (2023 season). He has developed skills in the fields of curation and production by working as an independent artist in the city of Toronto, learning by lived experience. He produced Leher, his first full length solo in June 2023, as well as other smaller scale artistic endeavours. 

    Photo by Brandy Leary

TANVEER ALAM

VISAREE BRADSHAW-COORE

  • Visaree is a Canadian film & theatre coordinator, and curatorial creative. She is known to be an active worker in delivering Canadian stories. Notably an AGO youth board, TIFF Next Wave and Fringe alumna Visaree is a prominent creative leader and production organizer in our city as she values lending a helping hand to creatives to make sure their stories get told. Welcome Visaree to the TFD team!

    More information about me for context:

    Pronouns: (She/Her)

    Instagram: @bradshawcoore

    Email: bradshawcoore@gmail.com

  • Brianna (Bri) Clarke is a performer, choreographer, teacher, and producer, based in Tkarón:to/Toronto. Her early training began in Ottawa at Leeming Danceworks, where she developed her voice as an artist and trained competitively in multiple styles of dance. While studying at Toronto Metropolitan University, Bri performed in full-length works by established choreographers such as Hanna Kiel, Alysa Pires, and Merce Cunningham. After obtaining her BFA in Performance Dance, Bri has furthered her training in Germany, New York City, North Carolina, Greece, Los Angeles and across Canada. She continues to be a freelance artist for multiple dance and theatre collectives.

    Bri has been fortunate to be on the TOES FOR DANCE team for many years, acting in various roles across the organization’s programming. Most notably, she associate produced and performed in the sold-out run of “Dinner is Served”, choreographed by Tony-winning choreographer Kristen Carcone. As well, Bri has enjoyed being on staff for Fresh Dance Intensive since 2015, carrying out roles as an assistant, a teacher, and now as Event Coordinator.

    Other credits include: Frog in Hand, Transcen|Dance Project, Dance Arts Institute, Near & Far Projects, The Performing Arts Project, and the Toronto Fringe Festival. Currently, Bri is the Dance Artist-in-Residence at The Heliconian Club, and she is on teaching faculty at The Fifth Dance. www.briclarke.ca @brianna_clarkee

    Photo by Kendra Epik.

BRI CLARKE

Board of Directors

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CORY BOYD

  • Cory Boyd is a partner at Rubin Thomlinson, a Toronto-based law firm focused on workplace investigations and assessments. He has spent his legal career working in the areas of human rights, harassment, equity and inclusion. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the Toronto arts scene, including film, live theatre, and particularly the field of contemporary dance, having previously served on the Board of Directors at the Toronto Dance Theatre. He balances his passion for the arts with a love of sports, especially his beloved Toronto Blue Jays.

Miquelon Rodriguez

  • Miquelon Rodriguez is a sound designer, composer, radio play mixer & editor, digital content creator, actor, and an emerging director and arts leader based in T'karonto. He was the Apprentice Artistic Director at Factory Theatre from 2017-2019, under the mentorship of Nina Lee Aquino, and co-curated Pan-Asian works over two seasons at Soulpepper through the Tiger Bamboo Festival and the Shen Development Series, under the mentorship of Ins Choi. He is a graduate of the Artistic Leadership Residency at the National Theatre School of Canada and has worked with a multitude of artists and companies across Turtle Island.

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Susan Colbert-Wright

  • Susan Colbert Wright is retired from a 30-year career at Ontario Hydro/Hydro One in information technology and services. Susan enthusiastically supports the Toronto dance community by applying her information management experience to governance in the arts sector, sharing knowledge about resources for artists, and organizationally assisting independent artists and collectives. Susan has previous non-profit and Board of Director experience from her work on a successful business plan and subsequent implementation of a workplace childcare centre at Ontario Hydro. Susan has a Honours BSC from the University of Toronto in Mathematical and Computer Sciences. She currently sits on the board of ProArteDanza.

Ellis Martin-Wylie

  • Ellis is a policy and program advisor with a demonstrated history of working in the arts, health, and financial services sectors. Currently, she leads accountability relationships between the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport and its public body agencies. Previously, she's worked on regulatory policy at the Ministry of Finance and program development at the Ministry of Health. She was inspired to work in program and policy development during her time studying at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Her research focused on Dance for Health amongst women aged 65+ and she witnessed the impact when creativity and the arts are pillars of health services and social care .

    She's a graduate of East London Dance's The Fi.ELD, a practice-based, educational program to develop the future innovators of dance. Her research has been shared at the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science 2019 Annual Conference in Montreal, Canada and Age Against the Machine: Festival of Creative Ageing in London, UK. She has produced workshops, festivals, and networking events with TOES FOR DANCE and Canadian Dance Assembly.

    Photo by Kendra Epik.

ANNE FULLERTON

  • After graduating with honours from Rutgers University in the U.S., Anne worked as a teacher and then in the IT industry before shifting to the world of tax.  She went on to study accounting and finance at Toronto Metropolitan University, and has also completed the CPA Canada In-Depth Tax Program.  

    Anne works primarily in the area of cross-border tax, with a special focus on the arts and entertainment industry.

    Photo by Samantha Burtt.

Dr. Blessyl Buan

  • Blessyl Buan, a contemporary dancer, choreographer, and visual artist, crafts colourful interdisciplinary works echoing rhythm, movement, and land-based spirituality. With a Kinesiology degree (2001) and a Chiropractic doctorate (2005), her academic background provides a deep understanding of the human body. This foundation, combined with over two decades of professional dance experience, enhances her artistry with a heightened kinesthetic intelligence.

    Transitioning from clinical practice in 2021, prompted by health considerations, was a natural evolution toward a new expressive form. Her process delves into Philippine Indigenous traditions, exploring joy, interconnectedness and cultural identity. Her short film "Rara: Reweaving Diasporic Stories" (2022) was featured in Danceworks Summer Reel 2023. A recipient of Ontario Arts Council grant, Blessyl is developing a solo dance project for 2024. Additionally, she will lead "Weaving Futures" at the Toronto Arts Council's Artist in the Library Program, introducing pre-colonial Philippine script “Baybayin”, weaving, and dance. She will also host her first solo exhibition, "Kapwa Kaleidoscope" at The Clark Centre for the Arts, where she is an artist-in-residence.

    Blessyl contributes to the arts community as a Board member of Toes for Dance and as faculty at Dance Arts Institute. Balancing mothering of her four children, Blessyl’s body of work inspires.

    Photo by Whitney Erin Photography.

Dianne B. Oliveira

  • Dianne B. Oliveira is a storyteller. A curious observer of human behaviour, her career first began as an actor and singer in live theater and film, after graduating from Sheridan's Music Theatre Performance Program. Today she works in advertising with a wide range of project management experiences for various clients. In addition to over 10 years of experience as a freelance indie artist, Dianne is also a former personal trainer with a CPT certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She credits her experience in fitness and the performing arts for her tenacity, organization and resilient work ethic. She regularly engages with young professionals in creative industries as a peer mentor and is always excited for an opportunity to share her takeaways from paving an unconventional path.

    Photo by Scott Savoy.

CARMELINA MARTIN

  • Carmelina Martin is a multi-decade educator. Provincial contributions to dance include policy guidance, curriculum development and review, and design and teaching of in-service teacher education courses. She has spoken nationally and internationally on dance and the arts at UNESCO, the National Roundtable for Teacher Education in the Arts, and daCi 2011 in Taiwan. Carmelina is founder and director of Pulse Ontario Dance Conference, and recipient of the Ontario Premier Teacher of the Year Award. She holds a Master’s in Education and currently works as a Senior Program Officer with the Ontario College of Teachers, the provincial regulatory body for the teaching profession. On her free time, Carmelina continues to explore a variety of movement modalities and embodied movement practices including her current favorite, Fighting Monkey.

SINDHU NAIR

  • Sindhu Nair,is a strategy and operations professional with 13+ years of cross-functional experience across project delivery, strategic execution, stakeholder engagement, and organizational enablement. At Bain & Company, she drives high-impact internal initiatives focused on enhancing operational efficiency and talent development. Sindhu is recognized for her structured, human-centered approach to problem-solving - blending program management rigor with executive coaching, change management, and data-informed decision-making to drive sustainable outcomes in matrixed and fast-paced environments. 
    Outside of work, Sindhu is a trained Kathak dancer under Pt. Jai Kishan Maharaj and Smt. Ruby Mishra. She collaborates and performs with artists across Canada, and made her solo debut Umeed at the Momentum Festival - an evocative exploration of mental health through classical dance. Sindhu is also the founder of PratiBhaav, a Kathak school in Durham Region that encourages people of all ages to embrace Kathak as a form of self-expression, reflection, and joyful “me time” in a welcoming, supportive space. Bridging corporate leadership with artistic practice, she brings a unique lens to strategy rooted in discipline, creativity, and community-building.  

    Photo by Alok Kumar