Katya is a co-founder the festival. Originally from the Russian Far East, Katya moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 1996 and enjoyed an active career as a performer, choreographer and educator while on faculty at the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 2007, she co-produced the first Dance Together Alaska Festival to help build an active network between dance communities state-wide. Since moving to Toronto, Canada in 2009 and earning a Master of Fine Arts in Dance Dramaturgy and Choreography, she has worked as an independent artist, educator and cultural producer. She has developed and facilitated mixed abilities dance programs for Wheel Dance, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Sarah Elizabeth Centre and various retirement communities in the GTA. As the founder of Dance Together Project, she creates positive dance experiences for adult learners. katyakuznetsova.com

Kate Nankervis is a co-founder of the festival. Dancing is a constant source of inspiration for Kate - Through performance, installation, exhibition and research-led collaborations, she works towards making uplifting dance experiences essential and transformative to physical and mental health, community care and placemaking. She has worked at City of Toronto’s Nuit Blanche and ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art, transforming civic spaces into artistic spaces, and DoorTODoor Dances, delivering dances to various LongTerm care residents and senior groups often living in isolation. She continues to perform, teach and collaborate with other artists and choreographers from across Canada and internationally for more than 15 years. Kate lives in Etobicoke/ Tkaranto. @kate_nankervis

Born and residing in Scarborough, Mel Hart is a passionate dance performer, choreographer, educator, and curator(emerging). With a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours specializing in Dance from York University, she is the co-artistic director of SaMel Tanz, and premiered their latest work “CHAMPIONESS'' at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre presented by DanceWorks in late 2023. 

Driven to bring joy, unity and improve accessibility to dance, Mel shares her passion with diverse dance and non-dance communities across Canada in safe and inspiring environments. By focusing on inclusion and community-building she aims to provide marginalized groups access to dance spaces and build connections between artists and audiences. 

Mel is the Lead choreographer for Bix Co. Bespoke Entertainment, creating performances and managing talent for a variety of experiences. She teaches Hip Hop, Western Contemporary and Salsa and has curated events for Unity Charity, Toronto Community Housing, StreetARTToronto, Dancemakers and Dance Together Project.

https://www.instagram.com/melhart1/

Shakkoi aka Need Some Koi is a dancer, author and spoken word poetry artist. Her business Floetry Fitness focuses on creating spaces for movement and poetry and has been seen on Breakfast Television's Movin in the Mornings, as well as at the Nia Centre, Black Women in Motion and the City of Pickering. Shakkoi's unique, raw, inviting and powerful presence encourages many to "Release their Doubts & Step Out!". With plenty of experiences to share, there is no doubt that everyone needs some Koi in their lives! Shakkoi has been with the Dance Together Festival since 2021 both as a dance artist and Master of Ceremonies. https://www.needsomekoi.com/about-koi

Mirna Chacín is a Venezuelan-born Canadian visual artist passionate about people and telling their stories through photography. Her artwork reflects on concepts around loss and grief, uprooting, belonging and people's traditions through the engagement of communities from a perspective of diversity and inclusion. Mirna has received grants from Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Art Council, and the RBC access found by Toronto Art Foundation. She is also very proud of being awarded the Community Impact award by the Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto for her outstanding volunteering contributions and telling the stories of newcomer inclusion through photography. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mirna has been working on a poetic Memorial devoted to loss and grief in pandemic times called Elegy for Souls on Hold with the support of ArtworxTO, the year of the city's public art 2021-2022 of Toronto; exhibited once as part of the collective "Homeland, Bodies of Water." She is a member of CARFAC Ontario, Bereavement Ontario Networking, Arts Etobicoke and gallery 44. mirnachacin.com

Frannie Potts is a Toronto-based artist, muralist and educator with over a decade of experience. Her creative work lives at the intersection of whimsical and surreal, captivating viewers with brightly coloured figures and abstract backgrounds.

Frannie believes that art-making should be accessible to everyone, and strives to make this a reality in her home community of Scarborough. This led her to become the cofounder and artistic director of Scarbrite, a grassroots community arts organization whose goal is to brighten the streets of Scarborough through co-creating works of art.

Frannie has also made her mark in the arts community through her work with numerous organizations, including but not limited to VIBE Arts, StArt Toronto, Scarborough Arts, Mural Routes, Urban Arts, and Workman Arts. Her work has been featured on the TTC, CP24, The York Guardian, Toronto.com and more.

https://www.scarbrite.ca

Natalie Very B. is a Polish-Canadian illustrator, muralist, and Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying). She is currently concluding her studies at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute (TATI) in pursuit of a graduate diploma in Art Therapy. Having grown up in a country with a strong patriarchal regime and an obvious system of inequality, she strives to use her art to educate people about the importance of anti-oppressive practices. Her bold and bright murals depicting the themes of nature and modern female empowerment can be found all across Ontario. She makes public art with the goal of changing preconceived notions of feminism by promoting self-love and body neutrality in the world. She painted her first mural at the OCAD building in 2015 and has fallen in love with working large scale ever since. natalieveryb.com

Kendra Epik is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist. Kendra works independently as a dancer, filmmaker, photographer, and musician. After studying dance at Point Park University, Kendra further developed her love for filmmaking and photography. She works as a freelance movement and portrait photographer in Toronto and continuously works towards producing films through the support of local commissions and independently. Kendra’s film “Sunglow Gecko” commissioned by Form Festival was awarded the Youth Innovation Award, is a semifinalist for the Dumbo Film Festival, and has won two honorable mentions for Manifest Dance-Film Festival and ReelHeART International Film Festival. Kendra has worked as a videographer, filmmaker, and photographer for various Toronto-based companies including Citadel + Compagnie, Fall for Dance North, Toronto Dance Theatre, Luminato Festival, Blue Ceiling Dance, Pro Arte Danza, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, TOES FOR DANCE, Ace Dance Theatre, Nostos Collective to name a few. While emerging into her professional course, Kendra looks forward to documenting and capturing the dance community through her lens with integrity and authenticity.

@kendraepikphotography

Jahmal Nugent (AKA Ninjahmal) is a self-taught photographer and creative. Ninjahmal’s passion lies in capturing profound, overlooked moments. After receiving his first camera several years ago, he felt empowered to fully pursue his artistic dreams. Ninjahmal experiments with diverse types of photography; however, he primarily draws joy and motivation from capturing the ephemeral moments that seldom get noticed. Ninjahmal’s creative process varies based on the project or whatever creative idea he is envisioning. This innovative process can range from having every aspect planned out with a team supporting project creation, or it may require visiting particular spaces and places multiple times to capture the perfect shot. Other than his camera, Ninjahmal primarily depends on found objects and affordable materials to realize his artistic vision. ninjahmal.com