Ballets Jazz Montréal
Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen

Fri. May 17, 2024 at 8pm

Duration: 80 minutes without intermission

Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen is an exclusive creation inspired by the rich and profound work of Montréal-based poet, artist and songwriter, Leonard Cohen.

Approved by Cohen during his lifetime, this riveting homage to the famed artist evokes the grand cycles of existence, as described in Cohen’s deeply reflective music and poems.

Three internationally renowned choreographers were entrusted with putting movement to Cohen’s legendary songs: Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Ihsan Rustem. Their powerful and profound choreographic world reflective of Cohen’s singular work is brought to life by Ballets Jazz Montréal’s 14 artists and the strong, bold dramaturgy of Eric Jean.

Surrounded by a team of celebrated designers, Dance Me combines scenic, visual, musical, dramaturgical, and choreographic writing to pay tribute to Montréal’s greatest ambassador. Dance, music, lighting, scenography, and videography all come together in this unforgettable show.

Songs in the show include (in program order):

Here It Is (2001)
Lover, Lover, Lover (1974)
Dance Me to the End of Love (Live in London, 2009)
Boogie Street (Live in London, 2009)
Steer Your Way (2016)
Everybody Knows (2001)
Tower of Song (1988)
So Long, Marianne (1967)
A Thousand Kisses Deep (poem)
Suzanne (1967)
Famous Blue Raincoat (1971)
Nevermind (2014)
First We Take Manhattan (1988)
It Seemed the Better Way (2016)
Hallelujah (1984)
String Reprise / Treaty (2016)

Ballets Jazz Montréal would like to thank the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation for the support given to the creation of the show.

Dance Me was supported by the CCOV - Centre de Création O Vertigo.

And you want to travel with her,
And you want to travel blind
And you know that
She will trust you
For you’ve touched her
Perfect body with your mind

-SUZANNE

Dance me to the wedding now,
Dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly
And dance me very long
We’re both of us beneath our love,
We’re both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

 -DANCE ME TO THE END OF LOVE

And I wish there was a treaty
We could sign
I wish there was a treaty
Between your love and mine

-TREATY

So long Marianne,
It’s time that we began
To laugh and cry and cry and
Laugh about it all again

-SO LONG, MARIANNE

It’s four in the morning,
The end of December
I’m writing you now
Just to see if you’re better
New York is cold,
But I like where I’m living
There’s music on Clinton Street
All through the evening

-FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT

Ideation Louis Robitaille
Dramaturgy and Stage Direction Eric Jean
Choreography Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ihsan Rustem
Music Direction Martin Léon
Sound Design Alexis Dumais
Set and Prop Design Pierre-Etienne Locas
Set Technical Direction Alexandre Brunet
Lighting Design and Production Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Simon Beetschen
Video Design HUB Studio - Gonzalo Soldi, Thomas Payette, Jeremy Fassio.
Costume Design Philippe Dubuc
Costume Production Anne-Marie Veevaete
Assistance Stage Direction Elsa Posnic
Sound Engineer Guy Fortin
Technical Director Marco Vargas Navarro
Head Carpenter Daniel Ranger
Head of Sound Maxime Lambert
Head of Lighting Claude Plante 
Head of Video Steve Montambault

Artists Alyssa Allen, Gustavo Barros, Yosmell Calderon Mejias, John Canfield, Tuti Cedeno, Astrid Dangeard, Shanna Irwin, Miu Kato, DaMond LeMonte Garner, Larissa Leung, Austin Lichty, Marcel Mejia, and Andrew Mikhaiel

Vocalist (So Long, Marianne): Astrid Dangeard

Vocalists (Hallelujah): DaMond LeMonte Garner and Astrid Dangeard

Artistic Director Alexandra Damiani
Rehearsal Director Ching Ching Wong
Artistic Coordinator Andrew Mikhaiel
Principal Artist Yosmell Calderon Mejias
Artists Alyssa Allen, Gustavo Barros, John Canfield, Tuti Cedeno, Astrid Dangeard, Shanna Irwin, Miu Kato, DaMond LeMonte Garner, Larissa Leung, Austin Lichty, Marcel Mejia, and Andrew Mikhaiel

Executive Director Marie-Joëlle Tremblay
Head of Administration and Finance Liane Barriault
Tour Director and Production Manager Josée Kleinbaum
Tour Director (interim) Tommy Blais
Marketing and Communications Manager Tony Bougiouris
Development and Partnerships Manager Alexandra Kukuc
Accounting Technician and Administrative Coordinator Gabrielle Paquin
Technical Director Marco Vargas Navarro
Head Carpenter Daniel Ranger
Head of Sound Maxime Lambert
Head of Lighting Claude Plante 
Head of Video Steve Montambault

President François Vaqué
Vice-president Hélène Lamarre
Treasurer Odile Poupart
Secretary Brigitte Nepveu
Administrators Noémie Brière-Marquez, Steve Desgagné, Matyas Gabor, Elizabeth Heurtelou, Paul Juneau, Alexandre Lagarde, Tammy Peddle, Anie Perreault, Olivier Perron-Collins, and Line Tanguay

Website: www.bjmdanse.ca
Facebook: /BalletsJazzMontreal
Instagram: /balletsjazzmontreal
LinkedIn: /Ballets Jazz Montreal
Twitter: @bjmdanse

Founded in 1972 by Geneviève Salbaing, Eva Von Gencsy and Eddy Toussaint, Ballets Jazz Montréal is a contemporary dance repertory company which, under the artistic direction of Alexandra Damiani, creates, produces, and presents on local, national, and international stages.

Among the artistic directors of the company who have greatly marked its evolution, company founder Geneviève Salbaing, driven by her visceral love of dance, led Ballets Jazz Montréal with passion and determination for over 20 years. Upon his appointment as artistic director in 1998, Louis Robitaille, reoriented the company towards an audience curious to discover new choreographic forms. In June 2021, Alexandra Damiani took over the artistic direction of Ballets Jazz Montréal and will carry out the company's mission and vision into the future.

The company engages internationally renowned choreographers to develop their own research in line with its identity and generates a repertoire that is both exclusive to the company and accessible to all audiences. The company’s impressive roster of talented and influential choreographers includes Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton, Mauro Bigonzetti, Andonis Foniadakis, Itzik Galili, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Barak Marshall, Benjamin Millepied, Ihsan Rustem, Anne Plamondon and Juliano Nunes, to name a few. As an ambassador of Quebec dance to the world, Ballets Jazz Montréal offers an artistic product that is explosive, original, accessible, and noted for the excellence of its performance.

All of Ballet Jazz’s work bring an element of humanity, fearlessness, and emotion in addition to the highly technical skill that each dance requires. Additionally, each piece is nuanced, multilayered and often multidisciplinary – combining other artistic disciplines such as theater, video, and music. With accessibility and quality as key values, the company successfully integrates pleasure and humanity into their strong, expressive, and demanding pieces. Moreover, the distinct personalities and high caliber of its performers further add to the quality that is expected from the company and play a key role in maintaining the company’s reputation and influence in the dance world.

Through their productions, performances, and educational activities, Ballets Jazz Montréal encourages discovery, stimulates imagination, and shares their passion for this discipline to all its audiences – both local and abroad. With more than 3,250 performances in 60 countries and an audience of nearly 3 million, Ballets Jazz Montréal is considered one of the world's leading ambassadors of Quebec dance and artistic vitality.

In 2016, the Prix Rideau Hommage was awarded to the company and its artistic director at the time, Louis Robitaille, in recognition of BJM's impact and continued presence on Quebec stages.

In 2020, the company received the Prix de la danse de Montréal for the category of international dissemination presented by CINARS.

In 2022, the company celebrated 50 years of creating, exploring, and connecting with its audiences.

ALEXANDRA DAMIANI (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)

Appointed Artistic Director of Ballets Jazz Montréal 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 Montréal with the RUBBERBANDance Company and later with the Ballets Jazz Montréal, under the direction of Louis Robitaille (2002-2005).

CHING CHING WONG (REHEARSAL DIRECTOR)

Born in Manila, raised in Los Angeles, and happiest in a studio, this is Ching Ching’s second season as Rehearsal Director for Ballet Jazz Montréal. She is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award in Dance, was named Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”, and is a répétiteur for Ihsan Rustem staging his work in the US, Europe, and Asia.

As a creator, Ching has made work on Louisville Ballet, Backhaus Dance, SALT 2, and Heidi Duckler Dance. She is also the founder of Project Salamat and The Experience, a global outreach program.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the University of California Irvine, working closely with the late Donald McKayle, her career began at Northwest Dance Project. There she originated roles in creations by Sarah Slipper, Ihsan Rustem, Felix Landerer, Lucas Crandall, Alejandro Cerrudo, Jiri Pokorny, Wen Wei Wang, Didy Veldman, Danielle Agami, Patrick Delcroix, Alex Soares, Kate Wallich, Pedro Dias, James Gregg, Yin Yue, Loni Landon, Gregory Dolbashian, Rachel Erdos, amongst others. As a freelance artist, she has collaborated with numerous companies and artists including Roderick George, ZviDance, PARA.MAR Dance Theatre, LED, Brendan Duggan, CARLON, YYDC, and OddKnock Productions.

ANDREW MIKHAIEL (ARTISTIC COORDINATOR)

Originally from Mississauga, Canada, Andrew Mikhaiel joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2017 as a dancer where he continues to tour nationally and internationally. Prior to joining the company, Andrew earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in ballet at Marymount Manhattan College, under the direction of Katie Langan. While in NYC, Andrew directed and organized a dance outreach program for NYC public schools, serving 240 3rd-5th graders. While touring with Ballets Jazz Montréal, Andrew has taught master classes across Canada, United States, Finland, France, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Israel. He has been a faculty member for BJM_360, NYCDA’s Winter Contemporary Intensive, Candance Competition, Rutherford Movement Exchange, Northern Movement as well as a guest teacher at Steps on Broadway. He is also member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (B.A.T.D).

As result of his work ethic, team spirit, and dedication, he became the company’s Artistic Coordinator in 2020. In this role, he provides support to the Artistic Director and the entire artistic team while also contributing to the development, planning and organization of the company’s various artistic activities such as BJM_360, the annual auditions, Alors, On Danse, and open classes with the company.

ERIC JEAN (CREATION & STAGE DIRECTOR)

Eric Jean is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most esteemed and outstanding stage directors of his generation. His appointment in 2004 as general and artistic director of Théâtre de Quat’Sous, and his ensuing success are a reflection of the trust and confidence he has established in the theatre milieu, which quickly saw him as a bold, unique artist who has made a significant artistic contribution to Quebec theatre.

A prolific and inventive director and an occasional actor, he is greatly appreciated for his commitment to up-and-coming artists, both as a teacher and at the professional level.

Where Jean has truly made his mark and reputation, however, is in his creative approach. Using structured improvisations as his point of departure, he also works in conjunction with playwright and set design, gradually piecing together his stage plays. Striking examples of this, which he calls “writing as action”, are of course his renowned Hippocampe, written in collaboration with Pascal Brullemans, and his 2009 staging of Chambre(s), co-written with Pascal Chevarie. Not only was Hippocampe the recipient of the 2003 Prix de la critique, but the director was also nominated for the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in 2004, one of five finalists.

Other notable productions were Corps étrangers/Cuerpos extranos (2005), a piece co-written with Pascal Brullemans and first created in Mexico before being presented in Quebec. Opium_37 (2009-2011) was written in collaboration with Catherine Léger, after which he staged Luc Tartar’s play for adolescents, S’embrasent (2009-2017). This was followed by Le ventriloque (2012) by Larry Tremblay, Survivre (2013) by Olivier Kemeid, Testament by Vickie Gendreau (2014), Variations sur un temps by David Ives (2015) and Le Joker (2016) by Larry Tremblay. 

ANDONIS FONIADAKIS (CHOREOGRAPHER)

Andonis Foniadakis grew up in city of Ierapetra, in the south part of the island of Crete, in Greece. He began his dance training with Niki Papadaki at the local dance school, in his hometown. From 1990 to 1992, he studied at the State Dance School of Athens and before his graduation he received the prestigious Maria Callas scholarship to continue his studies in Rudra Bejart Lausanne, in Switzerland until 1994.

As a dancer Andonis has collaborated with Bejart Ballet Lausanne (1994-1996) under the direction of Maurice Bejart, Lyon Opera Ballet (1996-2002) under the direction of Yorgos Loukos, Saburo Teshigawara / Karas Co. (2004) under the direction of Saburo Teshigawara, as well as, with his own dance company “Apotosoma-Andonis Foniadakis”. During the years of his professional engagement with these companies he has performed choreographic works of Maguy Marin, Jiri Kilian, William Forsythe, Dominique Boivin, Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Maurice Bejart, Ohad Naharin, Frederic Flamand, Bill T Jones, Herve Robbe, Tero Saarinen, Lionel Hoche, Joachim Schlomer, John Jasperse, Saburo Teshigawara etc.

As a freelance choreographer he has collaborated with The Royal New Zealand Ballet, Geneva Ballet (Switzerland), Lyon Opera Ballet (France), Bern Ballet (Switzerland), Ballet de Lorraine (France) Luzern Ballet (Switzerland) Gauthier Dance Company (Germany), Ballets Jazz Montréal (Canada), Martha Graham Dance Company (USA) Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (USA), Aterballetto (Italy), Ballet du Rhin (France), Sydney Dance Company (Australia), Florence Ballet (Italy), National Dance Company of Wales (England), Dansgroep Amsterdam (Netherlands), Cia Sociedade Masculina Brazil Bale da Cidade of Sao Paulo (Brazil), Helsinki Dance Company (Finland), National Ballet of Greece, National Theater of Northern Greece, Greek National Theater (Greece), Codarts (Netherlands), Benjamin Millepied Dance Company (USA), Washington Ballet (USA), Bejart Ballet Lausanne (Switzerland), Ballet Junior Geneva (Switzerland), Hellenic Dance Company (Greece), CNSMD Lyon (France), Copenhagen International Dance Festival  (Denmark).

He has been director of the Greek National Ballet for the season 2016- 2017 and has programmed the seasons 2016-17 and 2017-18. He is currently the resident choreographer of the Greek National Ballet.

Foniadakis has been commissioned to choreograph for 3 operas: The Theatre des Champs Elysees - Castor et Pollux, Opera National du Rhin - Les boreades by Rameau GRAME, Lyon - Il canto della pelle by Claudio Ambrosini.

He has collaborated as moving coordinator for the film NOAH by Darren Aronofsky. In 2012 he received the Danza and Danza Award for the “Best Choreographer 2012” in Italy, for the creation Les Noces in Maggio Danza - Florence Ballet.

As well he has collaborated with Palais de Tokyo as Choreographic Curator for the exhibition Prec(ar)ious Collectives that took place in Athens Greece as parallel event of the Documenta 14, in 2017.

In addition to creating and performing, Andonis is teaching seminars based on his personal dance technique. He has been teaching in the State Dance School of Greece, DAN.C.CE studios and Baile de Barrio in Athens, DOCK11 in Berlin, CND and CNSMD in Lyon, Dansgroep  Amsterdam, Henny Jurriens.

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA (CHOREOGRAPHER)

Colombian-Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (1973) completed her dance education at the Royal Ballet School of Flanders in Belgium. In 2003, after a 12-year dance career, where she danced as a soloist with the Scapino Ballet, she decided to focus her energy solely on choreography. In that same year, she was hailed “rising star of the Dutch dance scene” (NRC newspaper) and only 7 years later the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner wrote: “Ochoa is truly a masterful choreographer with an edge for what dance can and should be in this constantly changing industry”.

Annabelle is an award-winning and sought-after choreographer who has created works for more than 40 companies around the world such as the Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Dutch National Ballet, Djazzex, Ballet de Genève, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Gothenburg Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, BalletX, Ballets Jazz Montréal, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Ballet National de Marseille, Saarbrucken Ballet, Jacoby & Pronk, Chemnitzer Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Morphoses Wheeldon Company, Whim W’Him, IncolBallet de Colombia, Finnish National Ballet, Compania Nacional de Danza Madrid, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Scottish Ballet, The

Washington Ballet, Ballet Nacional Dominicano, Ballet Saarbrucken, Augsburg Ballet, Ballet Austin, Atlanta Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, Ballet Moscow, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, West Australian Ballet, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Ballet Nacional Chileno, Ballet Staatstheater am Gartnerplatz Munchen, Ballet Manila, Daniil Simkin Intensio Project, Cincinnati Ballet, Silicon Valley Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, English National Ballet, Ballet Black, and New York City Ballet.

Ms. Lopez Ochoa is a versatile choreographer who also creates for theatre, opera, musical theatre, and fashion events, such as the celebrated Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf’s project in the Van Gogh Museum. She belongs to the theatre-dance collective “De Fantasten” for whom she successfully co-directed five full-length productions that have been performed in numerous theaters and festivals throughout the Netherlands.

In 2009, she created Zip Zap Zoom for BJM, which was included in the “10 best dance moments of the year” by the Pittsburgh Gazette, The Boston Globe and the Montréal Gazette and was cited as one of the 10 best dance highlights of the year in San Diego and Chicago.

Her work has received numerous awards. In 2016, Broken Wings, created for the English National Ballet was nominated for a National UK Dance Award in the category of Best Classical Premiere. In 2015, Sombrerisimo, created for Ballet Hispanico, was given the Villanueva Award in Cuba. In 2012, A Streetcar Named Desire was nominated for the prestigious Olivier Award (UK), named Best Classical Choreography by the Circle of Critics of the National Dance Award (UK), and was awarded Best Dance Production 2012 by the South-Bank Sky Arts Awards. In 2007, Annabelle was elected to participate in the New York City Ballet Choreographic Institute. In 2002, Replay received first prize the audience prize at the Borne Choreographers Competition, and in 2001, Clair/Obscur received third prize at the Hannover Choreographic Competition.

IHSAN RUSTEM (CHOREOGRAPHER)

Ihsan Rustem was born in London, where he trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. 

Rustem began his professional career at the age of 17, joining Matthew Bourne's Adventures in Motion Pictures, followed by engagements with the Ballett Theater Munich (Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz) and Introdans in the Netherlands. In 2007 Ihsan moved to Switzerland as a Soloist with the Bern Ballet and later a founding member of the Tanz Luzerner Theater.

During this period, Ihsan originated roles in creations by Wayne McGregor, Hofesh Shechter, Alexander Ekman, Matthew Bourne, Stijn Celis, Patrick Delcroix, Cayetano Soto, Felix Landerer, Guilherme Bothello and worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Jiri Kylián, Paul Lightfoot / Sol Leon, Hans van Manen and William Forsythe, amongst others.

In 2010 Sarah Slipper invited Ihsan to Portland, Oregon USA, where he created State of Matter for the Northwest Dance Project, a piece which went on to win both the 2012 Sadler’s Wells Global Dance Contest and the Audience Choice Award at the 25th International Competition for Choreographers Hannover. 

In 2015 Ihsan was appointed Resident Choreographer for NWDP and continues in this position today. He is the former Artistic Director of the Dance Art Studio Balletschule Luzern, Switzerland and currently serves as its Artistic Advisor.

Rustem was the 2014 recipient of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's International Commissioning Project and a winner of Whim W'him's inaugural Choreographic Shindig in 2015. His sixth original work for the NW Dance Project, Carmen, won Dance Magazine's 2017 Readers' Choice Award for Best Collaboration. He was a featured choreographer for Russia's TV show 'The Bolshoi Ballet.'

To date, Ihsan has created works for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2 (USA), Northwest Dance Project (USA), Istanbul State Ballet MDT (Turkey), Tanz Luzerner Theater (CH), Kazan State Opera and Ballet (Russia), Whim W'Him (USA), Ballet Regensburg (DE), Ballett Koblenz (DE), Würzburg Ballett (DE), Salt Contemporary Dance Company (USA) National Youth Dance Company (UK), Aksanat Istanbul, Cinevox (CH) and the Palucca Schule Dresden (DE). 

LEONARD COHEN

Leonard Norman Cohen, poet, novelist, singer, songwriter (born 21 September 1934 in Montréal, QC; died 7 November 2016 in Los Angeles, California). Leonard Cohen was one of the most iconic Canadian artists of the 20th century. A sage, mystic, bohemian and romantic, he built an acclaimed body of literary work and a revered career in pop music. In his poetry, novels, and music, he constantly probed the human condition, exploring themes of love, loss, death and his commitment to his art. As a poetic and unlikely pop star, his narrow-ranged, gruff voice, which deepened and darkened with age, and his reliance on simple, singsong melodies were complimented by the intense imagery and depth of his lyrics. A Companion of the Order of Canada, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the US Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Folk Music Walk of Fame. He also received the Glenn Gould Prize, the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, eight Juno Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and numerous other honors.

ALYSSA ALLEN

Alyssa Allen is from Los Angeles, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts as a member of the inaugural class at the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Upon graduating in 2019, she joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for three seasons. She is excited for her second season with Ballets Jazz Montréal.

GUSTAVO BARROS

Born in Brazil, Gustavo began his professional path as a dancer in his hometown, Goiânia. He then joined some of the best contemporary dance companies in the country such as Deborah Colker cia and Balé da Cidade de São Paulo. He continued his career in Germany, where he danced for Ballethagen and Staatstheater Augsburg. Over the course of his career, Gustavo has performed the work of many renowned choreographers including Alexander Ekman, Mauro Bigonzzetti, Crystal Pite, Cayetano Soto, Marco Goecke, and Peter Chu. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

YOSMELL CALDERON MEJIAS (PRINCIPAL ARTIST)

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.

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 Hélène Blackburn for one season. In addition to his involvement with a number of private movement research programs across Canada, John has attended Springboard Danse Montréal and Creative Gesture at the Banff Centre for the Arts. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2021.

TUTI CEDEÑO

Born and raised in Panamá, Tuti began her training at the Academia de Danzas Steps. She continued her studies at the Boston Conservatory, where she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance. In addition, she attended various summer intensive programs and festivals such as Springboard Danse Montréal, VIM VIGOR, Opus Ballet, and B12. Tuti has had the honor of performing works by Andonis Foniadakis, Ihsan Rustem, Juliano Nunes, Anne Plamondon, Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Ausia Jones, and Shannon Gillen. She joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

ASTRID DANGEARD

Born in Paris, France, Astrid Dangeard joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020, performing works by Andonis Foniadakis, Aszure Barton, Ausia Jones, and Anne Plamondon. She played Iris Kelly in Fame, The Musical at the Casino de Paris (2019-2020), and has worked with Chet Walker, James Kinney, Rémi Esterle (Argentine Tango) and the Verdon/Fosse Legacy. She collaborates regularly with mixed-medium artists and has appeared in experimental theatre works, short movies (FIFA Montréal), and exhibitions.

SHANNA IRWIN

Shanna Irwin grew up in New Jersey, where she began training as a competitive dancer. She later switched her focus to ballet when she was accepted into The New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble under the direction of Nancy Turano. Shanna went on to continue her studies at Marymount Manhattan College and began touring with Complexions Contemporary Ballet during her senior year. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in May 2014. Shanna completed five seasons with Complexions and joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019. Her career has led her to perform in opera houses across five continents, where she has danced the works of Crystal Pite, Dwight Rhoden, Aszure Barton, Itzik Galili, Andonis Foniadakis, and Juliano Nunes, among others. This is her fifth season with Ballet Jazz Montreal.

MIU KATO

Born and raised in Japan, Miu Kato has been training in classical ballet since childhood at the Kaneta Kono Ballet Academy. She has received numerous awards at both the national and international level including 2^nd place at the Japan Dance Competition in 2014 and 3^rd place at the Youth American Grand Prix New York Final in 2016. Since 2018, she has been actively involved in the activities of La Dance Contrastée. In 2019, she served as a choreographic assistant to Megumi Nakamura for the production of Huis clos at KAAT. Miu has also performed in works by Ayuko Kaneta, Megumi Nakamura, Mari Nakahara, Masahiro Yanagimoto, Kaoru Kagaya, Naoko Ikegami, Harumi Takeuchi, Yuya Yoshizaki, Travis Clausen-Knight, Paul Julius, and others. Since 2021, she has been a member of The Choreographic Center of Japan’s artistic team. In recent years, she has also been actively involved in choreography and teaching. Miu joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2023.

DAMOND LEMONTE GARNER

Charlotte, North Carolina native, DaMond LeMonte Garner attended Point Park University, where they received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, with a concentration in Modern Dance. While at Point Park, they performed the work of choreographers Alexandra Damiani, Sidra Bell, Lucinda Childs, Lar Lubovitch, Jessica Hendricks, and Anthony Tudor with the Conservatory Dance Company. DaMond has also continued their training and artistic development at Springboard Danse Montreal, Movement Invention Project, and Northwest Dance Project’s LAUNCH. After graduating, DaMond joined METdance in Houston, TX and performed works by Kyle Abraham, Christian Denice, and Kate Skarpetowska. Garner has worked as a guest artist with The Francesca Harper Project, The Black Iris Project, Texture Contemporary Ballet, and The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Upon moving to New York City, DaMond joined Parsons Dance Company, where they collaborated with choreographers Rena Butler, Chanel DeSilva, and Matthew Neenan and performed the work by David Parsons. In addition to their work at Parsons, DaMond was a Principal Dancer with The Metropolitan Opera and a freelance artist in New York City. DaMond joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2023.

LARISSA LEUNG

Toronto-native Larissa Leung received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance at The Juilliard School under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack and Mario Alberto Zambrano. At Juilliard, Larissa was fortunate to perform in the work of Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, Aszure Barton, Jermaine Spivey, Spenser Theberge, Bobbi Jene Smith, and Donald McKayle. Additionally, she has learned works by Crystal Pite, Jiří Kylián, Yue Yin, and Andrea Miller. To further her artistic and technical development, Larissa attended summer programs with Nederlands Dans Theater, Springboard Danse Montreal, and Arts Umbrella. As a choreographer, her piece so we won’t forget was chosen to be performed in Juilliard’s Choreographic Honors 2022, and she premiered a new work memory the heart for Juilliard Dance Senior Production 2023. Ms. Leung joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2023.

AUSTIN LICHTY

Born in Stratford, Ontario, Austin trained at the Arts Umbrella Graduate Program under the direction of Artemis Gordon and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Toronto Metropolitan University. He has participated in Springboard Danse Montréal, Arts Umbrella International Summer Dance Intensive, and TransFormation Danse, summer programs. Throughout his professional development, Austin has worked with choreographers such as James Kudelka, Crystal Pite, Guillaume Côté, Emily Molnar, Lukas Timulak, and Amos Ben Tal. Austin joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.

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 Montréal 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.

ANDREW MIKHAIEL

Originally from Mississauga, Canada, Andrew Mikhaiel earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a concentration in ballet at Marymount Manhattan College, under the direction of Katie Langan. He has danced in works choreographed by Alexandra Damiani, Andonis Foniadakis, Anne Plamondon, Aszure Barton, Barak Marshall, Crystal Pite, Ihsan Rustem, Itzik Galili, Jo Strømgren, Juliano Nunes, Larry Keigwin, and Paul Taylor just to name a few. He attended Springboard Danse Montréal in 2016. Andrew graduated as a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Honour Society and is a member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (B.A.T.D). He has been a faculty member for BJM_360, NYCDA’s Winter Contemporary Intensive, Candance Competition, Rutherford Movement Exchange, and Northern Movement as well as a guest teacher at Steps on Broadway. While in NYC, Andrew directed and organized a dance outreach program for NYC public schools, serving 240 3rd-5th graders. Andrew has taught and choreographed across Canada, the United States, Finland, France, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Israel. Andrew enjoys working with dancers of all ages and abilities to help strengthen their technique, deepen their artistry, and fuel their passion for dance. Andrew joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2017 and, as a result of his work ethic, team spirit, and dedication, became the company’s Artistic Coordinator in 2020, providing support to the Artistic Director and the entire artistic team.