Rob Kitsos is an acclaimed dancer, dance instructor, performing artist and choreographer who appeared with dance companies across the United States, Asia and Europe. He has performed at international festivals in Lisbon, Barcelona, Paris, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Venezuela and Hong Kong. In addition to his own work as an independent choreographer and performer, Rob has been a member of over fifteen performing companies and artists covering a broad range of styles from mime to hip hop to ballet, including Doug Elkins Dance Company, Gina Gibney, Dance, Hillary Easton, Jannis Brenner, KT Niehoff, Colin Connor, Pat Graney, the Chamber Dance Company, Peter Bingham, Lin Snelling and the Berkshire Ballet.

As a choreographer, Rob has created over 100 original works, many of which include collaborations with artists from a range of disciplines. He has studied Mime at Ecole Jacques Lacoq in Paris and played drums in a rock band in popular clubs like CBGB's in New York City as well as a tour through Spain in 2004 with the band Westport Sunrise Sessions based in New York City.  He continues to record and collaborate with the WWS.  Rob has composed and performed many of his own sound scores and video projections for his choreography. Most recently, Rob was commissioned by Tanz&Kunst productions in Baden Switzerland to co-create a full evening work with Brigitta Luisa Merki including flamenco, hip hop and contemporary dance artists.

Rob has received support from the Social Science and Research Council through Simon Fraser University, the BC Arts Council and Canada Council for a range of projects including Wake and Saudade. Rob was also awarded support from the Leisure and Cultural Council in Hong Kong in 2003 as well as the Donald E. Peterson Endowed Fellowship for Excellence at the University of Washington in 2001 and 2002.

In addition to choreographing and performing, Rob has been teaching dance in universities for twenty years. He was a Guest Artist at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1998, a full time faculty member of the University of Washington from 1998-2002. He then began a two-year Senior Lecturer position at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In 2004, Rob joined the faculty of Simon Fraser University for which he is a Professor in the School for the Contemporary Arts. He teaches contemporary dance, composition, repertory, dance aesthetics, improvisation in performance and interdisciplinary collaboration. Rob received his BA in Theatre/Dance from Bard College in 1990 and his MFA in Dance from the University of Washington in 1997.

Anya Saugstad is a dancer and choreographer from Vancouver Canada, living and working on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples. Anya trained at ArtsUmbrella, and at Simon Fraser University where she received a BFA in dance. Anya has danced professionally with Inverso Productions under the direction of Lesley Telford. As well, she has apprenticed with Action at a Distance, and with the response. Through her own choreographic work Anya aims to create intimate, and chaotic worlds using dance, sound, set, costume, and light. Anya is currently working towards a full length dance work, about the double life we often live between failure and success. She works closely with musical composer Stefan Nazerevich, and a collective of performers including Daria Mikhaylyuk, Eowynn Enquist, Katarina Nesic, Maddy Gilbert, and Shion Skye Carter. Her process physically and visually tries to answer questions about who we are as complicated beings, and aims to access and express our untamed selves. Anyas work has been shown through Vines Art Festival, Simon Fraser University, BLOOM, BoomBox, Dance Cafe, and F-O-R-M Film Festival, among others.

anyasaugstad.com

Barbara Bartnik born in Poland, she graduated from the Polish National Ballet School and joined project EUROPA DANSE in FRANCE  and the Polish National Ballet straight afterwards for almost 10 years.

Winning prizes at the Polish Dance Competitions and International Competition. Barbara received scholarships from the Prime Minister of Poland. She took part in the Rosella Hightower Workshop in L’Ecole Superieur de Dance in Cannes, France.

As a dancer of the Polish National Ballet she appeared in: ARIFACT SUITE (WILLIAM FORSYTHE) - THE OTHER PERSON; PERSONA (PÄRT, SZYMAŃSKI, NAWROCKA / BONDARA) - THIRD SHE; THE RITE OF SPRING (STRAVINSKY / GAT), IN LIGHT AND SHADOW, TRISTAN, KURT WEILL, AND THE RAIN WILL PASS (choreography by PASTOR); THE NUTCRACKER (TCHAIKOVSKY / GLEGOLSKI) - SNOW & FLOWER QUEEN; LA BAYADÈRE (MINKUS / PETIPA, MAKAROVA) - PAS D'ACTION; SWAN LAKE (TCHAIKOVSKY / IVANOV, MUKHAMEDOV) - BIG SWANS; THE SLEEPING BEAUTY (TCHAIKOVSKY / PETIPA, GRIGOROVICH) - LILAC FAIRY; CINDERELLA (PROKOFIEV / ASHTON) - WINTER FAIRY; CONCERTO BAROCCO (BACH / BALANCHINE); ONEGIN (TCHAIKOVSKY, STOLZE / CRANKO); ANNA KARENINA (SHCHEDRIN / RATMANSKY).

Barbara also debuted as choreographer in Creation - 4th Choreographic Workshop in Warsaw with Human Object (Pink Floyd) where she got experience as a stage technical coordinator. She was a teacher and a choreographer at The Academy Of Musical Workshop in Warsaw.

As an independent dance artist based in Vancouver, BC., entering from a visual arts background, Zahra began her practice in dance at the University of Calgary, receiving a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in 2014 along with a minor in Visual Studies. She relocated to Vancouver in 2015 to study with Modus Operandi Contemporary Dance Training Program, graduating in 2018 on scholarship. She has presented choreography at the Alberta Dance Festival, Alberta Dance Theatre for Young People, University of Calgary Dance, Mascall Dance’s Bloom residency, New Works Performance, and Dance in Vancouver, Shooting Gallery, and The Dance Centre’s 12 minutes max. She has worked for several choreographers in Vancouver, including Out Inner Space and The Biting School.

11歲開始在北京舞蹈學院學習，從附中大學畢業留校任職於北京舞蹈學院青年舞團，同時完成藝術碩士（ MFA學士學位)，在大學三年級就已拿到中華人民共和國文化部主辦的專業舞臺藝術政府最高獎“個人文華表演獎”和第八屆桃李杯舞蹈大賽銅獎，大學期間在學院聘請新疆維吾爾族著名表演藝術家海力且姆·斯迪克的課程以一百分的成績結業，此分數也是北京舞蹈學院歷屆考試以來從未有過的優秀成績，至今的她已在肯尼迪藝術中心，林肯劇院，北京國家大劇院等舞臺上表演過多部的舞劇和作品，2014年定居於溫哥華，同年6月在溫哥華舞蹈中心劇場首演自編自演“冬梅和水，生命的對話”個人舞蹈專場，她不斷創作、演繹和探索，以中國民族民間舞為根基，結合自身經歷、感受融合在作品裏，尋找屬於她的表現形式，現獲得加拿大藝術基金的支持，同時授課於The Motion Artistry。

Dong Mei’s pursuit of dance at the age of eleven. Her passion for dance has led her through all the intensive trainings in Beijing Dance Academy (BDA), where she completed her Master of Fine Arts degree. She completed the nationally renowned Uyghur, one great artist Hailiqiem’s master class with a perfect mark, setting a new benchmark in the history of BDA. Her dance “The Red Apricot Branch” has earned numerous awards such as the champion of Beijing Dance Competition, the 8th Taoli Cup and the 6th Seoul International Dance Competition. Especially fond of the dance of China’s many minority groups, She have travelled extensively within the country to collect local dance pieces for artistic recreation. Her self-choreographed solo dance concert “Dongmei: A Conversation with Water and Life” was staged in Vancouver on June 2014.

Graduating from the Beijing Dance Academy modern dance director training classes, Silu Xi has been known for her well teaching in classical dance, modern dance, folk dance and ballet base training. She also has double degree in the Bachelor of Business Information Technology Management at BUPT and BCIT. Silu has participated as lead dancer and Director Assistant in Vancouver Spring Show since the second season. Meanwhile, as the master instructor in Motion Artistry, her professional knowledge about dance, directing, and unique performance style has been highly recognized.