Simcoe Contemporary Dancers presents Get Out and Dance at Lampman Lane Park in Barrie, July 27-28, 2024. During this event 18 amazing local artists will be featured and we want to highlight them here. Scroll down to learn more about the artists of Get Out and Dance 2024!
Dance Performers:
Sarah Kennedy graduated from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia with her degree: Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours majoring in Dance. She is from Newmarket, Ontario and has been dancing since age four. As an emerging artist, Sarah has performed in many works at SFU including Ascension 2018, 2020, 2021, PPE Waves, Ghost Forest, Myriad and Coda. She has performed in Dusk Dances from 2017-2022 and has toured with artists in Barrie and Hamilton, ON. During her career, Sarah has had the pleasure of learning from artists such as Megan Walker-Straight, Rob Kitsos, Judith Garay, Marla Eist, Emmalena Fredriksson, Justine Chambers, NiNi Dongnier, Charlotte Boye-Christensen and Sylvie Bouchard. Sarah continues to explore her own choreographic style using her personal experiences as a catalyst.
Paul Moen is a talented performer with a deep passion for the art of dance. He began is training at a young age and started dancing competitively at age 9, winning numerous awards, including the prestigious “Be Discovered” scholarship for dance training in Los Angeles. After dancing competitively for many years, Paul continued to pursue excellence in performance by training in dance, signing, and acting at George Brown College. Following college, Paul moved to Sweden, where he expanded his artistic practice by teaching dance. After returning to Canada, Paul continued teaching at Bradford School of Dance where he shares his extensive experience and passion with his students. Paul is also a dedicated member of Simcoe Contemporary Dancers, where he strives to inspire others with his talent and love for dance.
Eligh Zimmerman is a self-trained dancer who took his movement to the next level first as a choreographic apprentice with Simcoe Contemporary Dancers before joining the company as a professional member. Later, he earned his diploma in Performing Arts from the Centennial College Performing Arts Program. He is a celebrated drag performer in Toronto known as Sugarstixxx. As a drag performer, he is high energy, running and hosting his own open stage at Pegasus on Church. As a choreographer, he has choreographed many different pieces for dancers and drag performers. As a dancer, Eligh performs in many different styles including Contemporary, Jazz, Tap and Hip-Hop.
Alayna Molotkow is a professional dancer, producer, choreographer, adjudicator and model. She graduated from Ryerson University with a BFA in Dance Performance. As a technically trained dancer, Alayna is proficient in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, contemporary, lyrical, musical theatre, tap and burlesque. Alayna produces films under Von Hunt Productions, including ‘In Transit’, which was featured at the 2021 Digital Toronto Fringe Festival. Alayna has also recently performed and choreographed ‘Tales of a Cocktail’ and ‘Anatomy of a Dancer’, which were nominated for several Broadway World Awards. Alayna has also established a residency at a local speakeasy where she regularly performs and choreographs burlesque acts in downtown Toronto, and has performed in notable venues such as The Royal Conservatory of Music, The Gardiner Museum, Roy Thompson Hall and many more.
Hayley Ng is an emerging professional dancer, and physiotherapist. She started dancing at age 3, and trained in pre-professional ballet throughout high school. During her bachelor’s degree, she performed soloist roles with Hamilton City Ballet and choreographed for McMaster’s Recreational Dance Team. During her master’s, she continued her ballet training and launched her professional dance career, where she performed with the Dance : Corps company, at the Youth Day Global event, and as an artist in the Quarantine Qapsule digital archive on the Museum of Toronto website. Hayley has performed as a soloist at the University of Toronto and at Georgia’s Dance & Arts Cultural Centre. Her self-choreographed solo was also featured in the Digital Shortworks festival in Stratford. She has also performed with Moonlight Ballet and the Toronto Chinese Orchestra.
Shelly-Ann Skinner is a multidisciplinary performing artist, community organizer and activist, who believes art is a pathway to healing. Shelly-Ann use her creative talents to activate social justice movements and inspire radical self love.
Brianna Maltais journey in music and dance spans across Canada, the United States, and Europe, where she studied alongside esteemed tap dancers and musicians. The pinnacle of her training includes, international mentorship from tap dance master Heather Cornell at her Tap Labs in Michigan, and Improjazz workshop in Greece. Recent performances include appearances with The Skyliners Big Band at the Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival and Dance Against the Wind, produced by Vintage Taps Company, starring Brenda Buffalino. Dedicated to enriching the tap dance community, Brianna is part of the 2024 Toronto International Tap Dance Festivals production team, and teaches young tap dancers locally. Currently, she is engaged in Heather Cornell’s Legacy Project, supported by the Canadian Arts Council, focusing on musical collaboration, with mentorship from tap dance professionals Dianne Walker, Max Pollack, and pianist Andy Milne.
Dance Workshop Instructors:
Aanchal Nanavati is the founder of Lasya – Poetry of Footsteps Dance School. She is an International performer and choreographer for last 21 years. Aanchal performs and choreographs a variety of cultural and Bollywood dance styles, each with its own unique significance. Through Lasaya, her mission is to inspire everyone to step up to embrace your inner passion for dance and fitness. At Lasaya, she strives to create an space where everyone can experiene the energy of these vibrant dance forms, not only by sitting back as an audience member but also by joining in to have fun, memorable dance experiences.
Erika MacNeil is a dancer by training, teacher by trade, writer on a whim. Erika is an experiential performer who thrives on audience participation, spontaneous creation, and interactive collaboration. As a cabaret and site-specific artist, Erika has performed in both large venues and intimate settings, outdoor spaces and shared public areas. Her most recent work includes Rap is Poetry with Ty the Poetess, Barrie’s Poet Laureate, as well as Walk the Six, a Toronto historic society experience at Etienne Brule Park and McMichael Art Gallery.
Nicole Welsh is a second generation BellyDance artist who has been sharing her BellyDance passion in the Simcoe County area for 2 decades! She is a dedicated teacher, performer and student of Egyptian BellyDance. Nicole is the owner and lead choreographer of Cairo’s Jewels BellyDance, teaching and inspiring students from 3 -70 with the wonderful art form of BellyDance. Nicole believes in the power of connecting and bringing joy, not only to audience, but within the dancer and she continuously strives to bring people together through BellyDance.
Musicians:
Joe Adamick is a percussionist. Passion, energy and rhythmic flexibility would best describe his performance. Over the past 40 years, He has worked in an endless variety of settings and genres including jazz (trio, quartet etc) musical theatre productions, Big band, Indie Band, wedding band, and dance group accompanist. Joe is a true supporter of the arts and has organized many fundraisers for fledgling performers, cancer research as well as donating his performance skills to assist Team Broken Earth sending a medical team to Guatemala.
Sil Simone is an in demand guitarist, composer, and producer based in Toronto. His musical theatre credits include Rock Of Ages, We Will Rock You, and Bat Out Of Hell. Sil has also had a prolific touring and recording career which includes working with artists like Tom Cochrane, Triumph, Rik Emmett, Lee Aaron, Zappacosta, Regatta, Liberty Silver, and many others!
Brendan Graham is a multi-instrumentalist performer and composer based in Aurora, Ontario. He is the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitar player for @hungrymannamusic. Brendan is a consistent collaborator with SCD and he recently composed an original score to accompany a 30-minute original choreography called Tracing Orbits which premiered in Barrie in 2024.
Connor Wilfert is the bassist and backup vocalist for @hungrymannamusic. Connor is also the lead singer and lead guitarist for his own band, @buzzhoneymusic.
Corey Marshall is a multi-instrumentalist performer and drummer for @hungrymannamusic. Corey also performs with his band, @telltale_sounds in many local venues as the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and occasional drummer.
Sam Ierullo has enjoyed a lifetime as a musician and music teacher. He has studied saxophone(s), clarinet, flute, and jazz improvisation with many musicians including well known Toronto musician Jack Zaza and jazz pianists Bob Erlendson and Frank Colucci. Sam has played jazz, rock, blues, pop, ethnic, and classical music in a wide variety of bands and ensembles for clubs, shows, parties, weddings, charity events and in recording studios. He has played at many and various venues throughout North America. Sam has a Master Of Education in Science degree and has been dedicated to teaching music to elementary and high school students as well as teaching private lessons throughout Toronto over the years.
Kasey Kohring is a 24 year old Singer-Songwriter from Innisfil, Ontario that started performing on stage at the age of 12 and went on to complete his Bachelor of Music degree at Wilfrid Laurier University in recent years. Kasey is known for his strong and elegant vocals that flow through the crowd with his dynamic guitar playing that pairs perfectly with his vocal melodies. Kasey’s favourite music to play is Canadian content like Tragically Hip, 54-40, Arkells, The Trews and more but he also always enjoys performing his original music as well. He is currently in a three piece rock band called All My Life that performs throughout Southern Ontario. All My Life also has a single and an EP called Stories Of You that can be found on any streaming platform. Kasey can be seen performing at local bars, restaurants, farmers markets and many other local events throughout the year.
Click here to see the entire Get Out and Dance line-up and event details!