I was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick. I started dancing at the age of 3. I trained at Dance Acadie. Dance has always been a part of me and helped me get through the difficult times in my life. The dance studio was my home. I took classes in jazz, lyrical, ballet, hip-hop and tap. I always knew I wanted to dance and make a living from my passion. One of my biggest goals as a youngster was to be part of “So You Think You Can Dance Canada”. I knew the chances of succeeding were slim, coming from a small town, but I never let the negative comments get to me. I finished high school and moved to Montreal to pursue my dance career. I left everything behind and went off on my own at the young age of 17. Since my move, my dance career has taken off and I’ve accomplished many of the goals I set for myself. One of them was So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Not only did I achieve this goal, but I placed in the Top 4 – finalist. I then danced in Ubisoft’s video game ‘The Micheal Jackson The Experience’ for the Xbox 360 Kinect. I assisted alongside Megan Lawson (FanyPack) and Phil ‘Packman’ Shbeeb (IamMe) for Cirque du Soleil’s Micheal Jackson The Immortal Tour choreographed by NappyTabs. I danced in the movie ‘Mirror Mirror’ with star Julia Roberts. I danced in the film ‘Make your move 3D’ choreographed by NappyTabs, directed by Duane Adler and starring Derek Hough and BoA. I was on America’s Best Dance Crew Season 7 with Irratik. I danced for Ceelo Green, Def Leppard, Melissa Etheridge and Kelly Clarkson on La Voix. I danced on the Bell Centre stage for artists Marie-Mai and Matt Duff. The latter will be broadcast on NETFLIX. I danced in the film Step Up 5: All In. At 25, I moved to Los Angeles and danced with Jennifer Lopez for 3 years in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood’s Axis Theater as her first job in the States. I also danced in her music videos “Ain’t your mama”, “Dinero”, “El Anillo” and “Limitless”. I traveled to Qatar, New York and other places with her. I danced with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Kevin Hart at the MTV Movie Awards, choreographed by Janelle Ginestra. I danced with Hailee Steinfeld at the RDMAs and with Rihanna at the VMAs, both choreographed by Parris Goebel. I’ve also had the chance to dance with artists like Cardi B, DJ Khaled, Pitbull, Kanye West, Teyanna Taylor, Ja Rule, and many others. I now live in Montreal and own my own professional dance company Bee-Yond Belief with my partner. We value personal growth and self-love. We take a holistic approach and provide a healthy space for our dancers to be themselves, all training to a high caliber. As a nonbinary person in an LGBTQ+ couple, I am passionate about my community and jump at any opportunity to represent well and be a healthy person for all. I value inclusivity and diversity. Even though I’ve achieved so many of my dreams, my goals don’t stop there. I believe that as a dancer, as a choreographer, as a mentor and as a person, we always have more to learn and accomplish. I’m a student of life, and for life. If you can dream it, then it can become a reality.

Tina is a passionate and versatile dancer, choreographer and teacher. Originally from the South Shore, her experience spans Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York and Cairo. We can recognize Tina’s signature in each of her works, where each choreography finds its narrative and its human emotion in a sophisticated blend of Tina’s favourite styles, Jazz and Contemporary.
Recently, she was lucky enough to be associate choreographer for NETFLIX’s immersive The Queen’s Ball: Bridgerton experience on their North American tour. She presented a choreographic piece at the DANSENCORE FESTIVAL and choreographed Fancy Nancy the Musical. She was assistant choreographer with Donna Feore for HOCKEY SWEATER (National Art Center), Sean Cheesman for PROM QUEEN (Segal Center Performing Arts). As a dancer, Tina has performed for AIDA with the Canadian Opera Company; the Canadian tour of RETURN TO GRACE; PAN AM GAMES for their Closing Ceremony, and PARAPANAM for their Opening Ceremony; ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS with Royal Carribean Cruises. She has also performed on screen including Chanteurs masqués, Infoman, Killjoys CW, Au Suivant to name a few and was the principal dancer in the short film ONDEK choreographed by Louis-Martin Charest. As a choreographer and teacher, Tina loves being part of an artist’s artistic journey, watching them evolve, pushing their limits and guiding them to become the next generation of artists.

Originally from Finland, Liisa Saario began her dance studies in Europe. She trained professionally at Tanssikeskus r.y., in jazz (Lynn Simonson and Matt Mattox technique), modern (Graham, Cunningham, Limon) and classical ballet. She has been working as a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher for 39 years. She has danced with professional companies such as Rollo Dance Theater in Finland, Théâtre de danse de Montréal and Mt.Laurel Regional Ballet in Philadelphia. She has performed in a number of variety shows at Place des Arts, including with Michèle Richard and Michel Louvain, and with Celine Dion at Théâtre Capitol in Quebec City. She has toured extensively throughout Quebec and abroad. She has also appeared in television galas: Gala des Artistes, Gala MétroStar, and variety shows such as Variétés Michel Jasmin, Les Demons du Midi, Les Bye Bye’s of 1985, -86, -87, Emission Spéciale à Memphis with René Simard, to name a few. As a choreographer, Liisa has worked on productions for TVA; Rendez-vous spécial de la rentrée, Gala des Artistes, and CTV; Telethon of Stars. She was the choreographer for the Gala d’Ouverture at the Palais des Congrès de Laval and for the Gala Provigo at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal. Her work has been seen at the Saidye Brofman Theater in The World of Entertainment and in shows for the schools where she teaches. With Cirque du Soleil she was assistant choreographer for a special event in Baku, Azerbaijan. Liisa had her dance company danSaario from 2003-2011. danSaario performed in shows, participated in dance festivals such as Festival Montréalais de la danse and Envol Danse, and competed at the Festival International Danse Encore in Trois-Rivières. She has won the Gold Medal 3 consecutive years. Certified in the Simonson Jazz dance technique, Liisa Saario has taught at various schools in Montreal, including l’École de danse Eddy Toussaint, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, l’École de danse Peter George, Université de Montréal, Laurenhill Dance Academy, École de danse de Boucherville, Danse123, EDSP. She currently teaches at Collège Sainte-Anne de Lachine’s dance concentration, Collège Jean-Eudes’ dance option, École de danse Suzie Paquette and Studio Bizz. She is regularly invited to teach at intensive workshops across the province.

Michaël Garcia was born in Toulouse in 1992. He studied dance at the Centre des Arts et de la Danse de Fontenilles with Elisabeth and Christophe Garcia for five years. He then joined the Princess Grace Academy of Monaco and the Malandain Ballet Biarritz in 2011. He will travel the world and dance with them for ten years, performing solo and demi-solo roles.

Choreographer, performer and teacher, Stéphanie Decourteille is sought after for her singular, fiery and physically demanding choreographic language, as well as for her rigorous teaching. She is called upon by numerous choreographers and cultural structures to offer master classes and advanced training for dancers, workshops and courses. In particular, she multiplies her interventions in the fields of contemporary dance, circus and urban dance. Since 2018, with BIG BANG – intensive training in contemporary dance, Stéphanie has been offering a program that includes a development component and a creation residency component. Since 2020, she also accompanies emerging dancers for their creation projects as an artistic advisor.

I studied classical dance, followed by modern and contemporary, from the age of 8 years old in my hometown of Oderzo in northern Italy. Growing up, I pursued my interest in modern and contemporary dance alongside training in classical, obtaining certification for teaching and choreography in both disciplines. I’ve studied with many big names in Italy, Europe, and around the world, perfecting my craft in workshops all over Germany and France as well as at Scuola del Balletto di Toscana, Opus Ballet, and the Paris Conservatory. My career has spanned two decades, working in dance companies, international musical theatre shows, and television shows, all the while teaching and building choreographies.

This multi-talented artist and dancer began performing at the age of 6. Today, he proudly represents Canada on the international scene. It was in Montreal that Daniel trained in hip-hop, his specialty, with Alexandra Spicey Landé, among others, as well as in jazz and ballet. Now living in Los Angeles for 13 years, we’ve seen him perform alongside such greats as Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and Cher. More recently, he has danced at the Oscars, American Music Awards, Billboards and Latin Grammys, as well as advertising campaigns for Adidas, Reebook and Redken. He took part in 3 world tours with superstar Ricky Martin and 2 more with icon Cher from 2018 to 2019. In 2023, he joined the team behind the famous Parisian evening “La FIERCE”, created by Olivier Croft, as artistic director and choreographer. His experience of international stages has only propelled the event to a level never before seen in French clubbing. He has also made a name for himself in the fashion world with his performances for Off White and Mugler. From dance to fashion, Daniel has worked for several brands on different projects. From Microsoft to Adidas, he has always brought out the best in himself, and is constantly evolving to offer performances in tune with today’s market and trends.

Vladimir “7Starr” Laurore is a Canadian krump pioneer and multidisciplinary artist from Laval. In 2006, he co-founded Canada’s first krump group, Bzerk Squad. 7Starr works to promote and spread this culture at home in Quebec, and is president of the Montreal Krump Alliance (MKA) and creator of the country’s largest krump festival, Gutta Zone Fest. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Canada Council’s Victor Martyn Lynch Staunton Gloria Mitchell-Aleong with the Black Theatre Workshop, Prix Coup de Coeur at the Gala Dunamis and the Prix découverte, awarded by the Prix de la danse de Montréal, for hir extensive work on this large-scale project. 7Starr is releasing his first solo music album, entitled Diff Diff, in 2020. His tireless efforts have caught the public’s attention, even earning him interviews with CTV News, CKUT and Télé-Québec. 7Starr continues to innovate and push krump culture in all its forms.

Salim Bagayoko started his professional career by joining the CHOREAM company, while being a HIP-HOP dance teacher at the Galion dance center in Aulnay-sous-Bois. He then joined the AID (Académie Internationale de la Danse) to improve his skills in other various dance styles (contemporary, classical, jazz). He was a dancer for multiple projects and companies such as Mariah Carey, BLANCA LI, Laser Dancer, Star Academy, La fureur, DRACULA, Saturday Night Fever, and many more. He is an exceptional choreographer known for videoclips such as “Soledad” from Vincent Niclot, and we are lucky to have him with us this year!

Recipient of the KM Hunter, Dance Ontario Innovation, Manifesto Innovation & Originality and Soul Pepper Dance Awards, Apolonia Velasquez is a director, choreographer, actor, and educator.

Her dance company GADFLY’s work includes Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning “Klorofyl”. Apolonia has been commissioned to create work for Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Ryerson Theatre School, Dusk Dances, The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Citadel + Compagnie and the School of Dance to name a few. Her work has been presented in Festivals such as Luminato, Nuit Blanche, Festival DansEncore, 100Lux, Ontario Dance Weekend and Manifesto.

Apolonia is also the founder of TUDS Festival of Urban Dance Culture and the Aybrid Dance Intensive.

She has acquired a considerable amount of experience in the television, entertainment and theatre dance industries. She has worked with artists such as: Katy Perry, Kiesza, Serena Ryder, Shawn Desman, Anjulie, Massari, NINEONE#, KHAY, and Jesse Cook. She has directed and choreographed for Ted Talks, Nike, Bench clothing, Make Up For Ever, American Crew, Canada Goose, Revlon, GM Canada, Manulife, Sephora and for commercials for Pepto Bismol, Quaker, YouTube, Emergen-C, Oculus, Honda, Pizza Hut, Snapdragon, Destination Ontario, MiraLAX, Chevrolet as well as for tv shows such as Beauty & the Beast, Danser pour Gagner and Gwen Stefani’s Kuu Kuu Harajuku.